Team Buddies

Originally part of Psygnosis' lineup before they closed up shop, Midway has decided to release this funky puzzle/party game. Team Buddies is a brightly colored slab of high-energy weapon and buddy building that lets you square off against three other friends (provided you have the Multi-tap of course). Your job is to grab as many little blocks as you can from the "pile o' blocks," return them to your building pad and cash them in for a variety of weapons. You'll wield rocket-launchers, extra buddies, machine guns, grenades, etc. It's nicely balanced for either solo play or party time-there's a cute story mode to play through if you have no friends, and there's many, many multiplayer games if you do. The game can be confusing at times as it's occasionally difficult to place the blocks in the right spots; trying to figure out what exactly you're building can also be a challenge. As you progress through the game, you unlock more and more secrets to use in multiplayer. The odd camera perspectives can be tough, but once you've adjusted to it, the game becomes a graphically appealing romp that boasts one of the best game soundtracks you've ever heard. Ranking right up there with Wipeout XL, Street Fighter II; Third Strike and Ridge Racer Type 4, the music and sounds are one of the best parts about Team Buddies. This one isn't essential, but it's one of the best multiplayer games since POY POY.

Am I supposed to feel bad I'm blowing away cute little jellybeans? I mean, they have guns and are blasting away at me--it's cool to kill them, right? This is such a weird little game. But, at the same time, it's also very cool. The gameplay is fun, I love the mission structure, and the graphics are quite keen. Think of Team Buddies as a simple version of Command and Conquer laced with a very wacky story line, except you can only control a couple soldiers. Who look like candy. My only real problem with Team Buddies is it gets a little too silly at times; it's easy to see this game was made for strategy gamers of all ages, which kind of alienates hardcore fans.

i must give Team Buddies credit--it's a fresh idea, and once you get used to the puzzle elements (stacking boxes in order to create power-ups), it becomes a lot of fun. The game is pretty humorous too--I thought it was incredibly funny when l repeatedly ran over to the Milkman's base to steal and break his boxes. (He didn't find it so amusing). I think Psygnosis did a fine job of mixing the action and puzzle elements, but there were times when I just felt that I'd rather have one or the other done better (usually when I was getting blasted in the back by the Milkman). Worth checking out if you're into Bomberman-style action.