Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (video game)

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
North American cover art for the Xbox
Developer(s)	Frontier Developments
Publisher(s)	Konami
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2 Xbox GameCube (cancelled)
Release	NA: October 7, 2005 EU: October 14, 2005 JP: March 16, 2006 (PS2 only)
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, known in Japan as Wallace to Gromit: Yasaibatake de Dai-Pinch! (ウォレスとグルミット：やさい畑デ第一ホテルピンチ！, U~oresutogurumitto: Yasai hata de Daiichihoteru pinchi!, lit. "Wallace and Gromit: Vegetable Garden Hotel de First Pinch!"), is a video game developed by Frontier Developments and it is the first and only game in the series to be published by Konami. It was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. There was said to be a Nintendo GameCube version of the same game, but it was never released. It was released in North America and Europe in September and October 2005 respectively, and in Japan in March 16, 2006 for the PlayStation 2 only. It is based on the film of the same name by Aardman Animations.

Gameplay

The main characters are Wallace and Gromit, whose new company, Anti-Pesto, is charged with keeping rabbits away from the upcoming Giant Vegetable Competition, which has been run by Lady Tottington's family at Tottington Hall for 517 years.

Cards must be collected to advance through the game. These can be obtained by completing tasks given by other characters, regaining the valves from Wallace's "Mind-O-Matic" machine that have been stolen by Lady Tottington's suitor, Victor Quartermaine, or by simply finding hidden cards. Residents of the game's various districts will give tasks in exchange for cards.

Gromit using a bunnyhopper in the Town Centre

The game is divided into four districts; The Town Centre, Wallersey the harbour area, Grimsley the industrial area and Tottington Hall. In each district there is at least one "arena", an area which Anti-Pesto must clear of pests. Arenas can be revisited at night, where Wallace is replaced by Hutch, who was originally a captive rabbit but swapped roles with Wallace after an accident with Wallace's invention, the Mind-O-Matic.

Wallace, Gromit, and Hutch each carry a primary pest catching device, The BunGun. The BunGun is used to suck up pests and shoot them into a drain. Once in the drain, the pests are transported through the sewage system into Wallace and Gromit's basement, where they are kept captive. At nightfall, Gromit and Hutch can use the BunGun as a weapon to destroy were-creatures with a swing of the gun. Once dead, their "were energy" is stored in the BunGun, and can be used to destroy more creatures. The were energy can also be used to stun the Were-Rabbit.

Gromit can visit Mr. Caliche's shop, where he can purchase items to help grow the marrow that he's preparing for the Giant Vegetable Competition.

During the night, the Were-Rabbit tends to appear at random. Gromit and Hutch must chase it down and try and stop it from escaping. However at the end of each chase the were rabbit hops over a barb wired fence which Wallace/Hutch and Gromit can not get over until it is opened.

As the duo progress through the game, a fortune teller, Madame Winnie Bago, who befriended Wallace and Gromit after they fixed her van, offers them tips and hints to help them complete tasks successfully.

Reception

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit received mixed reviews from critics. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox version 69.14% and 70/100 and the PlayStation 2 version 68.38% and 68/100.