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Tasmanian Devil, better know as Taz, is probably the luckiest character in the entire Looney Tunes universe. Unlike most of the other Looney Tunes characters, Taz is not a smart character who says funny one-liners or sets elaborate traps. Instead, he is a barely-literate, uncontrollable beast with an insatiable appetite, who’s only unique character trait is his ability to spin like a tornado and destroy everything in his path. After his first cartoon appearance, one of the Looney Tunes producers allegedly demanded that this ‘stupid looking and unfunny’ character was never used again. Fortunately, when one of the original Warner Brothers asked why this ‘great character’ wasn’t being used, and claimed that there were boxes of fan letters asking for him to return, he appeared in four more cartoons. So despite being a one-dimensional character who only appeared in five Looney Tunes episodes, Taz built up a cult following over time and is now ranked alongside Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and co. as one of the main Looney Tunes characters.

Taz’s luck has carried over to the world of videogames, because despite his limitations as a character, he has had starring and supporting roles in a long list of games. The latest one is Galactic Taz Ball, a Nintendo DS game where Taz battles another popular Looney Tunes character- Marvin the Martian.

The story is that Marvin and his army of Martians are abducting Earth’s landscapes, starting with Australia. This explains why the game takes place on floating platforms. Taz wakes up one day and sees a giant chicken leg in the distance, so he goes after it, completely unaware of what’s happening around him. This explains why he’s… uh… making his way through the stages. Look, the story in this game is not important and is treated accordingly. What is important is that you play as Taz, spin like a tornado and destroy stuff!

The developers have come up with a pretty unique way to control Taz. There is a virtual trackball (ie. a ball which you roll in the direction and speed that you want to move) on the touch screen which is manipulated with the stylus, and it works surprisingly well once you get used to it. In the Overworld sections of the game, the trackball is used to move through the stage, collecting pieces of gold and destroying or avoiding various robots. Each stage also has a ‘stage time’ and records the time it took for you to reach the end, which means that you can rush through the stages in an attempt to beat the stage time and set the best possible time if you wish.

The other game mode, the Underworld, consists of side-scrolling stages which are entirely touch screen controlled. You touch Taz to make him start walking, and touch him again to make him stop. You draw a horizontal line to make Taz turn in that direction, and you manipulate various obstacles such as springs, fans and conveyor belts with the stylus. These stages add some variety to the game, and accurate touch screen controls ensure that they’re a fun and worthy addition.

The graphics in this game are basic, but not because the developers didn’t do a good job. Rather, it is because they attempted to capture the visual style of a Looney Tunes cartoon with 3D graphics, and they did a very good job in that regard. This artistic decision is also demonstrated by the 2D backgrounds (which look like they were lifted straight out of an actual Looney Tunes cartoon) and various other details (such as Taz hanging in mid-air before falling). The only problem with the graphics is that stray platforms sometimes get between the camera and another part of the level, but this happens very rarely and never happens to anything that’s important to the gameplay. The music, much like the graphics, is done in the style of the cartoons and works really well, and while the sound effects aren’t always as good as the music, the ‘whirring’ sound that Taz makes when he spins is absolutely perfect (which is the most important thing).

Seeing as it’s based on a kid’s cartoon, Galactic Taz Ball is a fairly simple game aimed at kids. However, it is also a very unique game, with enough content and variety to appeal to gamers of any age. It looks like Taz has gotten lucky one more time, because while many games based on kid’s shows are cheap cash-ins with poor gameplay, Taz’s game has gone to a developer who actually cares.

By Mark Vellios

Graphics: B-

Clear, colourful graphics which retain the spirit of Looney Tunes.

Sound: B-

Music is very good, but sound effects vary in quality.

Gameplay: B-

Touch screen controls work well, resulting in fun gameplay. ‘Time attack mode’ and hidden items add replay value.

Overall: B-

A very solid game, aimed at kids but fun for anyone.