Metacritic Games

Voodoo Vince (Xbox)

Voodoo Vince is an outrageous venture—from the streets of New Orleans to the depths of a Louisiana bayou—where players explore and fight as a tattered-but-tough voodoo doll on a quest to find the whereabouts of his keeper, Madam Charmaine. In true voodoo style, Vince encounters and defeats quirky monsters and villains ... by kicking his own butt! By racing under a falling safe, jumping into a high-speed blender, or leaping under falling rubble, Vince is sure to defeat his enemies—all while managing to escape completely unscathed. [Microsoft]

Microsoft
Action, Platform
Players: 1
T (Teen)
Developer: Beep Industries
Released September 23, 2003

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

73 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 Play Magazine
It's infectious, fulfilling, and cheeky as all Hades, so enjoy the heck out of Vince, and then make some noise for a sequel. [Nov 2003, p.75]
93 GamingTrend
Quite simply the best platform game ever seen on the Xbox. The game fires on all cylinders and delivers a solid platform adventure with hilarious characters and dialogue.
91 Cinescape
The game provides an interesting take on platform games and has a nice combination of platform-jumping and puzzle solving gameplay.
90 Village Voice
A lighthearted traipse through New Orleans's fancifully imagined heart of darkness.
90 Yahoo! Games
Doesn't really have any significant flaws beyond the odd moment of frustration and the occasional gimmicky voodoo power. It's beautifully presented, full of imagination, and delightfully off-the-wall.
88 Official Xbox Magazine
It'll take a little while to get the hang of Vince's structure and layout, but he controls so tightly it's fun to get lost for a while. [Dec 2003, p.158]
88 XboxAddict
The sound was actually pretty good. The in-game soundtrack which was heavily influenced by the New Orleans jazz scene was actually quite good and I didn't mind listening to the same songs over and over again as I repeatedly restarted a level.
87 Next Level Gaming
A challenging yet fully enjoyable platform game. With a name like Voodoo Vince, you don't expect much. But you get much.
87 Gamers' Temple
A better than average platformer with a great look, a lot of atmosphere, and a few interesting twists on the genre.
85 Game Informer
Even the many vehicle-based levels are solid enough that you can't ask for much more in a platform game. [Nov 2003, p.159]
85 Deeko
I still feel that the game itself is aimed at more casual gamers, with puzzles simply oozing with simplicity and a linear storyline that is impossible to deviate from, but the overall picture is far greater than this simple summation.
85 GameCritics
Its unique theme and dark humor make it well-suited to gamers (such as yours truly) who enjoy the mechanics of the genre but are aching for a more refreshing and mature thematic backdrop.
84 Armchair Empire
VV has enough going for it - an amiable style, easy control, good puzzles, the platformer conventions, and humor - that it’s time well spent.
80 Team Xbox
Graphically the game is smooth and unique and the sound is simply spectacular. While there aren’t many gameplay options and selecting particular voodoo powers is nonexistent, the rest of the game is solid.
80 Gamezilla!
Although it suffers from historic platform issues, the humor and character development helps to push through the slow times. Fans of platform games won’t be disappointed.
80 GamePro
So much of it is familiar that it walks a tightrope between being fresh and being too derivative.
80 Cheat Code Central
The game could have been "padded" to be about twice as long but the results would have been an inconsistent game. This way the game is short and sweet and top drawer all the way.
80 Game Over Online
Despite its shortcomings (with the emphasis on short), Voodoo Vince is an imaginative and fun platform game, full of wit and charm.
80 GameZone
The game’s stages range from downright clever to downright simplistic but, overall, Voodoo Vince is a highly original and involving platformer.
80 Xbox Solution
Set in Dolby Digital sound the voice overs are done very well, Voodoo Vince has some excellent one liners, but the creature sounds are pretty much standard fare for a game of this caliber.
78 GameSpot
A great-looking and fantastic-sounding game, though, unfortunately, it's on the short side.
76 IGN
The responsive controls, crisp graphics, admirable sound, and early LucasArts-like humor are only slightly marred by a sometimes iffy camera and linear design.
75 GameSpy
It's smart, funny, and worth a look. Just don't expect a ton of replay value from Vince -- unless you really want to go through and collect 100 percent of the collectables.
70 GMR Magazine
Some puzzles require a more elaborate death, but the concept could have been taken a step further. [Dec 2003, p.82]
70 EuroGamer
A classy package with plenty going for it to satisfy those with kleptomaniac/sado-masochistic leanings.
70 Cincinnati Enquirer
While the game is entertaining while it lasts, it's on the short side, and with little reason to play the adventure over again.
67 Game Revolution
Though a solid platformer with a unique twist, the length of the game and its high frustration factor doom it squarely to rental land.
65 Weekly Famitsu
6 / 7 / 6 / 7 - 26 [Vol 815; 30 July 2004]
65 Electronic Gaming Monthly
The "hurt Vince to hurt meanies" premise really shines through in the boss battles, most of which are brilliantly hilarious - but they don't come often enough. [Dec 2003, p.226]
60 games(TM)
Despite its rather generic opening (that lasts for a good few levels),Voodoo Vince hides a surprisingly good game beneath the standard head slamming and general collecting of random objects inherent in so many others platformers. [Dec 2003, p.125]
60 NTSC-uk
An enjoyable, though fairly standard platformer, but one that has a great amount of charm to it. You’ll spend an average of 15 or so hours running around, collecting power-ups and items, jumping from high ledges to other high ledges, and fending off beasties along the way. That isn’t very long.
60 G4 TV
There just isn't much gameplay in this gaming gumbo to set it apart from the countless other platformers out there.
60 TotalGames.net
This is certainly one offbeat character we wouldn't mind seeing again.
50 Xbox Nation Magazine
A good gimmick can only carry a game so far, and Vince simply doesn't have - to speak in the rough language of the streets - enought junk in the trunk to elevate it far beyond mediocrity. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.86]
50 Gaming Age
It plays well, is not overly difficult for younger gamers, and looks and sounds nice enough. Its real drawback is it ends up being pretty standard platforming fare with not much in the way of unique or different features.
50 Gamer's Pulse
Another average platformer in a genre waning in popularity.
50 Adrenaline Vault
All this title truly needs is the influence of a few sadistic minds to extend the lifespan with complicated tasks, and give you a sense of satisfaction for making it through hellish platform puzzles.
40 Edge Magazine
As [Vince] laments the formulaic impositions of the game in successive cut-scenes, it only serves to remind you how much of a chore it is to play - and raises the question; why does every platform hero have to be a wiseguy? [Dec 2003, p.108]

CLOSE THIS WINDOW

©2008 CNET Networks Inc. All rights reserved.