Glen Campbell Extreme Drunken Driving for Sony Playstation 2
Developed by RhineStar Games

I can't think of a game that was rushed out more quickly to capitalize on current events. Even Elizabeth Smart Kidnap Escape! didn't appear until months after the news of America's Sweetheart's rescue. Perhaps Glen Campbell's publicist kicked into high gear when the news of Campbell's DUI arrest hit the wire, and decided to spin the affair in a new direction by creating a bold and fearless "renegade" image for the singer. Or perhaps some witty programmers just decided to have a little fun with the topic of the day.

Whatever the case, Extreme Drunken Driving hit the shelves the same day as the media began reporting the incident. Maybe the whole thing was staged as a setup for the game, I'm not sure. What I do know is, this game rocks.

Similar in tone to the recent spate of violent driving games, GCEDD lets you maneuver Glen Campbell through an ever-increasing series of dangerous predicaments as you speed through the streets, destroying everything in your path. Four basic settings are available (Phoenix, Nashville, Branson, and 1975 Tokyo), plus two hidden ones (1979 Los Angeles and "The Wild West" – use unlock code L*s13A+P*8 to access these). Three levels of difficulty ("Lineman," "Cowboy," and "Highwayman") are built in to each setting, so you can test your mettle against various police forces depending on your skill.

Half the fun of GCEDD is simply crashing into people, vehicles, monuments, landmarks, and animals, but the thrills don't stop at simple bloodshed and explosions. You can actually get out of your car and have Glen rampage through the streets like a vigilante, taking a baseball bat to storefronts and pedestrians' faces, and discovering treasure hidden in alleyways and parks.

Your "power source" in the game is alcohol, and if your BAC dips below .15, Glen becomes sluggish and more easily attacked. By breaking into bars and liquor stores, you can get Glen's BAC as high as .85 (at least from what I've seen so far), at which point, Glen becomes completely unreasonable and actually begins to act independently from your specified controls. My hand controller shorted out when Glen hit .80, and he began berating me directly, looking at the screen and hurling incredibly hurtful curse words at me. I know this is just computer programming, but it somehow felt personal.

The optimum BAC seems to be between .40 and .65, since that provides the smoothest control, and also results in fewer mood swings (it really hampers your gameplay when Glen gets sentimental and simply stops on the street in front of a pretty lady to serenade her with one of his hit songs).

The graphics are sharp, especially given that this game was probably churned out at an insanely fast pace – the only drawback is that there are a few areas of the game where the terrain seems unfinished. For example, I had Glen storm the Grand Ole Opry in the Nashville level, and after bludgeoning the many country music legends who were performing (Ronnie Milsap offers the most hilarious death-screams), I was not able to advance backstage to deal with the up-and-comers (and I really had a hankering to take out Toby Keith). Instead, the game simply cut to a choppy video of Campbell performing at the Opry in the mid-80s.

The music throughout is probably the only thing that should have been changed before releasing the game. Instead of classic Glen Campbell tracks, we get mostly dubious live recordings and recent re-makes of some of the old hits, and far too much of Glen's gospel repertoire. It's almost like they had this music loaded as a placeholder for the officially-licensed tracks, then decided it was unnecessary given the expedience with which they were rushing out the game.

But the music is drowned out by the gunshots, squealing tires, crash sounds, and Glen's volatile rambling anyway, giving the game an appropriately cacophonous, unsettling feel. It's a massively satisfying experience overall.

I still can't tell whether this game is trying to make fun of Glen Campbell or not (Rhine Star's previous outing, Nick Nolte Extreme Inebriated Crazy Hair Salon was obviously tongue-in-cheek), but even without the topicality, GCEDD is a new benchmark in "mature" driving games. I can't wait to try some of the cheats and hacks that are being disseminated online … apparently in one, you can jack Glen's BAC up to 5.00 and give him a jetpack … that itself would make a good standalone game.

Review by God's Messenger