Bone: The Great Cow Race

Last updated
Bone: The Great Cow Race
Bone - The Great Cow Race Coverart.png
Developer(s) Telltale Games
Publisher(s) Telltale Games
Designer(s) Dave Grossman
Heather Logas
Composer(s) Jared Emerson-Johnson
Engine Telltale Tool
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release
  • Windows
    • NA: April 12, 2006
    • EU: May 18, 2007
  • Steam
    • NA: June 17, 2008
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Bone: The Great Cow Race is an adventure game by Telltale Games, the second episode of the Bone video game series. It was released in April 2006 after approximately seven months of production. It is based on the second volume of the Bone comic series by Jeff Smith and follows the adventures of cousins Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone.

Contents

Plot

Bone: The Great Cow Race screenshot, where Phoney Bone (left) is with a cow. Cowrace screen.jpg
Bone: The Great Cow Race screenshot, where Phoney Bone (left) is with a cow.

The game starts up where Bone: Out from Boneville left off, with the Bone cousins' arrival in Barrel Haven just in time for the Spring Fair and annual Cow Race. In this third-person game, the player gets to control all three Bone cousins (using a technique similar to the one employed in the LucasArts adventure game Day of the Tentacle ). Fone Bone, smitten with the lovely Thorn, must find a way to impress her. Phoney Bone cooks up a scheme to swindle the townspeople out of their hard-earned eggs during the Cow Race, and enlists help from his happy-go-lucky cousin Smiley. Little do they know, the Rat Creatures are lurking nearby. Eventually, the Rat Creatures chase Fone on the race, and Phoney has no choice but to reveal his plan, as the Rat Creatures are gaining on them. In the end, Phoney is punished for his crimes.

Reception

The game was met with a more positive reception than the first title in the series, Bone: Out from Boneville . GameRankings gave it a score of 77.68%, [1] while Metacritic gave it 76 out of 100. [2]

Comic Book Resources gave it a positive review and called it "a nostalgic romp". [14] GamesRadar gave it a score of four stars out of five and said that the game "boasts pretty, well-animated visuals, excellent voice-acting and a great musical score, especially for an indie title. It's still a little short and none too replayable, but it's a fun little quest while it lasts". [6] PC Zone gave it 67% and called it "a cheaper, slightly longer and certainly more rewarding slice of saccharine silliness than before. Still not perfect, but very, very cute". [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Bone</i> (comics) Comic book series by Jeff Smith

Bone is an American independently-published graphic novel series, written and illustrated by Jeff Smith, originally serialized in 55 irregularly released issues from 1991 to 2004. The series was self-published by Smith's Cartoon Books for issues #1–20, by Image Comics from issues #21–27, and back to Cartoon Books for issues #28–55.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Smith (cartoonist)</span> American cartoonist

Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist. He is best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone.

<i>King Kong</i> (2005 video game) 2005 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft

Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is a 2005 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft, based on the 2005 film King Kong. The game was created in collaboration between the film's director Peter Jackson and the game's director Michel Ancel. The game follows New York scriptwriter Jack Driscoll through Skull Island, as he attempts to save love interest Ann Darrow who has been sacrificed by the island's natives to the giant gorilla Kong.

<i>Darkened Skye</i> 2002 video game

Darkened Skye is a third-person action-adventure video game developed by Boston Animation. It was released for Microsoft Windows and GameCube in North America in 2002 and the PAL regions in 2003. The game was also packaged with Outlaw Golf. Its title character is a young woman named Skye who lives in a fantasy realm searching for her mother. She can perform magic using Skittles candies as well as use her staff as a melee weapon; her staff becomes an energy weapon when used in conjunction with the Skittles.

<i>Out from Boneville</i> 1991 comic book by Jeff Smith

Out From Boneville is the first story-arc in the Bone series. It collects the first six issues of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone comics. It marks the beginning of part one of the Bone series, titled Vernal Equinox. The book was first published by Cartoon Books in its original black-and-white version in 1995; excerpts were printed in Disney Adventures over the course of 1994–1998. Paperback and hardback colored editions were published in 2005 by Scholastic.

<i>The Great Cow Race</i>

The Great Cow Race is the second book in the Bone series. It collects issues 7-11 of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone graphic novels, along with the short story "Up on the Roof" which was originally published in Wizard Presents: Bone 13½. The book was first published by Cartoon Books in its original black-and-white form in 1996. Paperback and hardback coloured editions were released in 2005 by Scholastic.

<i>Eyes of the Storm</i> 1996 comic book by Jeff Smith

Eyes of the Storm is the third book in the Bone series. It collects issues 12-19 of Jeff Smith's Bone comic book series along with 5 previously unpublished story pages and 9 new illustrations. It marks the conclusion of the first part of the saga, titled "Vernal Equinox". The book was first published by Cartoon Books in its original black-and-white form in 1996. Paperback and hardback coloured editions were published in 2006 by Scholastic.

<i>The Dragonslayer</i>

The Dragonslayer is the fourth book in the Bone series. It collects issues 20-27 of Jeff Smith's Bone comics. This volume marks the beginning of the second part of the Bone saga, entitled Solstice. The book was first published by Cartoon Books in its original black-and-white form in 1997. Paperback and hardback coloured editions were published in 2006 by Scholastic.

<i>Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border</i>

Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border is the fifth book in the Bone series. It collects issues 28-32 of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone comic book series. The book was published by Cartoon Books in its original black-and-white form in 1998. Paperback and hardback coloured editions were published in February 2007 by Scholastic.

<i>Old Mans Cave</i>

Old Man's Cave is the sixth book in the Bone series. It collects issues 33-37 of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone comic book series. It marks the conclusion of the second part of the saga, entitled Solstice. The book was published by Cartoon Books in its original black-and-white form in 1999, and in color by Scholastic Press in 2007.

<i>Ghost Circles</i>

Ghost Circles is the seventh book in the Bone series. It collects issues 38-43 of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone comic book series and marks the beginning of the third and final part of the saga, entitled Harvest. The book was published by Cartoon Books in black-and-white in 2001 and in color by Scholastic Press in 2008.

<i>Crown of Horns</i> (comic)

Crown of Horns is the ninth and final book in the Bone series. It collects issues 50-55 of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone comic book series. The book was published by Cartoon Books in 2004. The color version was published by Scholastic Press and released on January 21, 2009.

<i>Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails</i> Comic book by Tom Sniegoski

Tall Tales: The Adventures of Big Johnson Bone, Frontier Hero is a prequel to the Eisner Award-winning comic book Bone by Jeff Smith. It was initially published in 1998 as a three- issue mini-series before being collected in a trade paperback (ISBN 1-888963-06-9) in 2000.

<i>Sam & Max: Freelance Police</i> Unreleased 2004 video game

Sam & Max: Freelance Police was a graphic adventure video game developed by LucasArts from 2002 until its cancellation in 2004, and the final game in the company's adventure game era. Freelance Police was originally intended for release for Windows in early 2004 as a sequel to the 1993 title Sam & Max Hit the Road. The game was based on the characters Sam & Max: an anthropomorphic dog and "hyperkinetic rabbity thing" who debuted in a 1987 comic book series created by Steve Purcell. Freelance Police was announced in August 2002, and showcased at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2003. Like its predecessor, Freelance Police was designed as a point-and-click adventure game, but used a 3D game engine in place of the SCUMM and GrimE engines used in older LucasArts adventure games. The project's development was led by Michael Stemmle, one of the original designers for Sam & Max Hit the Road, while Steve Purcell assisted in developing the game's plot and providing artistic direction.

<i>Bone: Out from Boneville</i> 2005 video game

Bone: Out from Boneville is an episodic adventure game by Telltale Games. It was Telltale's first adventure game, and their second game overall, following Telltale Texas Hold'em. A Mac port of the game was released on October 13, 2006, ported by Vanbrio.

<i>Treasure Hunters</i> (comic)

Treasure Hunters is the eighth book in the Bone series. It collects issues 44-49 of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone comic book series. The book was published by Cartoon Books in 2002 and in color by Scholastic Press in 2008.

<i>The Omega Stone: Riddle of the Sphinx II</i> 2003 video game

The Omega Stone is a Microsoft Windows puzzle adventure game developed by American studio Omni World Studios. It was the sequel to the game Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure and was released by DreamCatcher Interactive on March 18, 2003.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian</i> (video game) 2008 video game

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is an action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales to coincide with the theatrical release of the film of the same name. It was released for the Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 3 on 15 May 2008 in North America to mixed reception. The DS version was also the first game to implement Disney's DGamer online chat service. As of 2023, it is the last Traveller's Tales game to be developed outside of LEGO video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Emerson-Johnson</span> American video game composer

Jared Nathaniel Emerson-Johnson is an American video game music composer, sound designer, voice director and voice actor. Emerson-Johnson is the Music Supervisor and lead composer at Bay Area Sound, an audio production company specializing in sound design, music and voiceover for video games.

<i>Le Mans 24 Hours</i> (video game) 1999 video game

Le Mans 24 Hours is a video game released for the PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Windows. The Dreamcast version was ported and published by Sega in Japan on 15 March 2001, while the PlayStation 2 version was ported and published by the same company on 13 June. Based on the famous 24 hours of Le Mans race in France, the player is invited to race the entire 24-hour endurance course or take part in a simpler arcade mode. The game also featured tracks such as Bugatti Circuit, Brno Circuit, Road Atlanta, Suzuka Circuit, Donington Park and Circuit de Catalunya, as well as a weather and night system.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bone: The Great Cow Race for PC". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  2. 1 2 "Bone: The Great Cow Race for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  3. Green, Sarah (2006-09-05). "Bone: The Great Cow Race". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  4. Michaud, Rob (2006-04-13). "Bone: The Great Cow Race review". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on 2014-07-09. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  5. Reed, Kristan (2006-04-10). "Bone: Act 2 - The Great Cow Race". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 2014-09-26. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  6. 1 2 Reparaz, Mikel (2006-04-21). "Bone: The Great Cow Race review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  7. Hollingshead, Anise (2006-04-20). "Bone: The Great Cow Race - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  8. Krause, Staci (2006-05-17). "Bone: The Great Cow Race". IGN . Archived from the original on 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  9. "Bone: The Great Cow Race". PC Format (187): 97. June 2006.
  10. "Bone: The Great Cow Race". PC Gamer UK : 91. August 2006.
  11. "Bone: The Great Cow Race". PC Gamer : 99. July 2006.
  12. 1 2 PC Zone Staff (July 2006). "Review: Bone: The Great Cow Race". PC Zone : 74. Archived from the original on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
  13. Dahlen, Chris (2006-05-10). "Bone: The Great Cow Race". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  14. Goldstone, Jeremy (2006-04-28). "Review: "Bone: The Great Cow Race" Game". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-11-03.