Cosmic Family (Wii) Review

By Adam Riley 02.01.2008 6

Whilst lots of mini-games and quiz-style affairs have 'graced' the Wii so far, thus leading to many tarring the system with the 'kiddie' brush, there have not actually been many child-specific titles released. But does Ubisoft's Cosmic Family fit the bill perfectly or miss the mark completely?

Squarely aimed at youngsters between the ages of three and seven, Cosmic Family has cartoon style charm and peaceful music, rounded off with a large, playful, amusingly voiced elephant that helps guide children around the 'game'. The whole thing kicks off with an animated sequence that takes players off into the stars and into the home of the Cosmics, readying gamers for the crazy japes they are about to take part in. It all works rather like a very basic point-and-click PC adventure product, with the Wii pointer being used to move around and highlight / select different sections of the intergalactic home. Clicking on the various objects lying around will then result in either a cute little event occurring or the uncovering of a puzzle.

Screenshot for Cosmic Family on Wii

Now, it has to be remembered that the average reader is definitely not going to play something like this, and to be honest, even children of ages six or seven will probably find Cosmic Family very easy. However, it is ideally suited to very young 'gamers' who will find the basic puzzles spread across five floors of the humble abode relatively simple to grasp the concept of and complete without too much hassle (examples include putting all the pieces of a broken vase back into the right place simply by clicking on a shard and dragging it into right place – no rotation required – or just colouring in pictures). The fully voiced cast also helps considerably for juniors that do not like to have too much reading to do. Wii owners looking for something to entertain their small children (that does not involve tying up their PC) may want to check this out, if found at a cheap price.

Screenshot for Cosmic Family on Wii

Cubed3 Rating

6/10

Good

Cosmic Family is certainly not for the average gamer, but it does prove to be an interesting title for the younger demographic, with simple puzzles on offer and a family friendly design. Priced at just £19.99, the game may well be quite a tempting prospect for those looking to treat their small children.

Cosmic Family (Wii)

Developer

Ubisoft Barcelona

Publisher

Ubisoft

Genre

Adventure

Players

C3 Score

6/10

Reader Score

0 (0 Votes)

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Comments

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Mr. T 03.01.2008#1

It is this sort of game that will eventually make me start to dislike the Wii. Yes, I know I don't have to buy it or like it or even pay any attention to it, but it is just so detestable in so many ways. Then you look at the XBOX 360 which has SO much less cheap crap on it...mainly because it costs so much to develop for.

I guess the Wii's blessing is also its curse.

Trying to think of a witty signature after 'Hacker-gate'...

jesusraz 03.01.2008#2

True, it is indeed a game that made me cringe all the way through, but it does have its merits for the age group it's aiming at. It never pretends to be anything other than a baby's title.

Anyway, it never made the Wii chart, despite being 'hyped' earlier this year, so it's safe to say it probably tanked...

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

tiamat1990 03.01.2008#3

No actually it's because Microsoft regulates the games that come out. IGN and 1Up have both said in their podcasts that they have some sort of system.

Mr. T 03.01.2008#4

Its probably a combination of both. There is A LOT of crap on the XBOX 360. You get crap on all consoles, it is just the Wii has a lot of the most offensive kind of crap. Yum.

Trying to think of a witty signature after 'Hacker-gate'...

I Am Panda 03.01.2008#5

On the first image, the guy looks like he has a penis for a nose... :-D

Great review Adam. : Smilie

Laurelin 04.01.2008#6

You have rotten thoughts, Marcy... *grin* *thumbs up*

Graphics style looks unique for a game...

And considering crap: On X360 you get a whole bunch of crap in the style of voring shooters all being the same. It's crap blended with the cloak of graphic mediocreness. It's very easy to blend faulty gameplay with 720p and 2 or 3 high textures and lots of polys. But when you have a system that's bare of these things or takes a lot of effort to built up graphics you can look at, then it's easier to recognize things you consider 'crap'. Sure, it's no game for me and Pony and Friends aren't either. But a lot of crfap for Wii are multi platform titles - spiderman, superman, and so forth. They are so crappy, I even do not consider using a capital 'S' at their beginning. Whre do you have the best Sonic in years? On Wii! Secret Rings is fun. Really!

I find your lack of faith disturbing!