Intro

Developer: Minds Eye
Publisher: Empire Interactive
Sheep official page: http://www.saveoursheep.com/

Wth?

After recently being acquired by www.FamilyWonder.com, our content is slowly phasing over to a more family oriented format. Future reviews will consist of such critically acclaimed games as Freddi Fish's One Stop Fun Shop and Mary-Kate and Ashley's Dance Party of the Century. This may pose as a hurdle to some of our readers, but we feel that the new FiringSquad (possibly FamilySquad) will fill that niche market of users who want reviews of computer hardware as well as children's games. Making FiringSquad the most powerful gaming site - ever.

To kick off this new lineup, we are reviewing Sheep. To those who are new to the family gaming scene, Sheep are fluffy little animals with four legs, fairly rare in games where the term gib is used. Sheep plunks itself into the puzzle gaming genre. The goal of the game is to herd sheep into cars, buildings and other assorted objects. You ask, " Where is the puzzle in that? Where is the intrigue? Most of all, when does something get crushed?" Well, read on my friends.

Sheep! Sheep!

Horns!

Since this is our first review of a family game, we will try to cater to both crowds that are visiting in the interim period. Worry not if we switch between our usual banter and that of an organization that actually cares about its constituents.

Story

Sheep may seem deceivingly simple, but under the shallow covers of this game lays the seamy underbelly of something that is indeed as superficial as it looks! It all starts out nice enough with sheep grazing lawns; then the real action starts.

Tankified Sheep

Whee

We find out that humans are not the smartest creatures on earth. No it's not the hamsters that have the greatest intellect (we thought that at first too), but given the title of the game, sheep are actually the smartest living creatures on the planet. To top it off, these ultra intelligent sheep aren't even from earth. These sheep came from another planet on a mission of exploration and observation. However, in the many years the sheep spent on earth, their intelligence slowly dwindled. Their I.Q. dropped until the point where the only thing they could do was, well… be sheep. Living their life of slothful cowardliness, grazing and shaving, the once mighty sheep soon existed under the iron fist of man.

A new expedition was sent out from the home planet to check up on their sheepy brethren. Upon discovering that the present mental capacities of sheep on earth rivaled that of chowder, the interplanetary sheep decided to round up all the sheep on earth and bring them back home. Without arousing suspicion, these travelers abducted four earth natives to do the herding job for them. But the job isn't going to be easy, the herders have to watch out for the evil malk producing hench-cows of Dr. Watson as well as many other equally sadistic baddies.

Umm... splat?

Thresh! Thresh!

Hrm…

This story might put some parents on guard, most might actually let it slide, but the goat-like creature at the end of the initial video sequence has the underpinnings of what seem to be a Satanistic plot! Although this scene lasts a matter of seconds, the spiritual scars could linger for a lifetime. The scene does have some redeeming merit. It turns out you are to save these heathen sheep from pagan goats and the insidious Dr. Watson, who we can only assume to be the fallen one.

Holy holys Batman!

Once again we have a slight problem, you are a herder in the game. One could construe this as an impersonation of an incarnation of God, if not God himself! We're not too sure of the protocol for holy mimicry; we leave that to your discretion.