Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse Review

Game Reviewed: Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse

Release Date: November 20, 2012

Developer: Heavy Iron Studios

Publisher: Activision

Platform: [Reviewed: Xbox 360], PlayStation 3, PC

Genre: Adventure

Rated: M for Mature

Family Guy Back to the Multiverse is finally here with the entire gang. Heavy Iron Studios, the developers behind UFC Personal Trainer and SpongeBob Truth or Square, headed up this title. With Family Guy being full of violence, sexual content and more, can the studio mimic the television show and grab its audience over to the consoles?

In the campaign, you can choose from solo and co-op with Stewie and Brian, traveling back in time with the use of a multiverse remote to stop Stewie’s evil half-brother Bertram, a character that they killed in the present, from creating a force to kill them in the world they live in today.

The Family Guy story has an moderate impression. As interesting as it may look when playing some missions, begins to scream boredom. Gameplay immediately reminded me of The Simpsons, outside of side-scrolling.

Stewie has the ability of using a range of power weapons while Brian gets the average pistols and shotguns. Stewie also has satchel charges and exploding diapers used as grenades, causing huge explosions.

When using guns, they tend to shoot in a wildly manner, perfect example being Earthworm Jim. Yeah, I just went there. There’s plenty of cash to collect, as well as health and ammo pickups.  You can enter store portals whenever you choose and upgrade costumes, weapons and attributes like more health and increase of clip size.

There interesting part here is that you’re required to find enough money to unlock these upgrades, the dull part is also having to reach a certain point of the game to unlock the weapon just to make the purchase.

One of the most important things about Family Guy that’s definitely missing throughout the campaign, the humor. Now that’s not to say there aren’t funny scenes in the game at all, there are a few. But when comes to the comedic side, it’s more force-fed,  slapstick humor rather than what you would  see from Seth McFarland in the television series.

As for multiplayer, there are a few modes that were entertaining. Other than the typical Deathmatch and Free for All, Back to the Multiverse includes Multiverse Madness. It’s the more popular game modes nowadays that pushes the player to survive as many waves as possible.

There’s also Capture the Greased-Up Deaf Guy. As silly as it sounds, it’s actually entertaining. You’re having to chase down the flag and then get it back to your base for the capture. If you’re indecisive to which mode you’d prefer, Infiltration randomly chooses different modes.

There’s also a few senseless challenge modes as well such as Amish Elimination with requires you to kill so many Amish without killing tourist.

In these multiplayer modes, you have the ability of using other, and at times better characters. If the option had been open for full character selection, the overall experience might have improved drastically. Then again, most gamers may not enjoy the MP mode either way with that fact that it’s local only.

Commentary in Back to the Multiverse lacks atrociously. As enemies continue to spawn randomly, both you and them will have very short dialogue to go through. In short time of each mission becomes very repetitive ad infuriating.

Controlling the characters are easy enough. Trying to aim down a target is a waste of time. There’s a mission where Brian uses a sniper rifle. Other than the beginning of the mission when your camping from the top of a barn, the enemy moves constantly, making his pistol (without aiming down) your only potential takedown.

Family Guy Back to the Multiverse sits as a title that is worth trying and fun for only a very short while. It doesn’t lack overall, but enough to generate little replay value. After finishing the story and trying a few challenges and MP, I found myself completely over the title as a whole.

The Scores

Gameplay: 2.5/5

Visuals: 4/5

Audio: 3/5

Controls: 3/5

Value: 2/5

Overall Rating: 2.5/5