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There was a moment while playing Sheep, Dog ‘N’ Wolf that I realized that I was playing something special. The objective was clear - I had to get another hapless sheep to the goal area using a catapult. Nearby was a rock that had a sheep painted on the side, and it become clear that I needed to use it to get the sheep onto the pad so I could adjust the firing mechanism. While the puzzle itself isn’t that special, it’s the fact that I was actually using cartoon physics to achieve the goal. The game puts forth such a convincing feeling of being in a cartoon that you find yourself believing every second of it. In fact, special moments litter the adventure that is Sheep, Dog ‘N’ Wolf (AKA the unfortunately titled Sheep Raider). Another example: you (as Wile E. Coyote’s luckless cousin Ralph Wolf) start the game by chasing Road Runner. You’re running wildly towards the blue target (and giving the PlayStation a chance to show off a damn cool perspective change effect that hasn’t been seen by these eyes before) when he races into a tunnel. You give chase, only to hit a brick wall that has a tunnel painted on it. It’s so funny and true to the Looney Tunes spirit that you just don’t care about losing the level.
There’s more to the game than just amusing side-moments, of course. While there were only eight cartoons that featured Ralph’s continual attempts to steal sheep from the vigilant Sam, the concept’s potential has provided plenty of PlayStation-related laughter and good times. Sheep, Dog and Wolf is about stealth. It’s about logistical puzzles. It’s about exploration without getting lost or bored. It’s about constantly changing and challenging gameplay that uses the cartoon’s framework to full effect. In short, it’s about fun. Well, at least it was until that rotten bastard known as level 10. After long hours spent hiding in shadows, moving ice blocks, dressing up as a sheep and generally living the fun life of a hungry wolf at a walking sheep smorgasboard, the game presents one of the most annoying, difficult, illogical and just plain un-fun boss characters ever to disgrace a videogame. presents one of the most annoying, difficult, illogical and just plain un-fun boss characters ever to disgrace a videogame. Why on Earth, in a game about thinking before you make any move, is a completely illogical and overly difficult boss creature thrown in? Thanks for completely ruining this potentially classic game with a boss creature encounter that is about as much fun as watching Providence, Infogrames Lyon House. So, in summation: Sheep, Dog and Wolf is one of the best PSone games to hit the shelves in a while, and if it wasn’t for the virtually unclimable spike in the difficulty curve halfway through it would easily rank as among the best PSone games ever made. If you have access to a cheat device and can skip that section, you’ll be in for a treat. Everyone who plays by the rules is going to be smacked down like Porky Pig at the local abattoir.
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