Taz: Wanted attempts to capture the chaotic spirit of the Tasmanian Devil in a 3D platformer full of destructive potential. While the cel-shaded graphics hold some Looney Tunes charm, the gameplay is plagued by frustrating camera controls, awkward jumping mechanics, and repetitive level design. The whirlwind mayhem Taz is known for is rarely satisfying, and the inclusion of minigames and unlockable costumes can't redeem the core experience. Taz: Wanted is a missed opportunity that likely only die-hard fans of the character will find some enjoyment in.

This one was one of my first PS2 games, or at least one of the first ones I remember playing.

I just remember I loved to play it for the Looney Tunes slapstick, and it was simply fun to run around in a tornado as the Tasmanian Devil.

Nostalgia tells me it was actually a solid game, but I want to revisit it someday when I have the time.

is there literally anything to say here. does anyone really care what i have to say about a 2002 licensed collectathon featuring Taz The Tazmanian Devil. does anyone really fucking care.

if you do, this game fucking sucks. the camera is awful and gives me a headache, platforming is just miserable because you have such awful control of your momentum in air, and the fucking noise pollution this game creates is just grating. remember how, in arkham asylum, the joker would comment on the shit you were doing and it'd usually be contextual and related to wherever you were or what you were doing? imagine that but with absolutely no specificity and yosemite fucking sam's shrill voice every five seconds. i personally love hearing literally only like 8 different voice clips (such as "YOU'RE A DRIVIN' UP MY BLOOD PRESSURE", "OOOOOOH YOU'RE AS BAD AS THAT PESKY RABBIT" and "STOP THAT YA... YA... YA CRITTER!") every time i spin anything in this game.

it's really a shame, because i almost like some of the level design and goals in this game? every stage has relatively creative presentations for "destroy this image of taz", with my favorite being "swiffer this floor until the image is gone", but it just cannot save a dead gameplay engine. even for 2002, this is fucking bad. enemies, like in hitman, have two modes: one, complete and utter obliviousness and two, psycho mantis when you're plugged into player one's slot. the only way you can get rid of guards is fucking tedious and wildly inconsistent, and some enemies you just flat out cannot even remove from the level, making exploration that much more tedious when you're going through with a fine-tooth comb for 100%.

i cannot say enough bad things about this game. this actively gave me headaches every time i sat down to play it. i have not even touched on the boss fights and literally all i'm going to do is link one of them and leave it at that (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2C6uXVuK0E). my advice for you as someone who enjoyed this as a child is that your nostalgia is lying to you. this controls worse than you remember. this sounds worse than you remember. this is less fun than you remember. leave your positive memory of this untouched and pristine, because that's all it can ever be.

There are some points where the physics and platforming are painfully annoying, and the story is appropriately stupid, but overall this is surprisingly well-made.

The graphics and general level aesthetic fit the Looney Tunes style particularly well. And some of the music has frankly been stuck in my head ever since I first played this at the age of 5.

Rablagabligagrabblerabble-oops indeed. Godspeed Taz.