Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Points for originality, but controls take getting used to.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
uDraw Dood's Big Adventure
What's It About?
In UDRAW DOOD'S BIG ADVENTURE, you design the look of the generic hero (as well as the villains and many scenery props) by painting on three-dimensional models in the game's \"Create\" mode. Then you take your customized \"Dood\" and use him to play through one of four different action games (all with many levels). Each game features a different control method for the uDraw tablet. In one, you draw rubber bands that slingshot Dood through the level (you can also use the stylus to flick ink drops at bad guys). In another, Dood floats in a bubble and you control a little fan that blows him in the direction you want. Another asks you to drop the stylus and use the entire tablet as a tilt-sensing controller to roll Dood around in a big marble.
Is It Any Good?
Without doubt, uDraw Dood's Big Adventure is majorly innovative. It asks you to control video game characters in ways that have never been tried before -- and as such, it's an interesting and unique experience. It is, however, not as successful as some of the other games released thus far for use with the uDraw tablet. Using a stylus to control an action game is par for the course on the Nintendo DS, but there you're using the stylus directly on the screen, making direct contact with the environment your moves affect. Here, your hands are working in one place, while your eyes are focused on another, and that takes some getting used to. If you've got the patience to handle the lengthy learning curve, though, this is a fun and very original action game. Plus the creative element, which feels very much like another THQ property, Drawn to Life, is loads of fun. Even there, though, coloring on three dimensional models is a whole lot trickier than using the tablet to make a 2-D piece of art.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the uDraw table and whether they like using it as a game controller. Do you like it better for the artistic elements of the game, or the action parts? Do you like games that give you a chance to use new and different controllers and peripherals? Or do those things feel gimmicky to you?
Ask kids about their character designs. Why did you make the characters the way you did? Is there any meaning behind your designs? Explain your choices.
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo Wii
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : THQ
- Release date : November 15, 2010
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate