Game Review: Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis (NDS)

Overview :
So, you think that some Japanese games must travel towards Europe in order to discover how potentially funny they are? Well, don’t be in error. In Europe, we HAVE original games. Let me introduce you "Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis".

First, "Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis" is a movie about an employee of the French post company willing to end his carrier on the Côte d’Azur, in the south of France, quickly. He is told that he must faint to be an handicapped person in order to have that promotion. Unfortunately, he fails, and he’s sent in the north of France because of that failed trick. There, he’ll meet the local population (The "Ch’tis" (pronounce "Shtee")) and will learn how to live with them. Although it doesn’t sound original, this movie drained ONE THIRD of the French population into the theatres.

Mindscape France wanted to share the success the movie had and decided to make a videogame from it, allowing to a miserable studio a miserable budget for its development. And the main question was: “How could they make a comedy movie into a videogame?” The answer was: by making a partygame like WarioWare! Sounds easy, no?

Unfortunately, WarioWare is and still will be the master of partygames.

Gameplay :
The game only needs a stylus. Before each minigame, a breif summary tells you how to play it. The main problem is that the recognition of the stylus is nearly broken. That’s quite annoying if the minigame is based on action. Another main problem is that despite the explanations, you still don’t know how to cope with the minigame you’re playing. And every error will be granted by the same actor repeating “It’s Nooooooooooooooorth!” over, and over.

Oh, there’s a minigame where you must avoid cars. One where you must go the slowest possible on the motorway. One where you must set the right amount of coffee and chicory without knowing how many coffee you must pour in your cup. And on, and on.

But the worst is coming: the developers even managed to f*ck up a HANGMAN GAME! Imagine a hangman game where you have only three letters visible out of 26. Imagine a hangman game where you have to tap in order to barely scroll these letters. Imagine a hangman game where you MUST NOT THINK, but scroll randomly and hit the letters, hoping they will unveil the word written in the local dialect. How fun it is.

Graphics :
They are just plain ugly. Because of the time and the money allowed to this project, the characters look like early version of Miis. The textures are horrible too.

Sound :
We can hear gimmicks taken from the movie, but they are repetitive and way too short. The music is also forgettable.

Replay Value :
Normal people will throw the game away in a few minutes, mad people who will finish the game in a couple of hours will put it inside a drawer and never pick it again.

Conclusion :
With all that criticisms, will I tell you to avoid this game at all costs? Heck, no! Since this game is exclusively sold in France, if you have some family living in Normandy or in the southwest of France, tell them to buy this masterpiece of crap! It was so unsuccessful that the game is sold only five euros in some places!

Score: