Chipmunks - Just another movie licence?

When I was at home as a child, I remember seeing Alvin and the Chipmunks.  I remember getting that 'Chipmunks' effect when speeding up my voice using a tape player or clever audio set, and referring to unfortunately high-singing lads at school as 'chipmunks'.

That dates them, it really does.  They were a cartoon back in the day, but this Christmas (sorry - I refuse to call it 'holiday season') they're not only a multiformat game but also a live action movie.

So, it's another movie licence game, then.

Yes and no. There's a big budget being slung at this one in terms of the music; we're promised over 40 songs spanning several decades that most music fans will be able to recognise.  The game follows Alvin, Simon, & Theodore on their latest mission to play during the battle of the bands event "Rockathonapalooza". As the Chipmunks perform in each of the musical levels - from school proms to Burning Man to Forest Arenas to the ultimate, Rockathonapalooza - players are challenged to keep in rhythm with the music.  At least we know it won't be just another movie licence game where you wander around as 'Mr X' collecting 'Items' and progressing through 'various levels'.  Wake me up when something changes, will you?  I think I bought that game back in the 80s and it was cheaper then, too.

I'll certainly reserve judgement for this one, although the cheese-o-metre may just go off the scale; the Chipmunks were always very cheesy.  However, it's good to see an attempt being made to add new challenges to movie licence games such as rhythm-based gaming, rather than opt for the standard platformer or 3D sandbox roamer.

We'll review Alvin as soon as we get him out of our cookie jar!