8xid_Burned: A Developers Perspective

Retro Active: Review, Harvey Birdman

So I have been playing through some of my unopened gifts of the past. At the top of the stack of un-played PS2 games I found my copy of Harvey Birdman: Attourney at Law. While I am a huge fan of the show, I also know how licensed games go especially on last gen systems. I have to say though, I really wish I had opened this game up sooner. While it hasn't topped my chart of best games ever, I did find myself actually wanting to play the whole game through and wanting to stay up late to do it.



So what type of game is this? Well it's an FMV puzzle of all things. 5 in total (5 trials.) There's not much in the way of mechanics as the whole game is simple point and click. The game can be finished in about 2 hours if you are familiar with the show. If not it may take a day. Also there is a ton of extra content to be explored and unlocked. The graphics quality is top notch considering it's clips from the cartoon. Also all the actual voice actors have lended their talents to the game including my favorite, Lewis Black.



The Good: If your a fan of HB or anything playing on adult swim you will get some enjoyment out of this game. There are plenty of inside jokes, great one liners, and awesome animations. Also some of the puzzles are pretty challenging and will really get you trying to figure out the totally BS cases. You also get to play Harvey Birdman as he goes to jail for practicing license without his Law Degree.

The Bad: The game is very short. Only 5 cases make for a quick evening. There are special features, but with a lack of ways to play through the cases the replay value of the game is relatively low.

The Ugly: While the puzzles are interesting and get you thinking, they can also be frustrating. Many of the hints in the game are subtle or non existent, breaking the whole game down to trial (by click) and error. In some cases the only way that you will beat some of the puzzles is to just click everything on the screen (causing you to lose a few times) until you find something that works.

Tips: When going through a trial always "press" the witness on every statement before doing anything else. You do not lose crests for it and it will often unlock important clues for what evidence to present to the court. Also, when a character asks Harvey a stupid question, always exhaust the two stupid answers first. Each dumb response will unlock a funny clip for viewing later.

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