Fuzion Frenzy, oh where do I even begin? This gem was one of the first platinum hits on the first Xbox Console back in 2001, and for good reason! Although it's pretty dated now in comparison to modern videogames, Fuzion Frenzy is a party game that takes place in the "near" future where you and up to three other players compete in a series of minigames for the sake of fun, glory and competition. While most of these minigames follow formats not unseen in the party game genre (examples include racing and a few rhythm games), they're utilized in unique and innovative ways (Tank racing anyone?) Every minigame is fast-paced with a time limit that hovered around 1-1.5 minutes, which perfectly fits the ideal party game atmosphere. Before starting, each minigame was carefully explained with all the important details involving the goal, controls and a hint which gives the chance for any newcomer to at least have an idea of what they're supposed to be doing.
It seemed that prior to Fuzion Frenzy's release, many party games had a hard time reminding the player who their characters were, which is heavily averted in FF due to heavy color contrast among the 6 selectable characters, along with color-coded circles/vehicles of each character, icon, and player marker before the start of a game. The characters themselves each have their own unmistakeable appearances and personalities, making it easy to find a favorite in at least one of them.
As stated in the title, Fuzion Frenzy's entertainment value heavily relies on its multiplayer. It's still fun to play singleplayer, although the enjoyment out of playing by oneself is rather limited with predictable bots that have a semi-rare tendency to pause anywhere between half a second to a full second before making another move. Regardless, Fuzion Frenzy is a relic to be had from the original Xbox that is also compatible with the Xbox 360. If anything, it deserves to be succeeded by an HD remake for the Xbox One, not its less-than-stellar sequel.
Fun, albeit limited for Single Player
Fuzion Frenzy, oh where do I even begin? This gem was one of the first platinum hits on the first Xbox Console back in 2001, and for good reason! Although it's pretty dated now in comparison to modern videogames, Fuzion Frenzy is a party game that takes place in the "near" future where you and up to three other players compete in a series of minigames for the sake of fun, glory and competition. While most of these minigames follow formats not unseen in the party game genre (examples include racing and a few rhythm games), they're utilized in unique and innovative ways (Tank racing anyone?) Every minigame is fast-paced with a time limit that hovered around 1-1.5 minutes, which perfectly fits the ideal party game atmosphere. Before starting, each minigame was carefully explained with all the important details involving the goal, controls and a hint which gives the chance for any newcomer to at least have an idea of what they're supposed to be doing. It seemed that prior to Fuzion Frenzy's release, many party games had a hard time reminding the player who their characters were, which is heavily averted in FF due to heavy color contrast among the 6 selectable characters, along with color-coded circles/vehicles of each character, icon, and player marker before the start of a game. The characters themselves each have their own unmistakeable appearances and personalities, making it easy to find a favorite in at least one of them. As stated in the title, Fuzion Frenzy's entertainment value heavily relies on its multiplayer. It's still fun to play singleplayer, although the enjoyment out of playing by oneself is rather limited with predictable bots that have a semi-rare tendency to pause anywhere between half a second to a full second before making another move. Regardless, Fuzion Frenzy is a relic to be had from the original Xbox that is also compatible with the Xbox 360. If anything, it deserves to be succeeded by an HD remake for the Xbox One, not its less-than-stellar sequel.