Chicken Run (video game)

Chicken Run is a stealth based 3D platform video game based on the movie of the same name. The game is a loose parody of the famous movie The Great Escape, which is based on World War II. The Game Boy Color version is a 2D isometric puzzle solving game. The game's plot is about chickens escaping from a farm from their evil owners and fighting against freedom.

Chicken Run
European PlayStation cover art
Developer(s)Blitz Games
Publisher(s)Eidos Interactive
THQ (GBC)
Activision (PC)
Director(s)Darren Wood
Producer(s)Patrick Cowan
Designer(s)Mark Beynon
Tony Cartwright
David Flynn
Timothy King
Jonathan Walsh
David Whitehead
Programmer(s)Fred Williams
Artist(s)Richard Jones
Simon Bennett Hayes
Composer(s)Rob Lord (consoles and PC)
Allister Brimble (GBC)
Platform(s)Game Boy Color
Dreamcast
PlayStation
Microsoft Windows
ReleaseGame Boy Color
  • NA: November 3, 2000
  • EU: November 24, 2000
Dreamcast & PlayStation
  • NA: November 13, 2000
  • EU: November 24, 2000
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: December 4, 2000
  • EU: December 15, 2000
  • AU: January 16, 2001
Genre(s)Platform, stealth, horror
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Gameplay generally consists of the player taking control of either Ginger, Rocky or Nick and Fetcher, and searching the Tweedys' farm for objects to be used in an escape attempt by the chickens.

This section of the game features stealth gameplay not too different from Metal Gear Solid, as the player will have to avoid guard dogs and the Tweedys themselves, in addition to searchlights, sources of light in general and noisy surfaces, since these will alert the security to the player's presence.

Should the player be caught, they will be sent back to the entry point of the current area, and will lose either their most recently obtained item or their currently equipped item which goes back to where it was originally found. In addition, the player will occasionally have to push objects about, or use the environment in order to get to a hard to reach item.

Each act ends with a boss level in which the chickens have to control a mannequin of Mrs Tweedy, Guide Rocky to Ginger in the pie machine and fly the 'Old Crate' stopping Mrs Tweedy from reaching the top of the rope hanging from it. The second two acts contain minigames representing an escape attempt, which in Act 2 involves launching chickens over the fence with a seesaw, catapult or fireworks.

In Act 3, the minigames involve assembling a part of the 'Old Crate' and getting its engine running. Act 3 also contains a minigame in which the player has to get the hens in Hut 2 to lay eggs to pay Nick and Fetcher though this can also be played in the first two acts but without the player getting to keep the eggs.

Success is generally measured by how many chickens the player can save, or how fast the player can finish the task and the player can be awarded with bronze, silver or gold medals by Fowler for good performance.

Plot

In keeping with the film's story, the game takes place on a chicken farm, and follows a group of chickens as they try to break out of confinement.

Players must help Ginger and her flock make a break for freedom, while avoiding the evil Mrs. Tweedy and her oafish husband, who wants to turn them into chicken pies.

Reception
Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
DreamcastGBCPCPS
AllGame[1][2]N/A[3]
EGMN/A5.5/10[4]N/A4/10[5]
EurogamerN/AN/AN/A6/10[6]
Game Informer6/10[7]4/10[8]N/AN/A
GamePro[9]N/AN/AN/A
GameSpot5.2/10[10]N/A5.1/10[11]5.3/10[12]
IGN7.2/10[13]6/10[14]7.1/10[15]7/10[16]
Next Generation[17]N/AN/AN/A
Nintendo PowerN/A6.4/10[18]N/AN/A
OPM (US)N/AN/AN/A[19]
PC ZoneN/AN/A59%[20]N/A
Aggregate scores
GameRankings63%[21]53%[22]60%[23]69%[24]
Metacritic68/100[25]N/A59/100[26]75/100[27]

Kevin Rice reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "This is a surprisingly good conversion of a movie into a game. It's graphically brilliant in its similarities to the movie, and the gameplay is smart."[17]

The version on PlayStation received "generally favorable reviews", while the versions on Dreamcast and PC received "mixed or average reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[25][26][27]

References
  1. Thompson, Jon. "Chicken Run (DC) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  2. Thompson, Jon. "Chicken Run (GBC) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  3. Woods, Nick. "Chicken Run (PS) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  4. Ethan (February 2001). "Chicken Run (GBC)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on 11 February 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  5. Kujawa, Kraig (February 2001). "Chicken Run (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on 11 February 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  6. Bramwell, Tom (19 December 2000). "Chicken Run Review (PSOne)". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 29 March 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  7. Helgeson, Matt (January 2001). "Chicken Run (DC)". Game Informer. No. 93. p. 124.
  8. Helgeson, Matt (January 2001). "Chicken Run (GBC)". Game Informer. No. 93. p. 138.
  9. Four-Eyed Dragon (5 February 2001). "Chicken Run Review for Dreamcast on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  10. Lopez, Miguel (30 November 2000). "Chicken Run Review (DC)". GameSpot. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  11. Osborne, Scott (16 January 2001). "Chicken Run Review (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  12. Lopez, Miguel (30 November 2000). "Chicken Run Review (PS)". GameSpot. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  13. Nix, Marc (22 November 2000). "Chicken Run (DC)". IGN. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  14. Harris, Craig (10 November 2000). "Chicken Run (GBC)". IGN. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  15. Steinberg, Scott (16 January 2001). "Chicken Run (PC)". IGN. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  16. Smith, David (27 November 2000). "Chicken Run (PS)". IGN. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  17. Rice, Kevin (March 2001). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 4 no. 3. Imagine Media. p. 84.
  18. "Chicken Run". Nintendo Power. Vol. 139. December 2000.
  19. Steinman, Gary (February 2001). "Chicken Run (PS)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 April 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  20. Awasti, Rajiv (2001). "PC Review: Chicken Run". PC Zone. Archived from the original on 24 June 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  21. "Chicken Run for Dreamcast". GameRankings. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  22. "Chicken Run for Game Boy Color". GameRankings. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  23. "Chicken Run for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  24. "Chicken Run for PlayStation". GameRankings. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  25. "Chicken Run for Dreamcast Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  26. "Chicken Run for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  27. "Chicken Run for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
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