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Homestar Runner: From the Internet to Wii and PC
(by Caleb Rumley - September 10, 2008)
With digital distribution becoming widely available on the PC and consoles, smaller IPs like N+, Geometry Wars, and Homestar Runner can be sold to the masses at an affordable price point. Homestar Runner got its start as an Internet cartoon, and after several years of success, the creators, Mike and Matt Chapman, have decided to release a series of games for download on the Wii and PC.
Called Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, this new chapter in the Homestar series is a hilarious point and click adventure. The first thing that really stood out was how close the game stays to the cartoon. Playing as Strong Bad, you can mess with Homestar, chat with Coach Z, buy stuff from Bub’s Concession Stand, or (of course) check your e-mail. This episodic series will have new installments every month. A single episode can be downloaded for $8.95 off of their Web site and a pass for all five episodes costs $34.99. As of writing, only the first episode is available, but the second will be released shortly. Episodes of the series may also be purchased through the Wii Ware for 1000 Wii Points.
Going through Strong Bad’s world is quite entertaining – the first episode of the series gives you a simple goal: beat the crap out of Homestar. Strong Bad quickly gets to work, and by going in between famous places like the House of Strong, the King of Town’s Castle you eventually ruin (and un-ruin!) Homestar’s life.
Homestar Ruiner has some of the most comical writing I’ve seen in a long time. The release of the first episode was delayed a few weeks, but the Brothers Chaps took the time and wrote some very entertaining dialogue.
The first episode, straight from start to finish, runs about three hours. Of course, there are tons of unlockables and Easter eggs to be found once you complete the game. You can even make your own Teen Girl Squad comics!
The graphics in Homestar Ruiner get the job done – the simple and cartoon-ish look fits the series well. Just check out some screenshots online; the game does look shockingly close to the comic. Like the music on their cartoons, the soundtrack was all by the Brothers Chaps. There are a lot of original tunes in Homestar Ruiner that just fit perfectly, like Coach Z’s self-titled rap single.
Throughout Homestar Ruiner, I could obviously tell that the creators of Homestar, Mike and Matt Chapman, were heavily involved in every possible part in molding the first episode of the series. I have high hopes for the next four episodes, and I’m sure that Telltale Games and the Brothers Chaps won’t disappoint. The first episode of Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People gets a 7.5 out of 10.
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