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The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (Xbox 360)

common sense media says

Unique time-travel puzzler that is incredibly challenging.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom offers a unique gaming experience in both visual style and style of play, but that this mind-bending puzzle game is also extremely difficult. Kids who don't have the patience for trial and error, or who can't tolerate a game in which they may need to replay the same level several times before succeeding, are likely to get frustrated. Parents should also be aware that there is some mild potty-mouth language used in the comical, rhyming, written narration.

Educational value: The puzzles are real workouts for the brain. Even without explicitly educational content, this game will teach players to think in new and different ways.
Positive messages: Ignoring the obviously farcical storyline (see Role Models below), the message one gets from the game play itself is one about the importance of creative thinking, planning ahead, and challenging preconceived expectations.
Positive role models: P.B. Winterbottom is a thief (even if the only things he steals are pies). There are times in the story when he ends up coming to the aid of others, but any help he gives someone else is an unintentional byproduct of his relentless quest for pies. He is not redeemed by the end of the tale, nor does he receive any comeuppance. This is all played for laughs.
Ease of play: The game is undeniably difficult. Some of the puzzles may seem impossible the first twenty times you try them. But trial and error is the essential strategy for the game. Still there is often very little wiggle room in happening upon the one very specific solution for each level.
Violence: Winterbottom must sometimes smack his clones with his umbrella, sending them flying into the air, in order to solve puzzles. There is no evidence of pain from this. Winterbottom or his clones can fall into fire on certain levels -- if this happens, they silently disappear into a puff of smoke and reappear where they started.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: In the narration, Winterbottom is called juvenile epithets, like Buttwit or Turdmuffin.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the silent movie era of Hollywood. Have your children ever seen a silent movie? How is the game like a real silent films? How is it different?
  • Parents can also discuss the concept of farce with their children. P.B. Winterbottom is described as a vile and wicked villain, but his actions and demeanor are far from truly evil. How is this different from games or movies in which the lead character is genuinely a bad person? How does comedy dilute the bad behavior in the game?

What's the story?

What's the story?
THE MISADVENTURES OF P.B. WINTERBOTTOM follows the exploits of a notorious pie thief who is lured through a time warp by a giant floating pie. Gathering up dozens of delicious pastries on his quest for the mother pie, Winterbottom discovers that he can warp time, reliving the same few seconds over and over again, essentially creating several copies of himself that must work together to grab pies situated in puzzling locations. The entire game is presented in black-and-white, with dialogue cards popping up between scenes, as if it were a silent movie.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
It's safe to say you've never played anything like The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. The game looks utterly fabulous and does a great job of playing up that aura of the Hollywood silent era. And the gameplay concept -- you essentially perform an action on screen, then jump back in time and perform a new action in concert with a clone of yourself performing that first action, and so on -- feels so fresh and innovative. The only real flaw in the game, if you are to call it that, is the difficulty level. To call it challenging is an understatement. But those willing to put in the effort will feel rightly proud of themselves for finishing.

Online interaction: Scores and finishing times can be posted to leaderboards on Xbox Live.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Xbox 360
Available online
Genre: Puzzle
Developer: 2K Games
Released on: February 12, 2010
Price: 10.00
ESRB Rating: E for Comic Mischief
Screenshots
This review was written by Christopher Healy
 
 

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