Facebook Games: Six Flags Mascot Park

by Nicole Tanner - IGN.com | 23 June 2010 12:00
 
Players will be able to purchase or win discounts to Six Flags parks.
 
Last month, Six Flags announced it would be expanding its brand into the realm of Facebook games with Six Flags Mascot Park. The game is set to launch on June 28, and we got a sneak peek at the game today.
 
Mascot Park is refreshingly different from most other Facebook games, simply in its willingness to push past the boundaries of the uber-sanitary, safe for all ages content that dominates the space. Mascot Park contains violence and blood, though it's all cartoony (think Happy Tree Friends) and flips the standard of always being nice to your friends on its head.

What Is It? Six Flags Mascot Park has a few different components. The main part of the game is creating an avatar and "putting on a show" for your friends, who can then interact with it. The other components are a couple of mini-games, including a light, side-scrolling platformer and a cannonball launcher.
 
How to Play Players start the game by creating a customized goofy animal mascot avatar. The animal options range from monkeys to dogs to rhinoceri. Once created the mascot appears in the player's "star trailer," which is essentially a home that can also be customized and decorated with items.
 
From there, it's show time. Players set up everything for their show by picking a venue, stage props, and dance moves for their avatars. As they progress through the game, new venues, props and moves are unlocked, including themed sets that give players a bonus when they're all used together.

Once everything is in place, the player activates the show. While the show is going on, the player can't do anything within it, but their friends can. Friends can come into the show and hurl all manner of objects at the mascot, including old women with walkers and sumo wrestlers. They can also use weapons to cut off limbs, complete with spurting cartoon blood. For those who are uncomfortable sabotaging their friends, they can provide positive enhancements such as fireworks.
 
Once the show is over, the player is awarded a score of fame points, based on a number of factors, including length of the show, props used, and fans. The fame points basically serve as experience, enabling the player to level up and unlock new venues and items.
 
The mini-games come in to give players something else to do while their shows are in progress. Cannonball Chaos has players launching their mascot from a cannon, with the goal of sending them flying as far as possible. During their flight, they can pick up bonuses and bounce off obstacles like roller coasters.

Mascot Melee is a platformer where players are attempting to collect the heads of their friends' mascots. They can use all manner of weapons to knock the heads off their friends, including hammers and a gun that shoots bunnies. They can navigate the levels by jumping on trampolines or grabbing onto a roller coaster for a ride to a higher platform. But, there are obstacles as well, such as cotton candy, which will slow you down, and disco balls that will make you stop and dance. Objects in the environment are also destructible, letting the player smash hot dog carts and cotton candy stands. From what we saw, Mascot Melee looks to be an intriguing game all on its own.
 
Players will be limited in the number of bonuses they can collect in the mini-games every day. After they hit that limit, they can still play; they just won't earn anything.
 
And speaking of bonuses, the game is designed to be both a revenue generator and marketing tool for Six Flags, so players will be able to win or purchase discount tickets or other coupons that can be used at the actual theme parks.
 
Mascot Park has certainly grabbed our attention. It will be interesting to see how the Facebook crowd responds to the violence and sabotage aspects of the game, but in a world of clones, Mascot Park stands out as truly unique.
 
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