Nukezilla Review: Globe Clicker (XBLIG)

Alright class, settle down. It’s time to get to… Davis! What did I tell you about gum in class!? Spit it out now!

Alright, sorry about that. For today’s geography lesson, I’ve decided to do things a bit differently. Rather than just read to you from a book of maps, why don’t we play a video game? Yes, I know that “edutainment” games are generally awful, and Globe Clicker is pure edutainment. All you do is find places on a map. Why don’t we play it anyway; you might actually learn something.

The premise is quite simple; in Challenge mode, you take a look at the entire Earth and try and find certain locations. Each level of this mode has a category like large cities, capitals, or national landmarks, as well as the time of day and whether or not a country’s borders are outlined. The level can also focus on one particular continent rather than the whole globe.

From there you’re given the name of the location, its country, continent, and population. Then you use your cursor to pinpoint where you believe the exact location is. The number of locations is pretty extensive; through my many playthroughs of the game I never came across the same location. Once that’s done you’re shown where the actual location is, and are awarded points based on how close you were to being right, and how long it took you. Once you’ve found a certain number of locations you’re given a score for that level. Make enough points and you move onto the next level. If playing the rigid Challenge mode isn’t enough, you can customize the game to your liking, choosing what you’re searching for, and at what time of day.

I cannot think of a bad thing to write about this game. It’s pretty damn good as far as a geography-based educational game can be. The controls are very simple, and your instructions are laid out quite well. Plus, I’ll be damned if I didn’t come away from this knowing a little more about the world. I’d happily let my children (if I had any) play this and get an education about the globe. It has the potential of being a pretty cool learning tool.

I had a little bit of fun, even though I’m a dunce at these kinds of things. I’m not that good at geography (American school systems ftw!), and thus I felt pretty stupid most of the time I spent with this game. You’ll feel it too the first time you’re about 2,000 miles off of your chosen target. If you happen to be a geography buff, Globe Clicker isn’t the worst way to spend your time (or 240 MS points). If you’re not in the mood to learn, though, skip this simple edutainment title and have fun killing zombies and wizards like normal people.