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| Source: Club Penguin Insiders |
The 2013 Star Wars Takeover is one of the most diverse parties in recent memory. There is so much to do, so much to see, it's hard to think of a place to start this review.
The rooms at the party once again prove to be incredible. The designs are nearly flawless and they prove to represent the movie's versions well. There are several details in each one to discover, some of which will only be picked out by those who know the movies very well. There's nothing really to hate.
| Source: Riffy CP |
The music at the party proves to be great in one way, but is slightly disappointing in another. As much as I enjoy John William's Star Wars themes and like that they are featured, I wish that there was some new Club Penguin music to hear.
Then there's the story-line of the party. It is great representation of the fourth film's plot and the bridge between Star Wars and Club Penguin is done well. The quest aspect of it felt very similar to Operation: Hot Sauce and was done right as well. However, the only snag in the plot-line is where the characters from Club Penguin cross with the Star Wars characters from the films. While the connection between Cadence, Sensei, and Herbert with Star Wars characters is brilliant, how the whole story-line fits together gets complicated with that addition. While this party is a parody and shouldn't be taken too seriously, it did bother me how that made sense story wise - so much so that I actually went through it in my head and found a plot that makes sense to me.
| Source: CP Guide |
Next comes the items. The vast array of them is nice and they all fit with their film counterparts quite well. The characters also look very similar to their film inspirations. The only thing I don't like so much is the R2-D2 helmet for puffles. While the item is designed well as far as the art is concerned and it is a great idea, it looks a bit too big on puffles. It also would have been nice if there was a R2-D2 costume for penguins. The blinking red and blue light is a nice touch, though.
Also, while I do feel guys got the better end of the bargain as far as costumes that are only for boys or only for girls are concerned (which is unfair for you girls out there), I do feel Club Penguin did a pretty good job making gender-neutral costumes, given the material they were given (Princess Leia is the only strictly girl costume for a reason - there aren't a whole lot of girls in Star Wars).
With a party as long as this one, it's important to keep it interesting. Club Penguin did a pretty good job with this by releasing party content in pieces, not all at once. While the wait between each one was annoying, it kept things interesting. However, once you completed each mission and looked at everything new (which didn't take long), there wasn't a lot to do. You could duel (I'll get to that in a second), role-play using the Star Wars rooms and items (if you are one to do that), collect all the other items, and search for Herbert. But, if you finished the dueling tasks on the first night, don't role-play, collected all the other items on the first day because you had enough coins, and have already met Herbert and don't particularly aim to do so again, the party didn't have very much left to offer.
| Source: Everything Club Penguin |
This party seems to be related to the Prehistoric Party since it is supported by almost entirely party-rooms. This is nice for those who aren't paticularly into Star Wars and don't want to have to tromp through Star Wars rooms on the way to do other things for three weeks.
One of the main attractions of the party is the dueling and the objectives that come with it. The dueling "mini-game" is a quick, neat little feature. The actions of the penguins dueling look nice and the sounds are also a nice touch. However, it's one of those things where you have to depend on other people to help, which can be a hard to do sometimes. It also didn't take long - it's like the opposite side of the Hollywood Party camera task. You want a quest to be long enough to take a little while, but not so horribly long that you are sick of it by the end.
| Source: Boba and Jango CP |
I also noticed another negative as far as the dueling feature is concerned - the function was somewhat broken at times. Sometimes, you couldn't click on the icon of a penguin ready to duel. Sometimes, you would just dance when you meant to duel. Sometimes, your penguin was stuck dueling and couldn't get out of the mode. Sometimes, your penguin would disappear after the smoke went up as you were preparing to duel. Sometimes, the smoke would come twice. And, sometimes, other strange stuff would happen.
Another thing I wanted to note as far as dueling is concerned is that the costumes up for grabs in that quest were mostly for boys. While some things, like the lightsabers, are for both genders, the Obi-Wan Kenobi costume, along with Anakin's hair and other costumes, are not. I felt like there needed to be a bit more balance.
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| Source: Club Penguin Wikia |
Then there are the party games. I feel Club Penguin did a pretty good job with these. All three of them are nicely done and have no bugs. Each is fun, yet simple. And they all have great graphics and details.
The Tattooine Stormtrooper game was the first one given to us. As the levels progressed, things started to get more difficult, which is nice. Club Penguin needs some challenge. The setting and story behind the game is also done well. The event of the game is something that could happen in the movies (and, to some extent, does). The game gave me a small rush of nostalgia, as it reminds me of the small mini-game from the seventh PSA mission where you challenge two members of the blue team for a clock piece. My only gripe I have with this game (even if it doesn't affect me) is that the penguin you are playing as isn't really gender-neutral. The short brown hair doesn't exactly look like something a girl would wear, unless she was going under disguise. You could be disguised as Han Solo. It would make sense.
| Source: Loo978 CP Cheats |
Next, the code cracking game was presented to us aboard the Death Star. It is fit in a nice place, but it is a returning game (albeit, a pretty nice one art-wise) with little challenge - I would have liked it a lot better if you had to work a bit to complete it. On another note, the fact that you hear R2-D2 beep when you click on him is awesome.
Then there's the X-Wing game. It's a good game with some challenge - perhaps a little too much at times. It is also very original, so it get extra points in my book. The animation in this game (as well as the first) is very fluid and nice. I like that the Death Star is shown as destroyed around the island after you complete the third level. Additionally, the game bears a striking resemblance to the scene its based on and the medal you receive at the end of the final level, which looks very similar to the movie's version, is given to you by the same person and in the same place as in the fourth movie. Yay for details!
| Source: Riffy CP |
Like the Lego video games have with their various themes (including Star Wars), Club Penguin has done a good job transferring a somewhat-dark property into a fun kid-friendly event. So, hats off to them.
While I think it's impossible for a Star Wars-Club Penguin fan to not at least somewhat like this party, what about those who know nothing about Star Wars or dislike the brand? Well, I believe there's still some joy to be had for them. You don't need to know much about Star Wars to enjoy this party - the plot is pretty straight forward. And, if you don't like Star Wars, just put some duct-tape over the part of the screen where it says Star Wars Takeover on the map and convince yourself it's a space party.
| Source: Ramone14 |
If you couldn't tell already, I like this party. In fact, I wouldn't mind if it returned. I feel that there is so much more material left to cover - where's penguin Yoda or penguin Padm'e? Since this year's event was mostly based on the fourth movie, I believe future years could offer new, interesting experiences based on the other five films that are out now and the five others that Disney is currently producing (three in a Sequel Trilogy to the Original Trilogy and two standalone movies revolving around a single character per movie). I believe the event will return, given its apparent popularity.
In closing, the Star Wars Takeover of 2013 is a great representation of the movies in every part of the festivities. I am certainly glad it happened because without it I would most likely have not seen the six Star Wars films and become a casual fan of them in the near future. This Takeover proves again that pretty much everything Club Penguin touches is gold.
| Source: Crave Online |
As Billybob would say, Waddle On!
- Chillin43
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