Family Guy Video Game!

Last updated
Family Guy Video Game!
Family Guy Video Game!.jpg
North American cover art
Developer(s) High Voltage Software
Publisher(s) 2K
Producer(s) Kevin Sheller
Designer(s) Kyle Miller
Programmer(s) John Sanderson
Artist(s) Cary Penczek
Writer(s)
Composer(s) Associated Production Music
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable
Xbox
ReleasePlayStation 2, Xbox
  • NA: October 17, 2006 [1]
  • EU: October 26, 2006
  • AU: November 3, 2006
PlayStation Portable
  • NA: October 17, 2006 [1]
  • AU: November 3, 2006
  • EU: December 1, 2006
Genre(s) Action-adventure, platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Family Guy Video Game! is an action-adventure video game based on the Fox adult animated television series of the same name, developed by High Voltage Software and published by 2K, it was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PlayStation Portable. A follow-up game, Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse , was released in 2012.

Contents

Gameplay

Stewie using his mind control on Death in the "Hospital Madness Part Deux" level. FamilyGuyGame2.jpg
Stewie using his mind control on Death in the "Hospital Madness Part Deux" level.

The game is split into 22 levels for the three playable characters: Peter, Stewie or Brian. Peter and Stewie have eight levels, while Brian has six. Each character has his own unique style of play.

Some other characters can also be controlled by the player during small fractions of Stewie's levels, as he possesses a Mind Controller Device. These include Lois, Quagmire, Cleveland, Death and Meg, as well as other minor characters and unknown characters.

Peter's levels have a beat 'em up style, similar to Final Fight , Streets of Rage and Double Dragon . In Peter's levels, the player rampages across a section of town, attacking anyone and anything in his path. In addition, depending on the player's progression through the game, Peter will adopt a different persona as a result of head trauma, giving his attacks different animations but otherwise similar results. Peter's alter egos are Rufus Griffin, Hooker Peter and A.N.N.A. (Automaton Nuclear Neo-human Android), played in that order. Peter begins and ends the game as himself.

Stewie's levels resemble a shoot 'em up like Galaga or Space Invaders , but also with similarities to games like the Futurama video game. Stewie uses his upgradeable laser gun and conveniently placed "sky hooks" to move through various stages. He also uses his Mind Controller Device to briefly control other characters and use their abilities, most notably Death, Quagmire and Lois.

Brian's levels have more in common with stealth games like Metal Gear Solid and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell . Brian must avoid detection by those around him, and can adopt disguises to fool onlookers. A secondary element in Brian's levels is avoiding his natural urge to urinate on things. Should the player remain near certain objects for too long (potted plants, fire hydrants, etc.), Brian will be forced to pee on them, exposing himself to those around him.

Out of the Mind-Controllable characters, Lois has the ability to interact with household items such as the Oven and the Vacuum Cleaner, and she is also the only character that can open the doors inside the family's house. Quagmire and Meg work as Repellents for female and male NPC's, respectively, and can force them to do certain things through their repulsiveness. Death can kill other NPC's and is immune to their attacks. The other characters have no special abilities.

Chris is the only character of the main cast of the show that is not playable in any way through the entire game (Not even through Stewie's mind control), although he appears as a NPC.

A key feature of the game are mini-games done in the same style as the cutaway gags that the show is famous for, usually lasting less than 10 seconds. The mini-games often repeat cutaway gags from the episodes, such as Peter inexplicably burning his hand in a waffle iron. Successfully completing the mini-game offers a bonus: Brian becomes invisible for a short period, while Peter and Stewie receive power-ups for their respective abilities. Lois and Meg are not benefited by any mini-game.

Plot

Stewie has built a mind control ray, and plans to use it in conjunction with Peter's satellite dish. However, his plans are interrupted by his half-brother Bertram, who claims to want his satellite dish. After making his way to the roof, Stewie decides that he would rather fail at world domination than let the satellite fall into his half-brother's hands, and self-destructs the satellite dish. However, Bertram reveals that he has come to trick him into destroying his own satellite, and he has begun a plan for world domination as well. He then leaves in his helicopter, and blasts Stewie off the roof. To discover Bertram's plans, Stewie infiltrates his lair in Peter's testicles. There, Stewie finds the location of Bertram's new lair and promptly lays waste to the facility. Stewie finds Bertram at the top of a missile silo, planning to launch the rocket into orbit so he can project his mind control beam around the world. To add insult to injury, Stewie's teddy bear, Rupert, has been placed inside the rocket. Stewie destroys the rocket, rescues Rupert, and has a final battle with Bertram at the playground. Bertram uses a device to grow to tremendous size, but is defeated anyway. Before Stewie can finish him off, he calls for his "mommy" to escape, leaving Stewie by flipping him off.

Brian's section of the game sees him trying to prove his innocence when Carter Pewterschmidt accuses him of once again impregnating his prize-winning racing greyhound Seabreeze. Brian is forced to escape from prison and follow a scent picked up from Seabreeze's genitals. This leads him to Tom Tucker at the Quahog News Station, which turns out to be a dead end. Brian's next stop is the Quahog Dog Races, where Brian, disguised as a food vendor, finds the scent on a discarded ticket stub. He takes Seabreeze's place in the race, wins (by drugging the other dogs), and draws the father out. Brian reveals that the father of Seabreeze's puppies is Glenn Quagmire, thereby clearing his name.

Peter, after being smashed on the head by the PTV satellite dish, wakes up in the hospital and sees a spotlight identical to the Bat-Signal, only in the shape of Mr. Belvedere. Believing that Belvedere has kidnapped his family, Peter rampages across town in an effort to destroy him and save his family. He eventually arrives at Cheesie Charlie's, where he is hit in the head by the doors, opened by several African-Americans. Peter takes on the persona of his cousin and blaxploitation film actor Rufus Griffin and destroys the entire arcade before waking up in the closet. Seeing that the Belvedere signal is now at the Indian Casino, Peter travels there. As he enters, he takes another blow to the head when a hooker attempts suicide by jumping off the roof. Peter becomes Hooker Peter and destroys the casino. He then takes a fourth blow to the head, now seeing the Belvedere signal again at the docks. As he arrives, the debris of Bertram's rocket crashes on him, and Peter emerges as ANNA, an android programmed to destroy Mr. Belvedere. Crossing the dock and the beach, Peter arrives at a cave and is forced into battle with the Black Knight. Peter defeats the knight, but takes a final blow to the head when the knight's helmet falls off and hits him. When he comes to, Lois confronts him, furious that Peter had destroyed half of Quahog looking for Belvedere.

In the final level of the game, Peter decides to drown his sorrows at the Drunken Clam. There, he is confronted by Belvedere, who rips off a disguise revealing none other than the Giant Chicken. In the final battle of the game, Peter defeats the Chicken, and just barely escapes a massive explosion in a penthouse, landing safely on top of Meg who, along with Lois and Chris, had inexplicably been standing in the middle of the street. After getting up from Meg and rejoining his family, Peter sees the Belvedere spotlight again which turns out to be Mayor Adam West (which almost starts referencing the Batman TV series) making shadow puppets. The Chicken, as always, ends up surviving.

Development

Take-Two Interactive had attained these rights to publish a Family Guy video game by February 2005, before the series' revival episode "North by North Quahog" had aired. [2] No further developments were shown until during March 2006, when Take-Two subsidiary 2K Games had acquired these publishing rights, with High Voltage Software to fill in for development. [3] The game predominantly uses the voice cast of the television series, and a cel-shaded visual style. [4] The game was exhibited at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006. [5]

Reception

Family Guy Video Game! received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [6] [7] [8]

The Times gave the game three stars out of five and said, "Though voiced and scripted by the people behind the TV show, the game is lightweight, and its quirky navigation and control issues make it one for serious fans only." [22] However, 411Mania gave the PlayStation 2 version five out of ten and stated: "The levels are far too simplistic and repetitive for mature gamers to get into. However, with concepts like jumping on pregnant women's stomachs to shoot babies out and prisoners in the shower scrubbing each other down, this game is in no way kid friendly. I guess if you're a fan of the show you may enjoy it, but even then you'd have to be a hardcore fan and not mind all the work involved wading through frustrating game play to get to a punch line you can hear on the show every 2 minutes." [23] The A.V. Club gave the game a D and stated that it was "littered with gags that flop, and knock-offs from the TV show that look terrible [...] The writing is crass enough to earn a "Mature" rating, yet Family Guy plays like it's meant for 6-year-olds. And somehow, watching the characters beat up old people, kids, and women—and you will beat and kill hundreds of women if you want to progress—isn't so hilarious when you're at the controls." [21]

Sequel

The game's follow-up, Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse , is based on the 2009 episode "Road to the Multiverse". Developed by Heavy Iron Studios and published by Activision, it was released on November 20, 2012, in North America, in Australia on the following day, and on November 23, 2012, in Europe.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewie Griffin</span> Fictional character from the Family Guy franchise

StewartGilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by the series creator Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Stewie was created and designed by MacFarlane himself, who was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company, based on The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve, two shorts made by MacFarlane featuring a middle-aged man named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Griffin</span> Fictional character from the Family Guy franchise

Peter Löwenbräu Griffin Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is voiced by the series' creator, Seth MacFarlane, and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Peter was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company based on Larry & Steve, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. For the series, Larry was renamed Peter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Griffin</span> Fictional character from the Family Guy franchise

Lois Patrice Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Lois was originally created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane for his 1995 student film, The Life of Larry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Griffin</span> Fictional character from the Family Guy franchise

Brian Griffin is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is one of the main characters of the series and a member of the Griffin family. Created, designed, and voiced by Seth MacFarlane, he is an anthropomorphic white labrador retriever who is Stewie Griffin's best friend and comic foil with the ability to speak, drive, and stand on two legs.

"Da Boom" is the third episode of the second season of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the tenth episode overall of the series. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 26, 1999. The episode features the Griffin family after a nuclear holocaust occurs, due to Y2K on New Year's Eve. The family then travels in search of food, and eventually decide to establish a town around a Twinkie factory. Peter then takes over the town, establishing himself as mayor, but eventually becomes power hungry, and is overthrown.

"Breaking Out Is Hard to Do" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of Family Guy. It originally broadcast on Fox on July 17, 2005, guest-starred Dat Phan and Brian Tochi, and was written by Tom Devanney. The episode sees Lois becoming addicted to the rush of shoplifting; she, however, is soon arrested and sentenced to three years imprisonment. Peter successfully smuggles her out of the prison, and the Griffins begin a new life in "Asiantown" away from where they are high-profile fugitives, only for Joe to track them down and attempt to arrest them. Overall, the episode was received positively by critics and media sources.

"Hell Comes to Quahog" is the third episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy, an episode produced for Season 4. It originally aired on Fox on September 24, 2006. The episode follows Meg after she requests her parents to buy her a car. At the showroom, however, her father, Peter, decides to buy a tank, instead of the car Meg was interested in. Deciding to pay for a new car herself, Meg is able to get a job at Superstore USA, which eventually destroys the local economy of Quahog, and upsets the local community, leading Brian Griffin and Stewie to save the day.

"Chick Cancer" is the seventh episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on Fox on November 26, 2006. In the episode, Stewie's old friend and child actress, Olivia Fuller returns to Quahog. Stewie intends to sabotage what little is left of her career, but ends up falling in love with her, only for the relationship to end in ruins due to his personality. Meanwhile, Peter decides to make a chick flick after enjoying one he saw in the cinema with Lois.

"Barely Legal" is the eighth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on Fox on December 17, 2006. The plot sees Meg developing an obsession with Brian after he accompanies her as her date for the Junior Prom, eventually leading to her kidnapping Brian in order to rape him. Meanwhile, Peter and his friends join the Quahog Police Department to assist Joe with his work, but find being a police officer is not always about action.

<i>Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story</i> 2005 American film

Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is a 2005 American adult animated direct-to-video adventure comedy film set in the Family Guy fictional universe. Released on September 27, 2005, the film's main plot point concerns Stewie Griffin, following a near-death experience, trying to find who he thinks is his real father after seeing the man on TV. He travels to San Francisco, only to find that the man is him from the future. The DVD contains commentaries and a sneak peek preview of the American Dad! Volume 1 DVD.

"It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One" is the 17th episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 13, 2007. The episode features Lois as she runs for Mayor of Quahog against incumbent Mayor Adam West, once she notices how polluted the local lake has become. Lois is elected as mayor and successfully cleans the lake, but quickly succumbs when the toxic-dump owner pressures her to let him resume dumping toxins into the lake.

"420" is the 12th episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States of America on April 19, 2009. The title of the episode is a reference to the term "420" used in cannabis culture; "420" premiered on bicycle day, April 19, the day before April 20 (4/20), on which a counterculture holiday is celebrated centering on the consumption of cannabis. "420" focuses on the character Brian after he is arrested for drug possession, which prompts him to launch a campaign to legalize cannabis with help from Stewie; the liveliness of their campaign convinces Mayor West to legalize the drug, and most of Quahog's population begins using it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spies Reminiscent of Us</span> 3rd episode of the 8th season of Family Guy

"Spies Reminiscent of Us" is the third episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 11, 2009. The episode pays homage to the 1985 comedy film Spies Like Us, featuring baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian as they discover that American spies Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd have moved into their neighbor Cleveland Brown's old house; they eventually follow them on a secret mission to Russia. Meanwhile, Peter, Joe, and Quagmire attempt to start an improv comedy group with very little success.

"April in Quahog" is the 16th episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 11, 2010. The episode features the Griffins attempting to live out their last day on Earth, after an announcement on the local news about a black hole that is sucking in the entire solar system. As the countdown approaches zero, Peter suddenly reveals his secret dislike of being in his children's presence, seconds before the world is expected to end. Then it is revealed that it is all an April Fools' prank, and Peter is left to attempt to win back his children's respect.

"Halloween on Spooner Street" is the fourth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode follows baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian as they go trick-or-treating on Halloween. Stewie is confronted by bullies, who steal his candy, causing the two to attempt to take the candy back. Meanwhile, neighbors Peter and Joe decide to play several pranks on their other neighbor, Glenn Quagmire, causing him to want to seek revenge on his friends while Meg and Chris attend a teenage halloween party at Connie D'Amico's house. The episode is the only Halloween special of the series as well as one of the only episodes to have three subplots.

<i>Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse</i> 2012 video game

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse is an action-adventure third-person shooter video game developed by Heavy Iron Studios and published by Activision. The game is based on the American animated television series Family Guy, primarily the episode "Road to the Multiverse", as well as the episode "The Big Bang Theory". The game was released in North America on November 20, 2012, in Australia on November 21, 2012, and in Europe on November 23, 2012, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Versions for Nintendo 3DS and Wii were planned but canceled. It was the first Family Guy console game since Family Guy Video Game! in 2006.

"Valentine's Day in Quahog" is the twelfth episode of the eleventh season and the 200th overall episode of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It aired on Fox in the United States on February 10, 2013. The episode was written by Daniel Palladino and directed by Bob Bowen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Simpsons Guy</span> 1st episode of the 13th season of Family Guy

"The Simpsons Guy" is the thirteenth season premiere of the American animated television series Family Guy, and the 232nd overall episode. It is a 44-minute-long crossover with The Simpsons, and was written by Patrick Meighan and directed by Peter Shin. It originally aired in the United States on September 28, 2014, on Fox, where both The Simpsons and Family Guy have aired since their respective debuts.

<i>Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff</i> 2014 video game

Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff is a freemium licensed city-building video game for Kindle, iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.1 based on the American animated series Family Guy released by Fox Digital Entertainment, Jam City and developer TinyCo. It allows users to create and run their own version of Quahog using familiar characters and buildings. It features an original story conceived by the show's writers in which Quahog has been destroyed and it is up to the player to bring it back to its former glory. Some of the series' main actors, like Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein (Lois), Mila Kunis (Meg), and Seth Green (Chris) collaborated with TinyCo for the project.

<i>Family Guy</i> (franchise) American media franchise

Family Guy is an American animated comedy franchise created by Seth MacFarlane and originally developed for Fox. Consisting of two television series: Family Guy (1999–present) and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013), the franchise primarily focuses on the Griffin family and their friends and associates. The franchise also shares a fictional universe with American Dad! (2005–present), another series developed by MacFarlane with the same art style, to which it features numerous crossovers and shared characters.

References

  1. 1 2 "Family Guy [Video Game!]". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  2. ↑ Surette, Tim (February 4, 2005). "GTA: Quahog? Family Guy gets game deal". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  3. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (March 6, 2006). "Family Guy games on the way". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  4. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (August 24, 2006). "Family Guy game gets original voices". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  5. ↑ Surette, Tim (April 19, 2006). "E3 06: Family Guy detailed". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Family Guy for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Family Guy for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Family Guy for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  9. ↑ Whitehead, Dan (November 4, 2006). "Family Guy (PlayStation 2)". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Reiner, Andrew (January 2007). "Family Guy (PS2, Xbox)". Game Informer . No. 165. GameStop. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  11. ↑ Flasherman (November 28, 2006). "Review: Family Guy (PS2)". GamePro . IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 6, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Damiano, Greg (November 1, 2006). "Family Guy Review (PS2, Xbox)". Game Revolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 Navarro, Alex (October 24, 2006). "Family Guy Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  14. 1 2 3 Theobald, Phil (October 23, 2006). "GameSpy: Family Guy". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  15. ↑ Knutson, Michael (October 31, 2006). "Family Guy - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  16. ↑ Aceinet (November 3, 2006). "Family Guy - PSP - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  17. ↑ Pettinelli, Derek (November 17, 2006). "Family Guy - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 Roper, Chris (October 24, 2006). "Family Guy Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "Family Guy Video Game!". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . No. 112. Ziff Davis. January 2007. p. 86.
  20. ↑ "Family Guy Video Game!". Official Xbox Magazine . Future US. January 2007. p. 76.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Dahlen, Chris (November 13, 2006). "Family Guy [Video Game!]". The A.V. Club . The Onion. Archived from the original on November 30, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Wapshott, Tim (November 18, 2006). "Family Guy (PS2, Xbox, PSP)". The Times . Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2020.(subscription required)
  23. ↑ Mellick, Andrew (December 1, 2006). "Family Guy (PS2) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on December 22, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.