Kevin VanOrd writes:
"On the surface, Tornado Outbreak seems to check off all the right Katamari-inspired boxes, but while it has its moments, the game simply can't keep up with its inspiration. The story that plays out in between stages is told by some lovely animated cutscenes, but in spite of some good voice acting, the semiserious, Saturday-morning-cartoon tone of the story diminishes the small flashes of charm the characters display. Across the board, it feels as if the game doesn't go far enough. The art design is cute, but it isn't colorful or whimsical enough to inspire campy cheer, nor is it twisted enough to make destroying a carnival feel deliciously evil."
GR:
"As of right now, the list of Xbox 360 games that people want to be playable via the Xbox One's backwards compatibility boils down to a popularity contest. 'Letting the fans decide' is one of the easiest ways to make a gigantic corporation like Microsoft feel more personable, and thousands of gamers have jumped at the chance to vote on the Xbox Feedback page for the games they'd love to see make the transition. The current frontrunners include no-brainer picks like Call of Duty, Red Dead Redemption, and Skyrim, and we've all got some personal favorites on our wishlist for Xbox 360 oddballs than can shine again on Xbox One."
The newest episode of Pixelated Radio features discussions of the Nintendo 3DS, Crysis 2, Homefront, Dragon Age II, Ōkamiden, Faery: Legends of Avalon, Tornado Outbreak, Rayman 3D, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars, Islands of Wakfu, and plenty more.
Tornado Outbreak is a surprisingly fun little budget release and a strong multi-platform debut for developer Loose Cannon Studios. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have gotten the level of promotional support from the publisher it deserved, so it's likely to have fallen off the radar of many gamers – if they even knew of its existence.
If you're a big fan of The Munchables and looking for something else along similar lines, you'll undoubtedly enjoy Tornado Outbreak. It doesn't have the same level of charm or replayability of Namco's title, but it's still certainly worth checking out.
