GameMill isn’t a game publisher known for quality. They normally push out licensed fluff based on cartoon properties. I’m not going to knock them for how they make their money and they have released quality over the years. Crusi’n Blast Is a return to form for the series and a good game that everyone should play. So, why did I jump on Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports knowing all of this? Because I have history with it.
Okay, maybe not direct history, but I have a special place in my heart for these arcade single and multi-sport games. Things like NBA Jam, Mario Hoops 3-on-3, and Mega Man Soccer were my jam. Tiles like Mario Sports Superstars and Mario Sports Mix are my jam for casual sports fun. But the one game that got me hooked on this genre was none other than Acme All-Stars for the Genesis. I remember it very clearly. I was a young kid on a cruise and while the parents were out doing stuff I would spend a few hours in the kids area where they had a number on consoles set up.
Acme All-Stars was the one game I attached to and would come back whenever I could to play it. As someone with a Super Nintendo the game felt different and as a fan of Tiny Tunes it stuck with me. I never owned a Genesis, so the title burrowed its way into my head and I wouldn’t revisit it until college when the early emulator scene was blowing up and found it again by accident. I know own the game and go back to it often for a few minutes of fun.
So here I am looking for Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports to be that modern multi-sports game that the genre hasn’t seen since the Wii. Thankfully, the game isn’t terrible by any stretch. The graphics are basic (think high-def PS2) but still have a nice cartoon styling that works, even if it looks a few generations old or like an indie game without funding. That said the animations are a lot of fun and the cast features most people’s favorite member of the Looney Tunes cast. You can take part in a number of sports including Basketball, Soccer, Tennis, and Golf giving a nice variety of sports to play.
On the surface everything looks and feels just fine. It’s when you get into the gameplay that the game starts to fall apart under its own weight. You see, Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports doesn’t quite know who it wants to be for. The controls are too complex for a small child to grasp easily while the gameplay itself is far too simplistic to appease older fans of the property. And some sports are far more polished than others giving the game this very uneven feeling about it. It tries to weave a fine line and ends of failing because of it.
Basketball is gameplay-wise a mess as dunks can only be performed in a dedicated dunk zone taking away the core of the NBA JAM formula the game is trying for. The AI is pretty hit or miss and there are lots of strange glitches where players get stuck on each other after baskets are made and they are trying to get back in formation. Then there’s the jump ball which requires you to press a certain button first before the opponent. You can also call for a lob which nearly always hits and the pump fake ability is nice but rarely works. You can shove to steal, and have two pass styles. There is a lot control-wise going on for such a simple gameplay loop.
Soccer works a little better because the gameplay is more traditional. You can pass straight, lob pass high, steal, and slide tackle making for a fun time. The shooting is were it struggles as the pitch is too small and shooting requires you charging a meter before a kick. Oftentimes you’ll be too close to opponents to get off a solid kick. The special shots have great animations and require a string of buttons presses to nail, as the more you miss the less likely it’ll go in, but can easily be interrupted with a tackle. Still, this game works and lacks the glitches that basketball has.
Tennis is probably the best laid out game, but again, the control complexity hurts it if you are going to pick this one up for your kids. There are three types of shots that you can perform and you’ll need to counter the opponents shot with a specific shot to get the best line. If Porky does a forehand you’ll want to hit a lob to counter it best. This isn’t a necessity, but it does mean you’ll be fumbling with buttons trying to get the best shot. Still, this one at least works well enough to have a good time with in solo or in doubles.
Golf is probably the best game in the package in terms of enjoyment. It’s so much fun that I would have rather this been a dedicated golf title with more time spent on it. The courses are unique and the gameplay isn’t bloated as you get the time to figure things out with the slower pacing of the sport. Golf is the one that I keep coming back to, but it’s still limited. This is because there are too few courses and too few cosmetics (for all sports) to unlock and so it gets old fast. And the lack of any online means this game will be a simple distraction better suited to mobile platforms with leaderboards (or Switch) than on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC.
Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports has the underpinnings of a really good multi-sports title that could have given the genre a much-needed boost. Unfortunately, the controls really let down the experience by trying to make a simple arcade game more complex than it needed to be. There’s also a lack of content and extras to keep you invested. The amount of glitches also let down the experience and shows you why I questioned GameMill being the publisher on this one. It ends up feeling like a cheaply made game when it could have been so much more with a little more time and care.
Still, if this game were coming in at a budget price of $20 or $30 bucks I could overlook a lot of the issues I’ve have with the game and enjoy the short ten minutes spurts the game offers. What I can’t abide is the insane $50 price tag that they are asking for. That’s over $12 per sport featured which isn’t an equal cost for value. While I enjoyed Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports, I wouldn’t enjoy it as much if I had to pay $50 (more for the deluxe edition). If you are looking at this one then I’d suggest waiting for a sale, and considering this is GameMill you can expect it to drop to $20 soon enough.
Final Score:
*PS5 Key provided for review*
About Author
