Blues Brothers 2000 E3 Hands-On

The Blues Brothers have come a long way since John Belushi and Dan Akroyd did their first musical number on Saturday Night Live. A hit movie followed, as did a sequel with John Goodman taking the place of the late Belushi. Now, Elwood Blues is back to reunite the group and make a big splash at the Battle of the Bands. Unfortunately, all of his bandmates have been captured by the mob. Elwood must make his way through a variety of Chicago-based environments, including a prison, graveyard and a swamp, in order to save his buddies.

PAimed at the younger gamer, Blues Brothers consists of Mario 64-style exploration with some simple puzzles thrown in for good measure. For example, one of the puzzles consists of jumping on numbered buttons in the correct order. Don't expect any mind-bending challenges here. In addition to the action sequences, there are basic dance/rhythm levels similar to Parappa the Rapper, in which the player must match dance moves with an instructor. Songs from the movie have been licensed and should appear as background music.

The graphics are appropriately cartoonish and the gameplay easy enough, but how many kids will want to give up Pokemon to play a game based on an unpopular movie released early last year, with characters created over twenty years ago? We'll find out this summer, when Blues Brothers 2000 is for release.