Napoleon Dynamite: The Game

As a game, it's a little bit hard to recommend this, especially considering that it's basically just an assemblage of Flash-style games, the kind you could play for free on a movie promo site.

The real reason why you should just forget the game in general is that it's simply not fun. There are moments where the mini-games approach mild entertainment, but you can have just as much fun -- if not more -- playing a free Flash game. Gosh.

A cheap cash-in that not even fans could love, Napoleon Dynamite just doesn't offer anything worthwhile.

Napoleon Dynamite does a good job at staying faithful to the movie and adding some gameplay mechanics. However, there are some poor design choices like the flash-like graphics and some frustrating mini-games.

It's unlikely that many were begging for a Napoleon Dynamite-themed minigame collection, and those few who were will be disappointed by this shabby effort.

Unfortunately, this collection of average minigames and overused sound bites is likely to be a disappointment to even the most diehard Dynamite fan.

This shovelware deserves no space in your home.

In the end, Napoleon Dynamite: The Game does little to fight the stereotype of low quality licensed games.

The core problem with Napoleon Dynamite: The Game is that it totally disregards the humor of the film (and, as such, of the audience it's attempting to reach). The whole joke of Napoleon Dynamite was that Jon Heder's titular character constantly claims to have more skill than he actually possesses. In the game, you have all that skill and more.

It looks and sounds good enough, but an annoying and punishing difficulty level - right off the bat - kills any genuine fun most people could have would a game like this.

All in all, we found the experience totally unsatisfying. [Mar 2008, p.85]

If they had translated the aura of the film through more creative means in the actual gameplay and story, like they did with the art, instead of just recycling old dialogue and tossing in generic mini-games, Napoleon Dynamite: The Game might have been more of a success. As it is, however, we recommend staying far, far away.