Previous Next

Silicon Valley came out for the N64 not too long ago, but with its cutesy three-dimensional graphics and adventure-based gameplay, who would have dreamt that us poor chaps with consoles the size of remote controls would have been able to enter this new world of mechanised creatures and crazy robots? Well, the lovely people at Take 2 Interactive did!

Some people may already be complaining - "flippin' heck, it's another platform game worth nowt," especially if they're from Yorkshire, but two points spring to mind: 1. When was the last time that you saw a really involving platform game on the Game Boy? And 2. There's a whole lot more to Space Station Silicon Valley than just platform. Not only is it a whole adventure story, but it's the brilliantly funny and detailed way that the story unfolds that makes it a must buy for anyone with a taste for quality game design.

The backdrop to the action of the game is a heart-rending story of forbidden love between a dog and a sheep, or, more particularly, what happens when the dog is squashed by a falling space rocket, and invaded by a rogue chip from a madcap android. It becomes a race against time to regain control of your own body and henceforth save whatever planet you come from, as you control the crazy microchip through several bestial carcasses, and collect all-important energy boosts before teleporting onto the next brilliantly created level.

On the journey, Evo the Robot will take on the guise of Roger the Dog, Flossy the Sheep and an unnamed roller-skating mouse, not to mention the promise of polar bears, elephants and who knows what other four-legged furry folk before the game is through!

It really is great fun to be able to leap around each level, changing species at will. Every animal you become has different skills and control functions, and it is crucial to master these to complete every task set before you. At first the levels are quite simple, but as the ground to cover increases, and the puzzles get trickier (especially considering that exiting your chosen body can seriously deplete your energy) you've got a real challenge on your hands, so it's a good job the game features an excellent save option.

It's undeniably great fun, but all in all, it's the obvious care and attention taken over every pixel of the graphics, with great colour action, that makes this game a charming and engrossing buy. Who would rather plump for a dull regimented mini-version of some sports game rendered in a drab red as an excuse for colour, when they can dive into the Technicolor world of Silicon Valley? You would have to be a really dumb beast to spend your hard-earned cash on anything else this month.

If ever there was a game that was perfect for the Game Boy Color then this is it! If you've played the N64 version then you'll already be familiar with the wacky sense of humour and the puzzles in the game are just brilliant.

Because the game saves automatically to cart, it means you can pick it up when you've got a spare moment, do a puzzle or two and then put it down to go back to later, which is what the Game Boy is all about.

Space Station Silicon Valley on the Game Boy Color is quite literally an essential purchase.

Graphics 100%
Super furry characters.

Sound 80%
Great attempts at noises.

Playability 100%
At last, a game with a plot!

Lastability 80%
You'll want to play again and again!

Overall 92%
A brilliantly funny adventure!