Game Review: CID The Dummy (Wii)
Anyone my age remember the seat belt public safety ads in the 80’s that had the two talking Crash Test Dummies? And like the rampant commercialism that went on back then, those Crash Test Dummies went on to have their own toy line, cartoon, and even a video game! Even though he’s not related to those guys, there’s a new Dummy on the block and he’s crashing on the Wii.
As CID the Crash Impact Dummy, your job is to rescue the Professor’s daughter from evil robots! CID the Dummy is just your typical, 3-D action platform jumping adventure. And like any typical 3-D game hero, CID can run, jump, punch, shoot, and use other special moves.
The Wii remote is integrated quite a bit in this Dummy’s adventure. Wave the Wii remote up and down and CID will punch, and swishing it side to side will make CID perform his Super Run move. Super Run into a giant spring and CID will use his insulated dummy head to bash down walls. CID also comes with a bazooka that you can aim by pointing the remote at the screen. Play control is passable, but some of the more precise jumping sections can be tricky.
Even with all the Wii motion controls, CID the Dummy feels rather generic. It’s certainly playable, but I can think of bunches of other Wii adventures that are better than this.
Kid Factor:
CID the Dummy is rated E-10 for Everyone 10 and Up, but I think it’s OK for any age. Even though you attack by punching and shooting, you’re only destroying robots and other crash dummies, so nobody really gets hurt. Reading skill isn’t required as all the text is followed by spoken voice, and there are plenty of good picture cues showing how to use the Wii remote to control CID (I wish other games would do that as well as this one does). Some younger players may get bored and/or frustrated at some of the more tedious obstacles in the levels, though.
July 27th, 2009 at 8:49 am
The box cover says its rated T in the top pic…
July 27th, 2009 at 11:45 am
But the box I have in my hot little hands says E-10. No worries, though, it’s safe for everyone. –Cary
July 27th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
‘Mmmm mmm mmm mmm
Sorry, couldn’t resist. Sounds like a fun topic for a video game. Wonder why it was rated T initially (and used that way in press materials) and then ended up with a E10+ instead? Incidentally, this is why most preview press materials come in as RP (rating pending) when the box art first appears online. I think this is just older press material.
July 27th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
You know what’s weird is my CID the Dummy box has an E-10 rating, but there is no ESRB descriptors. That T picture was the only one I could find. I did the best I could. Sorry for any confusion. –Cary