There are those who would do anything to be in the spotlight and if that includes mercilessly pushing aside other fellow actors to get top billing then so be it.  In Loons: Fight For Fame, Loony Tunes characters don’t try to out-act each other to get top star status, they literally thrash each other using any means necessary to get there--and you thought our version of Hollywood was hard to break into.

It seems that gangster wannabes Rocky and Mugsy have come up with a moneymaking scheme to run a Hollywood film studio down to the gutter so they can buy the studio stock and become powerful Hollywood film moguls in the process.  To ensure everything goes according to plan, they hire Hollywood’s worse director this side of Ed Wood, Yosemite Sam, and four of the most awful actors available--Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat and the Tasmanian Devil.

There are three playing modes in Loons: Fight For Fame, Arcade and Multiplayer Mayhem.  Fight For Fame, the game’s main mode is simple: To see who gets to be leading man, Yosemite Sam has each actor battle it out Loony Tunes fashion in fifteen different film sets that parody known films such as Apocalypse Now or even Titanic.  Sitting on top of a crane, operating the camera, Yosemite barks out his horrible directions as you assume the role of any of the available four actors.

The name of the game is to eliminate your rivals using any of the available gizmos and props found around the set.  The gizmos are usually those well known and loved ACME products such as the boxing glove attached to a spring and a controllable black cloud complete with a nasty lightning bolt.  The props are only available when Yosemite Sam tells you to go get it and from there anyone can claim it.  These props are either vehicles you can use against your rivals or special items such as gold statues.  There are also special scripts around the set that can freeze other players or can be used to steal away other player’s gizmos.

Sometimes you can go up against one rival and other times you go up against all three in a frantic duel.  Each character has a Star Quality meter that must stay up if you want to remain in the battle.  If the meter runs low or it diminishes completely, the character is out of the game.  To keep the meter up, you must grab props or damage rivals.  There’s not much to it, really.

The game also adds multiplayer modes that up to four players can play through.  One of these modes is Arcade, which is filled with mini-games you unlock during the game’s main mode.  In Multiplayer Madness, there are five levels to start with and more available by completing the single player mode.  These games are basically like the single player mode with the exception that you can now play against a group of friends.

While all of this does sound fun and exciting, the game hardly changes from set to set.  The battles grow old quickly and gamers will lose interest before they even reach the final stage.  There are hidden mini-games you have to find in order to play and they do help spice up the tiresome clobber-fest and many of the mini-games are quite fun (there’s a homage to Pac-Man in one level).  Still, this isn’t enough to keep even the youngest gamer from becoming bored.

Visually speaking, the animation in this game is of perfect quality.  The cut scenes look like you’re watching a cartoon feature; unfortunately, the same can’t be completely said about the graphics during the wacky mayhem.  Each character is recognizable and rendered at a pretty decent level, but the effects of props and or gizmos don’t really make quite a visual impact, as it should be.

The soundtrack could have used a bigger boost, though.  There are a number of lively tunes that could have been really annoying, but thankfully the really aren’t that bad.  The voice acting is a lot better, though, even though you’ll find characters repeating themselves several times during the action.  Quite possibly the best sound bites can be heard when a rival character is tossed out of the game . . . their remarks fit each particular set.

Loons: Fight For Fame is a Loony Tunes game that fails to be entertaining and enjoyable, although it does have its share of amusing moments.  Still, there aren’t enough of these moments to keep any gamers’ interest.

Gameplay: 5.5
The controls could not be much easier than this since all a character does is bash opponents using props and ACME gizmos.  Each character can jump and turbo run and use power attacks that come in the form of mallets or frying pans.  The idea is to chase an opponent down and beat them until their Star Quality meter runs out.

Listening to Yosemite Sam’s constant direction also pays off because he tells you when props are available and he even rewards you for performing stunts like diving off a waterfall or rescuing a damsel in distress.

Graphics: 6.1
While the animation is smooth and perfect during cut scenes, the same cannot be said about the graphics during the game.  Each character is rendered decently enough and there are times when a character activates a visual trick like dancing with a group of can-can girls or swinging on a vine ala-Tarzan.  Still, the effects of the gizmos and props don’t look as comical and impressive, as they should be.

The backgrounds of each set--and you know it’s a set because you can see Yosemite’s crane and various lighting rigs--is inspired by well-known movies such as Dracula and Mission: Impossible.  The sets actually do look pretty good and there is enough to see and do such as dive from a rushing waterfall.

Sound: 6.3
This game would have seriously benefited from a much more classic Loony Tunes soundtrack rather than the cheerful tunes heard here.  Strangely enough, though, while the tunes do repeat themselves, it never becomes unbearable or really annoying.  It is probably because the sound effects drown away most of the melodies.  You’ll hear mostly explosions and the Loony Tunes stars’ comical howls of pain.

The voices of each character are right on the money, especially Bugs Bunny who usually does not sound up to Mel Blanc standards in many other games but does sound like classic Bugs here.  Yet much of what each character says is repetitive with the exception of their dramatic exit from the game.  You’ll hear Daffy Duck quote a line from some famous death scene and it won’t fail to put a smile on your face.

Difficulty: Easy
The game is pretty simple once gamers become accustomed to the controls (a feat that isn’t hard to master since the controls are pretty basic) and there are never times in the game when a gamer--be he real young or much older--will be stuck on a level.  It’s almost not challenging at all how easy you meet each level objective--which is simply to be the last character standing.

Concept: 5.8
It’s always fun to watch your favorite Loony Tunes characters in action--and the developers agree since the game also offers an entire classic cartoon in the Special Features option (of course, you have to unlock it by completing the single player game).  Still, the game’s action never really changes much and gamers will quickly become bored.

Multiplayer: 5.7
Arcade mode and Multiplayer Mayhem lets up to four players go head-to-head simultaneously through any of the sets you unlock during the single player mode.  While Multiplayer Mayhem is simple the same as the single player mode, Arcade mode offers up various mini-games and challenges.

Overall: 5.4
Gamers looking for good Loony Tunes mayhem will be sorely disappointed with this game that looses its amusement pretty early.  While there are some mini-games that can be really enjoyable to go through as well as a multiplayer option big enough for four players, it isn’t enough to consider purchasing it.