Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this game is based on the Disney Channel TV show Cory in the House. The game contains situations of comic mischief, like sneaking around the White House and throwing pastries at people to "stun" them, but the tone is light-hearted throughout. Cory's "adversaries" include agents and hypnotized people, but he is never in physical danger. If an agent catches him, or if he gets touched by too many hypnotized people, he must simply go back and replay part of the level.
Families can talk about the White House and some of the important people who have lived there. What is hypnotism and how is it supposed to work? Would you ever want to be hypnotized? Do you think you could hypnotize another person?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Erin Bell
Fans of the That's So Raven television spin-off Cory In The House should also enjoy playing the video game of the same name. In the CORY IN THE HOUSE video game, fifteen-year-old Cory Baxter has settled into his new digs in the White House, where his father is head chef to the President. But in keeping with the theme of the TV show, Cory finds himself in a typically ridiculous situation when the presidential bobble head dolls he's been selling turn out to have hypnotic powers and start brainwashing people. With the help of friends such as Meena, Newt, and Stickler, Cory must break the hypnotic spell of the bobble heads.
While moving around, players can tap on objects and characters to interact with them. Some items can be added to an inventory to be used later. Cory also has a PDA that he can use to stay in contact with friends and ask them for help, and a journal with checkboxes that outlines what he's supposed to do next. You can also enter "sneak mode" with the press of a button in order to bypass secret agents and avoid hypnotized people, who emit a harmful hypnotic wave. If stealth fails, however, there's also a never-ending supply of nakishka pastries to lob at adversaries to temporarily stun them. Gameplay also incorporates mini-games like flying the remote-control Buzzy the Spy Fly through air vents to get to inaccessible areas, guiding Cory around the city by selecting the right directions, and tapping in time with the beat as Cory plays drums in his band, the D.C. 3 Beats. If friends each own a copy of the game, they can play the music mini-game together over Wi-Fi.
The graphics are ok but not great, and the dialogue is a bit corny (and comes with complete with "studio audience" laugh track) but it is, after all, simply reflecting the source material. All-in-all, Cory in the House captures the spirit of the TV show very nicely, and the balance of action, problem-solving, and mini-games keeps the experience from getting too repetitive.
Other handheld Disney games worth checking out are High School Musical 2: Work This Out!, Enchanted and of course That's So Raven: Psychic on the Scene.
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ViolenceCory stuns people by throwing nakishka pastries at them. |
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Social BehaviorThe multicultural cast includes African-American and Caucasian characters. |
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CommercialismThe game is based on the television show. |
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