DICK DURBIN'S CAPITOL HILL JAM

Platforms : Xbox360, PS3, Wii

Earlier this week, Phoenix-based Megahelix Games released Dick Durbin’s Capitol Hill Jam, the first entry in what they insist is a re-emerging genre, the ‘Xtreme Politics’ simulation. This game was actually completed a few years ago and promptly shelved in order to wait for a ‘proper release window’. It seems with the recent health care debate having raised the general public’s political awareness from ‘apathetic’ to ‘tangential’, that time has come.

DDCHJ is actually an unofficial sequel to the original Nintendo cult hit Adlai Stevenson’s Legisl8 or Die!, in which you metaphorically ride a bill down the mean streets of partisan politics and Cold War paranoia until the bill is passed.

Capitol Hill Jam has a similar storyline to the 8-bit classic, with more of a focus on correctly performing tricks and upgrading your staff. In fact, if you unlock the hard-to-get achievement ‘Filibuster? Hardly Know Her’, you get a secret bonus level which is a graphically updated version of the final level of Legisl8 or Die, The Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act Halfpipe Challenge.

Some people may be put off by the political setting of this game, but I assure you, this is a game you must play, at least once. Even if you aren’t interested in the RPG element of the day to day goings on of a young senator, the first time you nail a 180 O’Reilly into an Inverted Olbermann, you’ll be hooked. That isn’t to say this is a perfect game, by any means…it does suffer from some flaws that may be hard for certain gamers to overlook.

Let’s check out the breakdown.

PROS

Downloadable Content: With the integration of CSPANLIVE, you can download current bills facing Congress, and see how you fare against the real senators. You will also be able to download user-generated levels, though this feature is not yet active.

Peripherals: Megahelix really went out of their way to incorporate the specialties of each console. If you are hit by a particularly wicked scandal, you can use the Sixaxis to affect spin control. And if you have the Wii Balance Board, it can detect if you are shifting weight nervously during a Grand Jury testimony.

Customization: The character creation process is incredibly in depth, as you not only have hundreds of cosmetic decisions to make, but also can define your educational history, religion, fetishes, prejudices, idiosyncrasies, irrational fears, and favorite foods. You can also edit the game’s special moves and tricks…even taking some of the more advanced moves (like a Goofy Foot Whirlin’ Durbin) and putting your own personal spin on it. Add in some House Chambers entrance music, and the possibilities are endless.

CONS

Historical Inaccuracy: Megahelix may have made a bit of a misstep in trying to market this as an educational game, as I don’t think most districts select their representatives by assigning ‘gnarly points’.
Also, I am fairly sure that Presidential Vetoes are not undone if you out-shred a legion of robot mummies.

‘Local Only’ Multiplayer: While you can team up with a pal against particularly tough legislation as long as you are on the same console, that functionality does not extend to online play. When you join an online ‘match’, you can only play as a spectator, in which your only options are ‘light applause’, ‘boo’, or ‘nap’.

No Fast Forward: Megahelix seems quite proud of the fact that everything in this game is ‘real time’, an attempt at faux-realism. While that can be exciting when you are at a Caribbean luau on a lobbyist’s dime, having to endure the whole flight there can get pretty boring. Thought, it does add an interesting level of tension in one of the later levels when you are hiding in a dumpster waiting for the Fox News guys to leave.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10

Everything you like about skateboarding, snowboarding, motocross, wrestling, and action movies, applied to the political maneuvering of a junior senator rising through the ranks. What’s not to like?

REPLAYABILITY: 6/10

In career mode, you can choose ‘Republican’, ‘Democrat’, or ‘Independent’, all of which have entirely different scenarios and tactical needs. You can also create your own custom party to champion, though it seems it is literally impossible to win that way. Megahelix has confirmed this is not a bug.

GRAPHICS: 9/10

The graphics are truly astounding, with over 600 different people motion captured and facially mapped. The in-engine cutscenes are so breathtaking, you’ll forget you are watching a mild-mannered debate about a Homeland Security budget addendum.

SOUND : 10/10

I don’t know what favors must have been called in to get Howard Shore and Whitesnake to create the score for this game, but it is simply incredible. It’s one thing when you work on a bill for two straight days with no sleep just to have it eviscerated by a pundit, but when the guitars and violins kick in once your bill is defeated, it can turn a minor disappointment into an emotional breakdown.

OVERALL: 7/10

This is an interesting, exciting, and fun game. However, despite Megahelix’s constant suggestion that this is a game with universal appeal, I’m afraid it may only apply to a niche market. I suppose only time will tell.

 I hated this level.