"Why? Because Mentok Wills It So. Proceed!"
by Lisa Foiles

Ah, to reminisce on those late nights of old, vedged out on the couch after three too many Fat Tires wondering why MythBusters isn’t on. There should just be a MythBusters channel. Anyway, it was late nights like those that led me to Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. Aside from Robot Chicken and Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is my favorite Adult Swim show. AND NOW THAT SHOW HAS COME TO US IN GAME-FORM ON THE Wii!!! HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY WANT ANYTHING MORE IN LIFE?!

Harvey Birdman the Game is just like watching an interactive episode of Harvey Birdman the TV Show. The game itself is separated into several different episodes, making it very easy to pick up, play a little, and put back down for later when you have time to play some more. (There’s a masturbation joke in there somewhere.)

Obviously, you play as Harvey T. Birdman, a lawyer at Sebben & Sebben. You associate with people like Peanut, Birdgirl, Phil Ken Sebben, Peter Potamus, X the Eliminator, and my personal favorite, Mentok the Mind-Taker. Set up like a Phoenix Wright game, you find yourself in ridiculous situations that require you to collect evidence, search environments, and talk to zany individuals in and out of court. Any day I get to use the word ‘zany’ is a good day.

The controls couldn’t be simpler. The Wii has enabled the simple point-and-click adventure game genre to be playable by even toddlers or very smart dogs. However, just because the controls are simple doesn’t mean the content is dumbed-down. The well-known Harvey Birdman wit and humor is alive and well, while the plots are comical yet inventive. I do agree with the Teen rating – the wisecracks would be lost on the young and naïve.

As you can tell from the character list, it helps if you’ve seen the show before playing the Wii game. But if not, you’ll quickly catch on to the basic story and cast member personalities as you play. (That does not excuse you from making an effort to see the TV show, mind you.) The game is pretty short, but it’s not the type of game you’d expect to be long. I’d classify it as more of a novelty game, since you can tell that the writers were just dicking around and probably drinking beer whilst writing the hilarious game script. They even take several obvious jabs at the Street Fighter games, like lighting Guile’s hair on fire at one point. Who hasn’t wanted to do that?

If you can find this game for cheap, pick it up! Why not? It’s relaxed, chuckle-instigating fun. Have a Fat Tire (if you’re old enough or have a fake I.D.) and some Honey BBQ Fritos along with it. Look! I totally just planned your whole evening! Now, if you only had a date…

Overall Rating: 7.5 out of 10