Along with Beeker and Fozzie Bear, Animal ranks among my favorite Muppets characters. So it's great not only to see him starring in his own iPhone game, but to report that the game's a blast.
At first blush, The Muppets Animal Drummer from Disney looks like something out of Rock Band: you've got five drums that light up and change colors (and occasionally catch fire); combo bonuses and power-ups that appear as you progress; and Animal himself (itself?) banging away center-stage.
A little bit Rock Band, a little bit Simon, The Muppets Animal Drummer is all fun.
(Credit: Disney)However, the gameplay's a bit different: Animal bangs out a series of beats using different parts of the drum set and different intervals. Your job is to play back the lick (by tapping the drums) using the exact same phrasing.
It starts off pretty easy, but quickly gets challenging (especially for rhythm-deprived individuals like myself). Even so, I find this a lot more fun than, say, Tap Tap Revenge or Rock Band, both of which reach a level of "impossible" that makes me lose all interest.
Here, you can improve your performance with practice--no superhuman levels of dexterity required.
There's also a Free Play mode that lets you drum along with any of the game's handful of songs (some of which must be unlocked by doing well in Classic mode) or songs in your iPod library. Younger kids in particular will have lots of fun with this, as it's really just noise on top of noise.
Whatever mode you choose, you'll enjoy snippets of Animal's voice along the way--icing on the cake.
And sweet cake it is. Animal Drummer may have built-in kid appeal (assuming kids these days even know who the Muppets are), but it's also plenty of fun for older players who enjoy music- and rhythm-centric games. At $1.99, I can highly recommend it.
My showgirl Muppet
(Credit: Jennifer Guevin/CNET Networks; FAO Schwarz)It might not be as technically challenging as modding a PC out of a humidor, but FAO Schwarz's make-your-own-Muppet tool is still a kick for cubicle dwellers with a few minutes to kill.
With the Muppet Whatnot designer, you get to pick from three bodies, choose eyes, a nose, hair, and an outfit, and you've got yourself a custom-made Muppet faster than you can say: Gersh gurndy morn-dee burn-dee.
But for 90 bucks a pop, you'd better be sure you really like that round red nose better than the pointy yellow.
A press representative says it takes four to six weeks to receive your creation--enough time for the holidays if you start now.
But beginning November 13, the Muppets will take Manhattan--again. Customers at the Fifth Avenue store will be able to design their Muppets in-store and walk out with their new toy about 20 minutes later. Also note that, though we don't have one to look at in person (stuffed animals don't quite cut it on the CNET expense account), we suspect these are actual puppets, not full-bodied stuffed animals.
Yes, I had way too much fun with this.
(Credit: Jennifer Guevin/CNET Networks; FAO Schwarz)If Muppets aren't your thing, the famed toy store has another do-it-yourself toy-making service. With the Make-My-Own-Monster Custom Design Kit, you can send in your own drawing of the creatures that haunt you in the night, and a few weeks and $250 later, they'll mail you back a stuffed animal fashioned after your design.
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Happy Friday, yet again.
Nary a day goes by when I don't think about eating my computer, or at least biting it out of frustration. I hope I'm not alone.
This week's audio/video weekend starter is straight from the brains of Jim Henson and Frank Oz. Enjoy watching the Cookie Monster's green brother do what we all want to do from time to time: eat the hell out of a computer.
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