Every gamer knows the Wii appeals as much to kids as it does to adults, and that Nintendos gizmo has become the top choice for family gaming. But the developers of Grease: The Official Video Game have been unduly cack-handed in censoring the famous soundtrack, blocking-out words such as lust, crap and virginity for Chrissakes! Considering the huge number of proud to be a virgin campaigns aimed at schoolkids in the US, the obligatory appearance of Madonnas Like A Virgin pretty much every karaoke game ever made and the execrable Richard Bransons brand name, youd think it would be OK to mention the word in a song thats been doing the rounds since 1978. Sheesh...
Anyway, confusing censorship aside, this Grease spin-off is a bewildering mess that even the most forgiving fan will despise. An unholy blend of SingStar and Mario Party, the game mixes minigames and singing sequences to tell the story of the movie, based around 16 key songs from the classic soundtrack. But with stiffly-animated cartoon versions of the movie cast, re-recorded music that doesnt quite match the quality of the original film, and a mixed bag of challenges that range from barely adequate to shockingly poor, theres little here to keep you coming back for more, especially as the one-player experience can be completed in little under an hour.
If it were released as a budget package with a couple of USB mics tipped in, Grease: The Official Video Game could have scored a few points from fans of the musical hoping to indoctrinate their children in the church of Travolta and Newton-John. But with its premium price tag and need to buy extra peripherals to get the best from the experience, this is one of the most disappointing Wii releases so far this year.