CID The Dummy

If there is one thing that the PS2 era of gaming is known for, it’s the abundance of mascots and platform games that were produced for this console. This was the ticket to success back then and this meant that just about every developer had a stab at making the next cute, lovable character to take the gaming world by storm. CID The Dummy was yet another game of this nature and would aim to offer a fun platforming adventure that captivated young audiences and shot the developer to stardom

This game by the very nature of being a platformer of this era plays like games such as Ratchet and Clank, Sly Raccoon, Jak and Daxter, Turok and Psychonauts. However, does this game deserve to even be mentioned in the same breath as these members of the platforming elite. Well, we answer that question in our review of CID the Dummy.

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Let’s begin with the visuals for this title. As you would expect from a PS2 era platformer, it’s all very cookie cutter in terms of art style. You have areas that are set up to look like a crash test dummy test site. Which means a lot of yellow and black assets scattered around but there is little here to suggest that the developers took time to create interesting assets for this game. Plus, it looks grainy and washed out a lot of the time, which only sets it further apart from the best games of the genre.

Then as for the gameplay. This game tries to conquer the 2.5D platforming format made famous by game franchises such as Crash Bandicoot, Tomba and Klonoa. However, this game does nothing new or interesting with the format, leading to gameplay that almost feels limited by this decision. We doubt that the game would have been more successful and innovative either way but at least a 3D world would have been more open, spacious and ambitious.

Then lastly, you have the story and the overall personality of this game. Let us be the first to tell you, it has none. You navigate the levels as it is your job as a crash test dummy to do so. Your character is a lifeless, pointless drone, the enemies offer no real threat, there is no pacing or difficulty to speak of and the pay off for your efforts is minuscule. This is a PS1 quality game, produced for the PS2, which should have really been scrapped instead of seeing the light of day.

The Verdict

Overall, this game is not the worst thing ever by any stretch. The platforming is functional and at times borderline competent. Plus, the art style and mechanics while dated and recycled from older titles, do the job fine. Its just a pointless venture from start to finish. Its like a kid had to make a science project and decided to make the most easy thing possible.

Pros

• Platforming is decent at times
• Music is suitable

Cons

• Lifeless protagonist and weak story
• PS1 grainy graphics
• Pointless mechanics like stealth which don’t work
• Nothing you haven’t seen before