Hot Potato (video game)
Encyclopedia
Hot Potato! is an action
puzzle video game developed by Pukka Games and published by BAM! Entertainment
for the Game Boy Advance
. It was released in Europe on June 29, 2001, and in North America on July 1, 2001.
In the game the player must simultaneously drive a bus and clear roads of alien potato beings. The beings are scattered across the street, and by shooting out rows of alien potatoes, they can be cleared from the player's path. The player must clear a set number of aliens to proceed in the game. Hot Potato received mostly above average reviews from critics; it received 66.42% and 74% ratings on review aggregate websites GameRankings and Metacritic
respectively.
Hot Potato features seven missions and seven score challenges. Mission mode requires the player to clear out a set number of an alien species. There are multiple alien species in the mode and the mission does not finish until the player gets rid of enough of a certain species chosen by the game from the road. Score challenge mode tasks the player with clearing away a certain number of aliens in order to reach a pre-determined score. The game contains bonus levels which are longer than normal levels if the player is able to complete missions under a certain time period.
with an addictive and original puzzle design. Pukka included the humorous storyline about potato alien beings in the game mostly for laughs and to give the game "charm". The game was released at a $39.99 price in the United States, which was seen by some reviewers as being too expensive.
respectively. Eurogamer
's John Bye called the game "curiously amusing" and felt that kids would enjoy the game. IGN
's Craig Harris noted that the game was surprisingly fun to play, and that the game would appeal to a unique niche
in the video game market. He criticized it for failing to introduce the player to the point of the game, forcing the player to figure out how to play on their own. Allgame
's Jay Semerad commented that the game provided a surprising amount of challenge, which increased the game's replayability. GameSpot
's Frank Provo praised the game's visuals and sound effects, noting that they added to the experience of the game. He felt that the game was not as addictive as some other contemporary puzzle games, but he praised the game nonetheless. Bob Tedeschi ofThe New York Times
commented that Toys 'R' Us had originally chosen to not distribute Hot Potato, but began to stock the game after it looked like a big seller.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
puzzle video game developed by Pukka Games and published by BAM! Entertainment
BAM! Entertainment
BAM! Entertainment is a dormant video game publisher that published such titles as Carmen Sandiego: The Secret of the Stolen Drums, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo, and various video game console adaptations of Cartoon Network programs. Threatened as early as 2002, NASDAQ eventually delisted their...
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. It was released in Europe on June 29, 2001, and in North America on July 1, 2001.
In the game the player must simultaneously drive a bus and clear roads of alien potato beings. The beings are scattered across the street, and by shooting out rows of alien potatoes, they can be cleared from the player's path. The player must clear a set number of aliens to proceed in the game. Hot Potato received mostly above average reviews from critics; it received 66.42% and 74% ratings on review aggregate websites GameRankings and Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
respectively.
Gameplay
The game tasks the player with navigating a bus through roads filled with alien potato beings. The player's bus holds female members of the alien race, and the player can shoot the females from the front of the bus in order to clear the alien potatoes. The aliens come in two colors: red and blue. Aliens are cleared from the road when two like-colored potatoes touch each other, but aliens begin to pile up in the road if two aliens hit each other that are not of the same color. The road is continuously scrolling downwards, forcing the player to make holes in the road wide enough to fit the bus through. The game can end prematurely if the player runs into too many aliens and loses all their lives.Hot Potato features seven missions and seven score challenges. Mission mode requires the player to clear out a set number of an alien species. There are multiple alien species in the mode and the mission does not finish until the player gets rid of enough of a certain species chosen by the game from the road. Score challenge mode tasks the player with clearing away a certain number of aliens in order to reach a pre-determined score. The game contains bonus levels which are longer than normal levels if the player is able to complete missions under a certain time period.
Development
Hot Potato was developed for over four years by Dima Pavlovsky, a game designer, before development was picked up by Pukka Games. The game was designed to emulate the success of TetrisTetris
Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
with an addictive and original puzzle design. Pukka included the humorous storyline about potato alien beings in the game mostly for laughs and to give the game "charm". The game was released at a $39.99 price in the United States, which was seen by some reviewers as being too expensive.
Reception
Hot Potato garnered above mostly positive reception from critics; it received 66.42% and 74% ratings on review aggregate websites GameRankings and MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
respectively. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
's John Bye called the game "curiously amusing" and felt that kids would enjoy the game. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Craig Harris noted that the game was surprisingly fun to play, and that the game would appeal to a unique niche
Niche market
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact...
in the video game market. He criticized it for failing to introduce the player to the point of the game, forcing the player to figure out how to play on their own. Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
's Jay Semerad commented that the game provided a surprising amount of challenge, which increased the game's replayability. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Frank Provo praised the game's visuals and sound effects, noting that they added to the experience of the game. He felt that the game was not as addictive as some other contemporary puzzle games, but he praised the game nonetheless. Bob Tedeschi ofThe New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
commented that Toys 'R' Us had originally chosen to not distribute Hot Potato, but began to stock the game after it looked like a big seller.