Developer:Minds Eye Productions Ltd.
Publisher: Empire
Interactive/Take 2 Baltimore
Reviewed by Cricket
on 01/23/2001
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First
Impressions:
Sheep are endearing creatures at the best of times. When I received the game, it came with a cute little stuffed sheep, which I parked on the top of my computer. I could hardly wait to get started, since it is a puzzle game, and I was looking forward to the challenge of herding the little creatures to safety. I read the manual first, laughing out loud at the description of the four types of sheep and the four sheepherders available for play. The game seemed to promise family entertainment and hours of fun. Mind you, I love movies like Airplane! and Naked Gun, so this game appealed to my sense of silliness. I deliberately stayed away from other online reviews and comments until I had finished this review, since I wished to avoid any influence, negative or positive. I was impressed with the list of credits at the back of the manual, a great many people worked on developing this game.
The introduction was a bit confusing. It was like watching a cartoon, and I had to view it several times to get the gist of it.
I invited a few friends over to get their first impressions and to take the training levels together. However, we laughed so hard we didn't get past the first training level that night. We each took a turn trying to herd the sheep through the basic first stages, but our laughter negated our efforts and we all failed the first training level. The evening was fun and enjoyable for all of us, and I promised to play the game with them when I had finished with it.
Bo Peep was my choice of herder during training. Unfortunately, she is a rock musician with your typical game female Barbie doll figure squeezed into clothes that are too small. Admittedly she would have looked silly in fairy-tale clothing, but surely they didn't have to make her "charms" so obvious. We all agreed that Bo Peep's appearance could have been less provocative and more normal. Two of the herders are dogs and the fourth is a young man (a former banker) who resembles an Elvis impersonator (at least that's what we concluded - you might not agree).
In spite of the directions, we did have a bit of a problem configuring the controls. In the final analysis, it was very simple, but given the choice of keyboard, mouse, joystick or game pad, we were not sure that our selection registered. That may be due to our lack of experience with newer games, since I prefer to have my choice "Okayed" with a written message. I kept the instruction manual handy, and quickly learned during game play to use the keyboard for configuration. In the end, I preferred the mouse to a game pad or keyboard. Unfortunately the game froze frequently on Windows ME, which necessitated a reinstall. I finally moved to a friend's computer and Windows 98, with more success. In all fairness, the game does not list Windows ME as a requirement, and it ran nicely on Windows 98. The instruction manual covered all the questions I had quite clearly and simply.
Graphics:
The introduction story is definitely three-dimensional: it is like watching a children's show on TV. The introductions to each level are also three-dimensional. The game play flattens a bit, but that isn't a negative comment, it just seems different from the introduction. It took me a while to figure out why before I realized the player's perspective is above the scenery, so you can look down on the puzzle. The introductions are at ground level. Nothing spectacular struck me about the graphics that was negative or positive. The stuffed sheep perched on top of my computer matched the modern pastoral sheep in the game exactly.
Sound/Music:
The sheep sound a bit like babies crying at times, but their bleats and baas are sheep-like. The music in the introduction was modern and would probably appeal to a broad user base. Three of my four friends didn't care for the music, but we are older and tend to prefer Rachmaninov to rock. The sound levels are easily adjusted in the sound options screen, and the music can be muted.
During game play the music is subdued and innocuous. It is, however, somewhat repetitious. It isn't necessarily distracting, just a bit tedious.
Gameplay:
This was, put simply, quite fun. There are four kinds of sheep. I chose to list them and describe them directly from the manual, which does them justice.
- · Modern Pastoral - normal, boring sheep who are scared of everything. These are your basic, everyday sheep. Ideal for beginners.
- · Modern Factoral - dedicated followers of fashion and not afraid of anything. Too stupid to distinguish between danger and safety.
- · Long Wool - sub culture sheep, like bikers, rockers and crusties. [Reviewer's comment - what is a crustie?] Love rock music! Not as cowardly as most sheep, but still stupid.
- · Neo Genetics - they give off a cool, hard exterior, but in reality are still stupid and cowardly. Good with computers and traffic.
The goal is to get as many sheep through the seven levels as possible. Six worlds have four levels, the seventh world has one level. You can do each level with the four kinds of sheep, making 35 levels' worth of game play with the training and bonus levels included. According to the game's premise, the sheep are descendants of aliens who visited Earth many years ago. Somehow, the original sheep lost sight of their mission and assimilated into their environment. Their ancestors have now returned to Earth to reclaim the lost flocks.
The four sheepherders are as different as the four types of sheep. Bo Peep is a lead singer in a rock band. Adam Half Pint is a former bank manager, though he seems kind of young to be a bank manager. Motley is a normal dog who dreams of being a sheep dog. Shep is an old sheep dog who refuses to retire.
Each sheepherder has good and bad traits, and part of the fun is picking the right herder for the type of sheep and level of difficulty. As I write this review, I am still in the early stages of the game. It takes skill to master herding. Getting through various obstacles without killing sheep takes a lot of practice. So far I have encountered mine fields, electric fences, sharks, threshers, shearers and airplanes. I have a feeling this game will challenge me for several months. I have yet to encounter the evil Mr. Pear, whose goal is to control the world by implanting sheep genes into all life on Earth, making them submissive. Certain enemies cause the sheep to land on their backs, they can't get up until you rescue them. Colored shallow water obstacles contain dye that causes the sheep to change color, and if a yellow sheep goes through a blue water obstacle, it turns green. While dyed sheep seem to have nothing to do with the end result, it is amusing herding the colored sheep.
With the choice of keyboard, joystick, game pad or mouse, it would seem that it would be simple enough to get past the first few levels. However, the sheep scatter when approached and while it is easy to creep up on them, it is not quite so simple to keep them together once you start herding them to safety. In the first level, Polygon Farm, you must get them past baling machines (if they get run over they pop out wearing bales of hay), through a shark-infested cornfield and past an electric fence. I fried more sheep than I saved. Each level requires additional skill and you must plan your strategy carefully to meet the time limit.
Enjoyment:
What can I say? Sheep is a fun game that caused me to laugh out loud. Some creative minds made this game entertaining and challenging in its silliness. I did get frustrated at times because I couldn't herd my sheep though the obstacles in the time limits, but that was mostly because I wanted to get to the next level so I could complete the review. Given time, this game will provide months of fun. Younger individuals who are used to Nintendos and Playstations will probably go through the levels faster than those of us who don't play arcade or action games.
Overall, Sheep is a delightful, entertaining and fun game. I still think Gruntz is my all-time favorite, but Sheep would rank a close second.
I visited the web site after 15 hours of play. There is a description of each world and the levels, which was useful, since I was still struggling through the first level. It gave me some encouragement. There is a media section, which requires a password. I might consider it in time. For now, I am content to keep playing.
Multiplayer:
This game is played entirely offline. Each player can save his or her game, which is a useful tool when you are struggling with a particular level. If you don't save the level, you lose it and have to go back. While a solo player would get considerable enjoyment from Sheep, it is a game best played with others, as it is quite entertaining to watch. I preferred sharing the game with a family member or friends and taking turns. Playing alone was a bit frustrating: it's much more fun to watch someone else bumble through and make the same mistakes.
Overall
Impression:
The detail in this game was impressive. A lot of inventive thinking went into the making of Sheep. It requires patience and time to perfect the basic skills needed to herd your sheep effectively. This is a bit frustrating, but it is also funny and challenging. I doubt that it would appeal to a hard core gamer.
Sheep is similar to Gruntz and Crop Circles, both of which also took time to master. The game tends to be a bit more repetitious than Gruntz, because the sheep are basically stupid and stay stupid throughout the game.
Marketing
Efforts Towards Women:
This game would appeal to almost any age or gender. Bo Peep is a little bit much, but all in all, she isn't the main focus of the game. After a while, I got past the fact that she is a stereotypical female game figure because I was too busy herding my unruly charges.
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