After seeing the epic storyline in Activision's Spanish For Everyone, we have been waiting to see how the gameplay would stack up. Well, the same kind person who posted the cutscene videos has uploaded examples of gameplay, and they don't disappoint! Er, in that they do disappoint. Basically, we wanted hilarity and not education, and we got it.
So here's how a few of the games work. La Pinata is Hangman with a pinata, meaning that you guess letters to build Spanish words. Of course, since the target audience for this game doesn't actually know Spanish, you basically have to put together words you don't know based on vague ideas about what Spanish words are supposed to look like. Then when you've randomly assembled the correct word, you get a one-word translation!
So Spanish For Everyone is not only offensive, it's also pretty much useless as a language teacher, as it just dumps words on you with minimal instruction and no attempt to help you commit them to memory.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-08-2007 @ 1:13AM
icupnimpn2 said...
Amen, brother. This "game" is really the worst. I don't know what I was expecting when I bought it. I guess I hoped that the developer had put in at lease some effort.
There's no grammatical context for anything you're taught. So what if you're taught that "bailar" means "dance". That might help you if you want to say "I want to dance." But it won't help you say, "We are dancing."
And the 6000 words... are so random. They are not necessarily common or useful words. They're dictionary words without definitions.
I could go on for much much longer about it.
Reply
11-08-2007 @ 3:48PM
k.sipples said...
I just canceled my order. Thanks for the heads up.
This really stinks. I really want a good language training program. Oh well... I guess we'll have to wait.
Reply
11-09-2007 @ 1:36AM
Mike said...
This looks like the worst game imaginable. Again I am very offended by this steaming pile of mierda.
Did you know that crap in spanish is "crap"?
Reply
11-09-2007 @ 7:48PM
vakerrokero said...
The only things missing are:
cucarachas.
los luchadores.
Montezuma (which happens to be Mo-C-tezuma!!).
El Seņor Gato (as Sylvester is commonly known by mexican mice).
And Of course the "Sorb-Capra aegagrus hircus" commonly known as the Chupacabras.
Reply