Watch me lose the little credibility I had by saying that a fucking Grimace game that runs on a Game Boy Color is better than Crash Bandicoot.
I should preface by being completely honest and say that my connection with McDonald's mascots has been absolutely minimal over the years, the only one I've ever seen on TV being this absolute monstrosity. I've barely had any contact with the Hamburglar, the Touhou funny clown, the one that shall not be named and, of course, the good ol' purple nub is no exception, and the biggest achievement this game accomplished was making me feel nostalgic for characters I was exposed to only because of the internet. I say this but I also must be one of the four motherfuckers that knows that Grimace has canonically mentioned his grandma; I really don't know why I know this information when I didn't even know who Birdie was until now.
The fact this can be played in a GBC is already really cool, but playing it in web browser was also extremely charming. It SCREAMS of 90’s product in the best way possible, and yes, I mean product; it goes for the most ad-game vibe possible and it rocks at it: the product placement, the way everything looks (including the web-site), the characters talking in internet slang, to even Grimace fucking skating; it’s an amalgamation of the 90’s and internet era advertising and it’s so apologetic and obvious it oozes charm. They embraced the absurdity, while it still serves as a kind of advertising, and it’s the first time in my life a game of this sort doesn’t even annoy me once.
The gameplay also screams od 90’s tie-in game!... And by that I mean it’s bad!
Well that’s a bit of a exaggeration, it’s just that the skating controls are sometimes infuriatingly loose and imprecise, especially in hard (WARNING: DO NOT PLAY GRIMACE’S BIRTHDAY ON THE HARD CONTROLS SETTING, WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE), and the rest of the platforming stages are nothing especial at all… which kinda adds to the vibe of it all.
The game is what it is: a really short game that doesn’t shine in anything, just as most games of its genre, and the fact that this time is by all means intentional adds a lot of value in a weird, twisted way. It really perplexed me that something like this was requested by the company itself and not done by fans out of parody and love, ‘cause that what it feels like; it isn’t anything too bombastic or great, it’s just lovely.
Take it away, Lee Greenwood
I should preface by being completely honest and say that my connection with McDonald's mascots has been absolutely minimal over the years, the only one I've ever seen on TV being this absolute monstrosity. I've barely had any contact with the Hamburglar, the Touhou funny clown, the one that shall not be named and, of course, the good ol' purple nub is no exception, and the biggest achievement this game accomplished was making me feel nostalgic for characters I was exposed to only because of the internet. I say this but I also must be one of the four motherfuckers that knows that Grimace has canonically mentioned his grandma; I really don't know why I know this information when I didn't even know who Birdie was until now.
The fact this can be played in a GBC is already really cool, but playing it in web browser was also extremely charming. It SCREAMS of 90’s product in the best way possible, and yes, I mean product; it goes for the most ad-game vibe possible and it rocks at it: the product placement, the way everything looks (including the web-site), the characters talking in internet slang, to even Grimace fucking skating; it’s an amalgamation of the 90’s and internet era advertising and it’s so apologetic and obvious it oozes charm. They embraced the absurdity, while it still serves as a kind of advertising, and it’s the first time in my life a game of this sort doesn’t even annoy me once.
The gameplay also screams od 90’s tie-in game!... And by that I mean it’s bad!
Well that’s a bit of a exaggeration, it’s just that the skating controls are sometimes infuriatingly loose and imprecise, especially in hard (WARNING: DO NOT PLAY GRIMACE’S BIRTHDAY ON THE HARD CONTROLS SETTING, WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE), and the rest of the platforming stages are nothing especial at all… which kinda adds to the vibe of it all.
The game is what it is: a really short game that doesn’t shine in anything, just as most games of its genre, and the fact that this time is by all means intentional adds a lot of value in a weird, twisted way. It really perplexed me that something like this was requested by the company itself and not done by fans out of parody and love, ‘cause that what it feels like; it isn’t anything too bombastic or great, it’s just lovely.
Take it away, Lee Greenwood
2 Comments
@cdmcgwire I'd honestly wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, I can't think of any other scenario where this would come into existence. But whoever came up with this will always be remembered as a hero in the shadows... one that really likes bad skateboarding controls.
cdmcgwire
1 year ago