Insecticide: Episode 1 Critic Reviews

The adventure chapters have a wonderfully classic feeling to them, and the action chapters are challenging and fun.

This one is a real heartbreaker. I really wanted to score it higher, but the action sequences get in the way of what could have been an extremely enjoyable adventure game.

Crackpot Entertainment has created a decent action/detective game with some sharp graphics and a charming story. Sadly, Insecticide is not much fun to play with such wonky controls and buggy camera mechanics, and it may seem to drag at a snail's pace in some spots.

Thankfully, this industry cranks out more sequels than Hollywood, and we can definitely see an Insecticide follow-up living up to the full potential hinted at here.

While we were collecting clues and investigating the case, she was a lot of fun, but once the investigation stopped and the action started, she turned on me, leaving my heart cut open like a gutted fish.

Insecticide had a lot of great things going for it (former developers from LucasArts, intriguing investigation sequences, a terrific art-style, and hilarious story), but ultimately the game comes down as a dire disappointment.

Insecticide tries to be a lot of things at once--platformer, shooter, and investigative adventure--which is a trcik that seldom works well.

Rent it for the story, and keep your antennas crossed for a gameplay-improved sequel.

With spotty combat controls and unintuitive evidence gathering, the game gets boring fast.

The writing is solid and engaging and the setting is fun and different but the adventure and platforming elements are completely average.

The storyline is excellent and the adventure portions recall memories of the classic (and now all but dormant) point-and-click genre. The problem lies in the fact that the game focuses most of its energy on trying to be an action platformer and at that it is simply average at best.

The game squanders its stylish setting, writing, and entertaining puzzle solving by minimizing the fun investigation segments, focusing squarely on broken combat and platforming.

Instead of focusing on one major aspect of the game, the developers seemed to try and cram too much into this DS title, causing each style element to become watered down in the gameplay department.

Those seeking the goofy humor and weird puzzles you wax nostalgic about, Insecticide could possibly scratch your adventuring itch. Just be prepared to split that 50/50 with ho-hum action sequences.

After an hour or two of playing Insecticide, all the decent storytelling in the world won't hold your attention.

Insecticide melds sloppy platforming/shooter action with lightweight adventure puzzling, cemented together by a derivative pseudo-film-noir plot chock-full of atrocious puns. Swat this one away.

Eventually, the alternation between dull platforming and frustrating adventure just murdered my initial interest in the setting and characters. Insecticide, you won my heart...and then you broke it. But at least you did it quickly.

Insecticide is a schizophrenic game. The adventure parts of the game are decent enough, but the action could easily have been left behind or at least refined.

Insecticide warrants some praise for its offbeat theme and oddball characters, but there's not enough game here to recommend. All 18 levels are short, combat is clunky, and there's only one game mode.

The vibe on the PC version seems good, but this DS port proves mediocre. Many had great expectations, but this is not our vision of fury.