The Three Stooges (Game)

The Three Stooges

GAME » on 1987

Amiga (Platform)Commodore 64 (Platform)Game Boy Advance (Platform)Mac (Platform)Nintendo Entertainment System (Platform)PC (Platform)PlayStation (Platform)

A "Cinemaware Interactive Movie" based on the classic slapstick comedy act of the same name, featuring various mini-games based on the trio's more well-known film scenes.

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Overview

The Three Stooges, also known as Cinemaware presents The Three Stooges, is a comedic mini-game collection developed by Cinemaware (Company) (along with Incredible Technologies) and published by Cinemaware for the Amiga (Platform), Commodore 64 (Platform), Apple IIgs (Platform), and DOS PCs in 1987-1989.

Based on the 20th-century three-man slapstick comedy act of the same name, The Three Stooges puts players as the eponymous trio (Moe, Larry, and Curly) as they try to scrounge enough money to save an orphanage from being bought out by a greedy banker.

The overall game involves players moving the trio to different locations each day, based on carefully stopping a roulette of six random choices (with the possibility for chance encounters and penalties), and attempt to earn as much money as they can within 30 in-game days (with different endings based on how much they've earned). Most of these locations have events which involve doing a variety of odd jobs based on their most well-known film scenes, although the game also includes trivia questions based on the trio.

It also received a Nintendo Entertainment System (Platform) release in 1989, developed by Beam Software (Company) and published by Activision (Company). The original Amiga version later received two ports published by Metro3D over a decade later, one for the Game Boy Advance (Platform) on March 31, 2002 (developed by Crawfish Interactive (Company)) and one for the PlayStation (Platform) on February 7, 2004 (developed by Flying Tiger Development).

The game later received a "Digitally Remastered Edition" release, ported by Oxygen Media and published by Blackstar for the PC (Platform) and Mac (Platform) in 2002. Recreated in Macromedia Flash, this version features new hand-drawn cartoon graphics.

Gameplay

Levels are based on classic slapstick comedy

The Three Stooges is made up of several minigames that put the player in control of classic Stooge moments. The game covers several genres of gameplay with action, platform and trivia levels. The Stooges have thirty days to make enough money to save the orphanage and on each day the player takes on a randomly chosen minigame. Levels may have the Stooges going through grocery stores and hospitals causing havoc, working in restaurants, or retrieving a violin to play Curly's "Pop Goes the Weasel". Other games involve answering Three Stooges trivia. There are also "negative" levels that will involve paying the banker taxes or bills.

There are several endings to the game depending on the amount of money made. The failed ending will have the banker taking the orphanage, but the rest are different win scenarios.

Events

There are four playable action-oriented mini-games:

Boxing is based on the climax in the short film Punch Drunks, where Larry scrambles to secure a radio (broadcasting the tune Pop Goes the Weasel) in order to revitalize Curly in his boxing match. This mini-game is presented as a fast-paced belt-scroller where Larry must dodge and jump over random obstacles.
Cracker involves Curly in a contest where he must eat crackers in an oyster stew before live clams in the stew take them first. Controls involve moving the spoon around (like a cursor) and tapping the button to scoop. It is loosely based a skit in the short film Dutiful But Dumb.
Doctors has the Stooges making their way as surgeons to the operating room as fast as they can (in karts) while collecting supplies and avoiding gurneys and patients. It is loosely based on a skit in the short film Men in Black. The PS1 and GBA versions have an alternate variant of this set in a grocery store.
Waiters has the Stooges serving pies as caterers to guests (by throwing it at them), all while dodging retaliating pie tosses. Controls involve using the D-Pad to choose which Stooge to either throw a pie (by holding the button before tapping a direction) or duck behind the table (by tapping a direction). It is loosely based on a running gag of pie fights in the short films, such as that from Half-Wits Holiday. The PS1 and GBA versions have an alternate variant of this where the Stooges serve pizzas instead.

In addition, the game includes a trivia mini-game based on the trio, where each question has three choices (representing each of the Stooges).

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