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Happy Tree Friends False Alarm

XBOXLIVE Arcade

Developed by Stainless Games

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I both love and hate the Happy Tree Friends. I got my first taste when they had their own show for a time on G4 (a show with Happy Tree Friends as well as other shorts). Naturally, G4 has axed a lot of it's great shows...but I digress.

False Alarm is much in the same vein as Lemmings. You must guide a handful of the Happy Tree Friends through a periless obstacle course from point A to point B. Simple enough. However, much like the mighty lemming, these little morons will just walk on without guidance into any obstacle. Thankfully, you don't fall off ledges to their doom. The trial game is a tutorial level and an actual level long, with half of a Happy Tree Friends cartoon for flavor. Even from that little bit you'll know it's almost imperative to know ahead of time what to do, and plan accordingly, or god help you, people will start getting their faces scorched by a well placed steam vent.

This premise, while legit, is wrong.

Any fan of the cartoon will reationalize with me on this...we don't want to save the little buggers, we want to hurt them. Badly. We want to make Flippy wig out and attack the other Happy Tree Friends. We want Lumpy getting his brain poked out by doing something dumb. We want horrible yet adorabel violence with our Happy Tree friends, and in a game about them, that should be the outcome instead of guiding them to safety.

Of course, begrudgingly, we have to remember, that this is a video game, and video games are based around objectives and tasks.

I highly suggest giving the demo a run and get your own opinion. If you liked the Lemmings games, you might find something worthwhile here. Me? I can only go with my feeling and give it a 5.

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