Game Review: Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this rhythm action game
accomodates three skill levels, from novice to very
challenging. Scenes depict typical Looney Tunes-style
situations where "bad guys" like Sylvester and Elmer Fudd
routinely get their come-uppance by over-the-top cartoonishly
violent means, like giant exploding sticks of dynamite or
falling off the ledge of a building. Violence is not graphic
and has no permanent consequences.
Families can talk about the game's fantastic classical music soundtrack. This would be a great opportunity to let kids explore some of the pieces in more detail, like listening to the entire Fifth Symphony of Beethoven, or some of the other movements of Holst's The Planets suite besides Mars, the one featured on the game. Before playing this game, had you ever heard any of the music featured in the game?
Common Sense Media Review
One of the things that made the old
Looney Tunes cartoons so charming was that the antics of
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Tuck, Tweety Bird, and pals were cleverly
synchronized to famous pieces of classical music like the
"William Tell Overture" or Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyrie."
The rhythm action game LOONEY TUNES CARTOON CONDUCTOR gives
players a chance to wield the conductor's baton (aka the
Nintendo DS stylus) and guide the soundtrack of a series of
Looney Tunes shorts.
On the bottom half of the DS screen is the "conductor's score," where numbered symbols appear representing important musical beats as a piece of music plays in the background. The goal is to drag the stylus to each symbol in the right order and rhythm. A variation has players tapping the screen as symbols scroll to the bottom. As you play, a cartoon scene unfolds in the top screen featuring various Looney Tunes characters including Bugs, Daffy, and Tweety as well as Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian, Foghorn Leghorn, and the Tasmania Devil, to name a few. The game provides entertaining feedback in that if you miss a note, you can hear the music go sour; on the other hand, a good performance will bring the house down with cheers and claps.
The game offers three levels of difficulty (Apprentice, Conductor, and Maestro), twelve different music selections - all classical - plus techno remixes, and unlockable extras including bios for various Looney Tunes characters and sound clips of some of their more memorable catch-phrases. You can also watch and save replays of your favorite performance, or simply listen to the music by itself and read about the history of the piece and its composer.
Although the 12-song soundtrack is a little on the short side, Looney Tunes Cartoon Conductor is a solid music game with plenty of extras to please Looney Tunes fans. It's also a good way to learn more about some classic pieces of music and the people who wrote them.
For more Looney Tunes, try Looney Tunes: Back in Action . For other music games on the Nintendo DS, check out Happy Feet DS , Hannah Montana: Music Jam , or Elite Beat Agents .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
