I haven’t seen the first Night at the Museum film or the second, but this is obviously a film license aimed at kids and aimed to sell alongside the movie. In the game you play the role of Larry Davey and when it gets dark, things once again come to life as you try to put a stop to an evil Egyptian power called Kahmunrah from taking over the world. He’s also employed the help of a few despicable characters from history including Al Capone, Napoleon and Ivan the Terrible in the Smithsonian museum in Washington.
As you explore the museum you use the power of your flashlight and your keychain to solve puzzles and put paid to the bad guys. You never fight them directly but can use the new Egyptian powers of your torch to make paintings come alive, fix objects, tame animals and make mechanical objects move of their own accord.
I put the game into the Wii expecting to hate it but was immediately charmed by the humour. Stiller’s likeness is ok and it’s his voice providing some genuinely funny lines between him and some of the other exhibits that come alive to help your cause. There’s also a fair amount of variety as you collect items, activate audio guides that tell you about exhibits and complete objectives using your torch and keychain. There’s even the odd fart joke to make kids or big kids like myself chuckle.
Technically the game’s not great and the frame rate does chug a bit on the Wii. It’s also incredibly short and can be easily completed in an afternoon.
I wouldn’t recommend buying this full price as it offers little replay value. It’s not great value for money but if you do choose to rent it, it’s an enjoyable adventure with a fun story and some fun puzzles and action moments.
For rental only, it’s worth a good 6 out of 10.
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