Strong Bad Episode 4: Dangeresque 3 (Wii) Review

For those who are new to the series, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People takes the form of a point-and-click adventure game, a la Monkey Island. While titles such as the Broken Sword series have proven in the past that the genre can work well on consoles, the majority of adventure games still feel most at home on the PC. The Wii Remote is arguably the first controller (excluding the DS' touch screen) to challenge that. Combined with simple and bold artwork, this control scheme makes for an experience that feels very much like a high resolution flash game. Whichever version you choose to pick up, you can rest assured that the core gameplay mechanics are as successful as ever. In fact, the decisive graphics are particularly good at differentiating between what is interactive and what it's not, subsequently minimising the need to click everything in sight so as not to miss anything important.

In addition to being the name of this episode, Dangeresque 3 is also the title of the third installment in Strong Bad's home movie series. Strong Bad stars in each movie as Dangeresque - an all purpose character who takes on the guise of a private detective for the duration of Dangeresque 3. Episode 4 actually takes place almost entirely within the confines of said movie, a fact that leads to a veritable slew of movie gags with references to everything from Lethal Weapon to Indiana Jones and beyond. For a series renowned for its inside jokes, these provide a welcome source of humour for those that aren't intimately familiar with the Homestar Runner universe. A few videogame and music references help to round out the package, but that's not to say that Strong Bad is never amusing in his own right.

While we obviously don't want to give away too many particular details, the in-film setting is not only supplemented by direct movie references, but also a variety of less specific comedic antics. For example, how does the director of a low budget movie deal with the prospect of an epic chase scene, a screen-filling monster battle, and a story that spans multiple continents? The answers prove to be hilarious whether you're a Homestar Runner fan, a movie buff, or none of the above. Chuck in some excellent dialogue (enhanced by fabulous voice work) from characters posing (often, unconvincingly) as actors, and you've got a well-rounded package that should be able to squeeze more than a few laughs out of all but the dullest of players.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Dangeresque 3 often feels less like a conventional game and more like an interactive cartoon. With the exception of a few imaginative puzzles and a rather dull space-based mini-game, the game's real appeal lies in its atmosphere and humour. While the same can be said of many adventure games, Strong Bad takes things one step further. That's not necessarily a problem, but it might serve to limit the game's appeal for those that prefer a more hands-on experience. If you're new to the Homestar Runner universe, you might also want to take in a few of the online cartoons - which you can do on HomestarRunner.com - to get a clearer idea of whether or not this particular brand of humour is to your liking.