U.B. Funkeys - Starter Kit product reviews

This has to be one of my favourite ways to pass quiet time on the PC. When the system is chugging away and the job is going to take a few hours to render I don't see a problem with slowing it down by another few minutes by stealing a few mips for this game.
Running around avoiding the bad guys and diving into new games every time I find a new funkey in the shops, its a whole heapin' helpin' of fun and when I head home and my little one gets his turn its just awesome, especialy when we sit down together do play funk-jongg as a team with me doing the mousing and him spotting the pairs. Its a great observational skills builder for him and a really nice, easy way for us to bond.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens next with future expansion. I see that there are 2 more out already and I guess they must have been those huge downloads a little while back but without the new characters its going to be hard to play them. But in the mean time I enjoy reading the free datasheet in the files section on this site. Seems to get semi-regular updates.

"OK, this looks weird. it's a big weird critter, and it has little critters that click into it's head to give it different personalities... aren't there professionals out there that deal with people like this?" was my first thoughts when I saw this. After a brief read of the packaging, I was actually feeling that this was yet another attempt to drag kids into an online world via the medium of something that plugs into their PC... opening a whole new realm of weirdos for us parents to worry about...

So it was a very big, pleasant surprise to find that apart from a few updates and patches that it download during the install, the entire world resides inside your PC! There really isn't any internet interaction between your kids and the greater internet world... safe as houses mate! Installation was a breeze, with the only issue being that Windows wanted to stick it's oat in, but was easy to silence and shoo away. Even though you do not attached the UB Hub (the big white critter with the hole in the back of it's head) to your USB port until prompted, WindowsXP apparently decides on occasion to register the unit outside of the installer as well, and you get the silly "Can't find drivers. Want me to go hunt online?" dialog box, which is just a CANCEL away from not being a annoyance any more. After that, it checks online for updates, and a few minutes later you're all set to play.

Your starter kit comes with two 'common' funkeys... there are 'rare' and 'very rare' versions out there as well, and they are distinguished by different colouring... so it pays to go online and check out the colours to look for when you buy your extra critters, which are available as single units for around $15 each. Rare's and very rare's get some nice bonuses within the game. But more on those later...

The story is kinda cute, but doesn't really tell you much... so it looks like one of those things that requires you to follow quests through other parts of the funkey world to unlock extra portals (access points, like the teleporters in Fable) and reassemble crystals... it all sounds rather "Crash Bandicoot" to me, but hey, it's all good. To start this all off, you should explore Funkeystown... the center of the funkey world. From it, there are about 4 active portals, which require you to own, and use, specific types of funkeys. There are also buildings to enter, some are restricted to funkeys of a certain type (example, only the 'scratch' type funkeys can enter the dance hall, and only the panda-like 'lotus' funkeys can enter the sanctuary.). Inside each building are games specific to that funkey... play them, they earn you coins which you can use to buy stuff for your cribs... you can have up to 3 at a time.

Cribs are the only component of the game, at least in the early stages, that can use your internet connection. They serve no real purpose other than to soak up your coins by buying wallpapers, paints, flooring, furniture, pets, electronics, lighting, ornaments, etc... which you use to style-up your crib the way you want it. Now, remember, I said rare funkeys get bonuses? Well, they earn more coins when they play games, and there are certain items which will only be offered to them by storekeepers in the market. So if you know your stuff, and have managed to buy/find/trade an uncommon funkey, use it as often as you can, because it'll make your game experience a little bit better than otherwise.

As well as the type-specific games and buildings, there are a couple of places where any funkey can go, including the museum, in which is a dinky little game that operates a bit like tetris... but not quite. You'll soon get the hang of it, and getting goods scores in ANY game can earn you the rights to access it from your crib's Games Room directly. If you happen to play a type-specific game and get a really good score, you can also win some extra doodads that you can use to bling up the crib(s) a bit more.

Overall, though this game could easily get expensive, buying the extra funkeys, it's quite addictive in places, and if you get into the 'quest' aspect of the game, it could be quite a time-killer... a great way to keep the kids occupied during rainy afternoons, while you catch up on a good book or a bit of TV... or just a bit of peace and quiet stretched out on the couch in the other room. Personally, one of the first things I did once the game started was to go into the 'options' screen and disable full-screen mode, because it chops your screen resolution down to 800x600, and keeps it there even if you swap screens. So for those of us who prefer higher-res desktops, 'window mode' is the way to go. Also, be sure to keep an eye on the funkeys website, as there are cheat codes and play hints and tips that will enhance your game further. My personal fave so far... go into the 'options' screen, and enter this code: iluvfunkeys345