Nerdicus SNES Review #3 : Acme Animation Factory

Title :  Acme Animation Factory

Publisher : Sunsoft

Genre : Paint / Animation Tool

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1994

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $7-$9

Meeeeehhhhhh....Wassup, Doc? Who didn't love Looney Toons when they were a kid? I mean, we grow up on Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Yosemite Sam. I think there was even a time when I wanted to be Wile E. Coyote.....explosions and all. I drew these characters constantly when I was younger, and even today I can still pretty much draw Bugs Bunny with my eyes closed. So when a game comes out where I can animate the very characters I grew up watching, I just had to try it.

With the success of Mario Paint, it wasn't all surprising to see other games attempt to mimic it's signature formula. With Acme Animation Factory, you pretty much get just that, just with Looney Toons characters instead of Nintendo references. You've got painting tools, animation tools, and even a few little mini games like Memory.

The only thing is with the Animation Factory, is that the tools make it seem like a virtual coloring book, and my interest waned pretty fast. It just didn't have the original magic that Mario Paint had, but you know what, I still gave it the old college try.

As you would expect, the game works a lot better with the NES mouse than with the controller, but of course my mouse never wants to work when I need it to. Anyway, you've got a few different "tools" to choose from in the Animation Factory. You've got the typical "painter" tool where you can just draw your own designs, or just color in some pre-made images.

Then you've got your animation studio, which I just don't have the patience for in an SNES game. I've already done animation in college (stop motion, flash, and traditional), and it's difficult enough. So trying to accomplish on a SNES cartridge was just going to drive me insane. You could use the pre-made animations, or you can build your own. But trust me, it's a lot of work. Rewarding if you have the patience for it though....

Up next is that memory mini game. I'm not sure why they put this in here. I mean in Mario Paint they had that smash the fly mini game, but at least that was original. This game is just something you've seen a hundred times before, and I just skipped over it. What's the point? If I want to play memory, I'll play with my nephew.

Following the boring memory game is probably the best feature of the Acme Animation Factory, just as it was for Mario Paint. The Music Maker. This thing is so addictive, it's not even funny. I could spend HOURS just trying to replicate songs, or making up my own ear-bleeding mess. I do like how they associated a few of the Looney Toons characters with instruments, and it's entertaining watching Bugs Bunny conduct my horrible sheet music. This is easily the most entertaining part of the game.

You know what, this isn't that bad of a game, but like I said earlier, it doesn't have the original magic that Mario Paint had. That game would always be the real art studio for the SNES, and while this game has potential, I wouldn't see myself going back to it. The music portion may have been fun, but Mario Paint wins again.

Not bad, but no Mario Paint.

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!