This is one of the strangest game concepts I’ve seen in years. AFL Mascot Manor and NRL Mascot Mania are both DS games where you choose a team mascot and guide it through a 3D platformer. As a fan of AFL and NRL, this was something that caught my attention, but the main question I wanted an answer to was: were the games any good, or were they just a cheap gimmick? Surprisingly enough, a Google search revealed nothing in the way of proper reviews, and that’s when I realised the shocking truth: I had been chosen. I am a huge fan of AFL, NRL, DS and platformers, and I write reviews for a Nintendo site. I am THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON IN THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD to review these games, and since no-one else had attempted to review them, I felt like I had been issued with a divine task.
Much like Frodo, I did not ask for this burden, and now that it’s over I can safely say that I didn’t enjoy this burden either. But dammit, this isn’t about me, this is about you, the readers, who have a right to know if these landmark Aussie releases are worth your money.
To make things easier, I will cover the two games separately, starting with…
AFL MASCOT MANOR
Seeing as I’m from Western Australia, AFL was the logical choice to start off with. I also think the fact that there hasn’t been a decent AFL game for over a decade played a part in my decision, since I was eager to discover if the sport had finally been done justice.
The game begins with the story of Toby, a young kid who loves football, discovering the OuterWorld where the mascots live. You, one of 16 AFL mascots (the Gold Coast one must have been away on business at the time) who inhabit the Manor, have to take him on an adventure to win his support or team spirit or something. Um… yeah. Not the most inspiring stuff ever, but what the hey.
The game revolves around 16 themed worlds, each containing three stages. Once you pick your mascot, who comes with a special ability, you must complete your own world before unlocking all the others. At the end of each world is a boss fight in the form of whichever mascot lives there, and once you defeat him you can unlock their special ability for your own use, as well as play against their team in an AFL match.
Playing this game truly is hell.
With all the explanations out of the way, I selected Rick ‘The Rock’ Eagle and began my extremely underwhelming adventure into the OuterWorld. The graphics aren’t too bad as far as cartoony 3D goes, but the stage design leaves a lot to be desired. Each stage is extremely simple and linear- think Crash Bandicoot on PS1, but shorter- although some stages have one or two branching paths. Through these dull stages, you must practice dull platforming and engage in dull combat, wrapped up in terrible animations and awful controls that make it more frustrating than fun. What, you were expecting something else?
As well as being dull, the combat seems to have zero variety between characters. I played as a few different mascots and they all had the same move- a punch. And it’s the same damn punch every time. Each character also has a special move, which looks nice but doesn’t add much to combat. The names are pretty hilarious though, with Captain Carlton’s ‘Lygon Street Limbo’ being a personal favourite.
Each stage involves collecting stuff like money and health powerups, which appear when you kill enemies or destroy signs. I’m not sure why the AFL thought a game where you swing your fists at every solid surface would be a good way to promote the game to young kids, but whatever. Running through the stages is pretty frustrating because your character moves and turns like he’s stuck in treacle, leading to extra frustration. I also should mention the other great evil that attacks you relentlessly throughout the stages- the sound. While the sound effects’ only crime is being too basic, the music is truly diabolical, especially since it goes for less than a minute before being repeated on a loop. Some stages have bearable music, but the one on Rock’s stages was the most grating and annoying song I’ve heard in a game in a really long time! It didn’t take long before I turned the volume right down.
Too bad you can't steal Karmichael Hunt cards off the NRL game.
After suffering through a couple of worlds, it was time to play some AFL, hooray! The AFL in this game is seven-a-side, with fixed rosters that you can improve by collecting the corresponding player cards in the main game. The team selection is extremely strange, and I was surprised to see Ashley Hansen contesting the center bounces, especially when there was a perfectly good ruckman (Dean Cox) playing up forward! As for the gameplay, it’s too simplified and too easy for its own good, but on the plus side, handballing seems to be more effective than it was in AFL Challenge on the PSP (made by the same developer). And of course, kicking goals, no matter how easy or ridiculous (kicking the ball over your head from 40m out anyone?), is always good for a laugh.
There is one small twist in the AFL game- when you reach quarter-time, the teams change direction but the formation doesn’t! This act of extreme laziness meant that I had Darren Glass, a full-back whose goal tally hasn’t hit double digits yet, playing as the main forward! Fortunately, since I had collected his card during the platforming section, he ended up being a brilliant forward, kicking goals from all over the place and dominating opponents on the ground and through the air. Then again, he probably would have done that without the card, because I don’t think the stats make much difference.
So overall, AFL Mascot Manor sucks. The platforming sucks and the AFL game sucks. Can its rival do any better?
NRL MASCOT MANIA
NRL Mascot Mania follows the same format as the AFL game, but this time you’re not trying to win the support of some punk kid who isn’t worth a damn. This time, you’re fighting for the respect of Roo, the mascot of the Australian national team! Now we’re talking! Roo is someone who you want to impress, someone who matters, and to top it all off, the prologue claims that ‘last year you fought badly, and the other mascots mocked your team’! Ooooh, them’s fightin’ words!
But which team should I pick? Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to attend one NRL match in my life- the Rabbitohs vs Storm match that was played in Perth in 2009. After narrowing it down to those two, I chose the Storm as my surrogate team because, let’s face it, the Rabbitohs suck. I mean, what kind of rugby team doesn’t even have cheerleaders? Besides, the Storm have Greg Inglis and Billy Slater, two players who I was looking forward to unleashing on hapless opposition teams as I often do in Rugby League 2: World Cup Edition.
And there’s an interesting side-note to consider. While AFL games have been a parade of inaccurate, unplayable garbage since the rather enjoyable AFL 98, rugby league actually has been well represented in the world of videogames. The aforementioned RL2:WCE for PS2 is one of the most fun sports games I’ve ever played. So, will NRL’s superior videogame quality carry over to this game?
Even the mascots felt like taking a holiday away from the game.
When I started playing as Boom (the Storm mascot) I noticed that his world was playing the same damn music that already drove me nuts in Rock’s world! Argh! I also noticed that the games were essentially identical, right down to most of the stages being recycled to the point of confusion. I mean, I understand why St Kilda’s mascot (a saint) would have a stage called ‘Pearly Gates’, but what does that have to do with the Storm? There are a few worlds that are unique to certain games, but I doubt they’d make enough of a difference to influence a purchase.
But here’s the interesting thing: the NRL game does have a few little things that make it better. While every AFL mascot seems to have the exact same punch, the NRL ones vary it up a bit. Boom shoots lightning at the ground in front of him, the Cronulla Shark mascot kicks enemies with his tail, and the Parramatta Eels mascot bites enemies. It all has the same affect on enemies, not to mention the same sound effect, but it adds some semblance of variety that the AFL game lacked. And on that note, the design of the NRL mascots is far more imaginative than the AFL ones. Boom hops around on a single lightning bolt as opposed to having legs, the Shark walks on his tail, and the Eel crawls on his belly. While it doesn’t make a lick of difference to the gameplay, it’s a darn sight more interesting than having 16 bipedal characters who all have an identical running animation.
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
To the NRL mini-game, and lo and behold, it’s actually better than the AFL one! Okay, it’s still garbage and over-simplified, but the fundamentals aren’t too bad. As in the other game, this is seven-a-side action, with three on the left, three on the right, and one in the middle. And just like in the AFL game, the formation refuses to swap when the teams change sides, so your left winger in the first half becomes your right winger in the second half. There are tons of issues that detract from the game- conversions are automatic cut scenes with no skill required from the player and no chance of missing, drop goals need to be aimed but there’s no arrow showing what direction you’re aiming, there’s only one kick so forget about bombs and grubbers, there’s no running moves like sidesteps and shoulder barges to add depth, and so on. However, if you play the game normally, the simple run-and-pass game is surprisingly fun and occasionally challenging!
The big problem with this mini-game is that it’s too easy to break, because if you have a player with a normal card, there’s a really cheap strategy that you can exploit. All you have to do is run until you’re about to get tackled, kick the ball right over the defence, sprint onto it, and recover it for massive gain or a try. The reason why this works is because getting player cards boosts that player’s stats, particularly their speed and tacklebreaking, which means that they can outrun the entire defence and shrug tackles when running onto the loose ball. It works well enough with a normal card, but my oh my, wait until you unlock the rare cards. After getting the rare card for Greg Inglis, I used this strategy to pummel the Dragons 115-6! And no, that’s not a typo.
WHICH ONE IS BETTER?
In this unique battle of the codes, there are no real winners because both games are terrible. But if I had to choose one over the other, the trophy goes to NRL Mascot Mania. While the games are mostly identical, NRL has more interesting and varied mascots as well as a better sporting mini-game, but that doesn’t mean you should consider buying the game. If you are an NRL fan, you should be playing Rugby League 2: World Cup Edition for PS2, because it’s fun, challenging and deep. As for long-suffering AFL fans, AFL Mascot Manor is pretty much a new low for AFL games, so you may as well forget it exists and look ahead to 2010, when the new AFL game for PS3 arrives to once again build up our hopes before cruelly dashing them. Oh, and don’t even bother with AFL Challenge on PSP, because it’s from the same company who made Mascot Manor and it’s just as bad, if not worse. But I digress. In closing, these games are definitely aimed at kids, but they’re not very well-made so don’t be surprised if your kids don’t like them either.
By Mr_M
Graphics: D+
The framerate is smooth and some of the worlds look fairly decent. Graphics are PS1-grade 3D, with jagged edges and basic textures.
Sound: E-
Barely adequate sound effects and horrible music.
Gameplay: E-
Dull levels, dodgy controls and boring combat. The AFL/NRL mini-games are fun for a short while, but too simple and easy for their own good.
Overall: E-
This is strictly a kid’s game, and not even a good one at that.
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