A great game even for people who aren't fans of Animaniacs.

User Rating: 8.5 | Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt GC
When it comes to the animated shows of the 90's, Animaniacs is highly regarded as one of the finest shows of that era. Created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Steven Spielberg, it was about the adventures of the 3 Warner siblings; Yakko, the 'smart one', Wakko, the 'other' or 'most insane' one, and Dot, the 'cutest' one as well as many other characters residing on the Warner Bros studios film lot. The show was a huge success among both kids and adults and won 8 Emmy's. There have been many video games based on the show, released for consoles like the SNES and the PC. In 2005, The Great Edgar Hunt was released across the sixth generation of home gaming consoles. So does this action-adventure/platformer live up to the name of the show? I'd say it did a fantastic job at recreating the show. Sure this is actually a really easy game but unlike Ed, Edd, and Eddy it's not totally short either. I'd say this is a definite buy for any fan of Animaniacs but even if you aren't one, this was still a really fun game that's worth checking out.

The game opens up as the Warner Bros studio prepares for the annual Edgar ceremony (basically, their Oscars) but then all of the Edgar trophies get stolen by film director C.C. Deville. Tired of being overlooked by the studio, he threatens to melt all of the trophies unless the studio gives him a lucrative contract. However, some crazy shenanigans ensue and the trophies are scattered all across the studio. It is up to the Warner siblings to find them all and take down Deville once and for all.

All 3 Warners are controlled the same way. Of course, you press A to jump and B to attack enemies. If you press the B button while standing still, you will do a vertical smash attack. If you press the B button while moving, you will do a spin attack. While in the air, press the X button to have the Warners slowly glide down to the ground. Otherwise, if you fall from a high place, you will lose health, which is represented in this game by apples. Each Warner has their own 'gadget' which can be used by pressing the Y button. Yakko uses bombs to take out enemies and destroy barriers. Wakko uses a shovel to dig up hidden items. Dot can 'limbo' under low entryways when she finds her grass skirt.

Aside from those 'gadgets', you also use five other items to help progress through certain parts of the game. To get to high-up and hard to reach places, you use suction cups to climb up walls marked by prints. In order to see in dark places, you use night goggles. If you just go into a dark area without them, you will be transported back into a lighted area after a few seconds. In order to find a certain character, you use a magnifying glass to track its footprints but it will not be on screen while you are moving fast. When dealing with ghosts or certain enemies, you use your 'Long Shot Weapon' (or in other words, a proton accelerator). Finally, the snorkel will help you swim underwater. There is no oxygen meter in this game so you will not have to worry about staying down for too long.

The various collectibles in this game don't unlock any special features, but are essential to completing the game. Each world (including the main hub, the studio lot) has its own type of collectible, like film canisters in the studio lot or gold nuggets in the Old West level. You can earn two Edgars in each world for finding all 300 collectibles in that level. One Edgar can earned by finding the character Chicken Boo, who disguises himself as one of the enemies in the level. That's where the magnifying glass comes in. Finding the four letters that spell 'Acme' in each level will earn you an extra unit of health. Finally, there's a page of a script in each world which earns you an Edgar after finding all 6 pages.

In five of the game's levels, you will find Pinky and the Brain and must help them in their plan to "try and take over the world", "the same thing we do on every level", according to Brain. You help in Brain's various schemes, which include stealing horseshoes in the Old West to 'monopolize the transport system' and rebuilding the studio lot's water tower (the home of the Warners) in order to built a satellite for mind control. Completing these minigames will earn you an Edgar, some of the weapons in the game, and will open up the hub world for you.

If you're looking for some good old Animaniacs nostalgia, you will not be disappointed here. Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille all return as the voices of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot respectively and so far as I know, the other major voices from the show are here as well. This is a great-looking game. The levels are creative and the design no doubt resembles that of the show. The humor admittedly is a little light, but it does its job at making fun of some of the cliches in video games. For example, in one level, you have to open a locked up area and the Warners note that this is because there must be an Edgar inside. Sure enough, there is.

There really isn't much things wrong with this game. Perhaps the most glaring is that this is a really easy game. I guarantee that you will have little trouble taking down the bosses in this game. But unlike Ed, Edd, and Eddy: The Misedventures, this isn't a short game. Ed, Edd, and Eddy was basically a more simpler version of the LEGO games where you complete the levels in the game and then go back in order to find all of the collectibles in the game. Here, it's more like the Mario games which means that thankfully this game won't be a waste of your time once you complete it. This game will probably take you about eight hours to complete, which I think is pretty good for a game based on a show.

The camera is rather problematic at times, but that didn't really bother me. The real problem I had with this game is that most of the time you are just looking for the various collectibles in the game. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't one of the ways to get some of the Edgars in this game. So, it means that you will be playing this game a bit longer and believe me, it will take you a while. I also think that this game could have had some special features to unlock like maybe a behind the scenes look at the making of the game. But even though I say that, this was a really fun game and I enjoyed it. Now I didn't grow up with Animaniacs. I wasn't around when the show debuted in 1993 and I only saw a few episodes while it was in syndication. That being said, you don't have to be a fan of the show to appreciate this game. Sure it's not the best of its kind, but it is a great homage to a legendary show like Animaniacs.