Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts!

I think we have all learned to assume the worst when it comes to any game based on a movie, especially one based on a kids' movie. The reason why is simple; they tend to be made purely as a cash in on a hot-at-the-moment license rather than as a means of entertainment. Usually publishers just push out an effortless platformer for these licenses, but Vicarious Visions decided to try something different. They used the license for Over the Hedge (one of Dreamworks' better movies that didn't feature a certain green ogre) for a mini golf game. That chance paid off big time!

This is one of the only golf games I'd ever heard of that actually has a story mode. The raccoon RJ and the neurotic turtle Verne start playing a game of mini golf, and the hyperactive squirrel Hammy joins in. The game goes into the suburbs on the other side of the hedge where new buddies join in. The story itself is rather weak, but the gameplay in story mode is fantastic. The courses themselves are well-built and highly detailed. Each new course adds new elements including box fans, gopher holes that teleport the ball, and guard dogs to dodge. The putting mechanics work the best I've seen in a mini golf game. You have 360 degrees to aim and no impact point to worry about on each shot. However, the best part of the story mode involves Hammy. He can manipulate certain elements on the courses to open new paths to score aces, whether turning or moving various objects. This turns the story mode into a great puzzle game.

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Fortunately, there's more to this one than just the story mode. Progress in the story mode opens additional courses in the Arcade and Challenge modes in addition to multiple characters both from the movie as well as the comic strip that inspired the movie. There's even four player hot-set multiplayer. The real issue is that these great ideas just don't go far enough. Multiple characters are available for the additional modes, but there are absolutely no differences in gameplay whether using Verne or Stella. Worse, the course manipulation mechanic is only in the story mode. Being able to shift things on the courses could've made the multiplayer mode a bit more interesting. While the visuals are top-tier for the Game Boy Advance, the music and sound effects are just average.

Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! is a hell of a lot better than it should've been. Who would've thought that a mini golf game based on a Dreamworks animated movie would be the ONLY mini golf game I could wholeheartedly recommend in all the years I've been reviewing golf games? If you want to play some putt-putt and can't get to the local courses, Hammy and the gang definitely deserve your time.