Aug

Review-”Code Monkeys: Season One”

Release Date: August 5, 2008
Publisher: Shout Factory
Price: $17.99 on Amazon.com
Rating: TV-14
Run Time: 300 minutes
Bonus Features: Behind the Scenes, Code Monkeys Daily Pranks, “Barfight” and “Crosswalk” Game Commercials, Gaming Tips From “Cheat!,” Original “GameAvision” Games, Downloadable Wallpapers and Posters
Genre: Animation, Comedy
Buy It on Amazon.com

As both a huge TV and video game fan I couldn’t wait to check out “Code Monkeys,” an 8-bit animated comedy set in the early days of the video game industry. While it wasn’t as good as I expected, it is still a solid adult animated comedy in the vein of “South Park.”

“Code Monkeys” revolves around the fictional video game company GameAvision, its two star programmers Dave and Jerry, and the rest of the staff at the office. Dave always causes trouble and Jerry has to fix the problems or face the consequences.

The most original aspect of the show is definitely the look. Everything is supposed to look like it came out of an 8-bit video game from the ’80s. While I personally loved the look and I suspect most everybody else will too, this obviously makes the animation below average and could turn off some viewers. If you can’t stand looking at older style cartoons, I probably wouldn’t pick up “Code Monkeys.”

Most of the humor comes from the inappropriate behavior by the staff but there are usually several jokes per episode aimed at harcorde gamers. I’m generally not a fan of the kind of humor showcased in this series but I still enjoyed “Code Monkeys” mainly due to the video game jokes.

Video is sharp and there are absolutely no problems with the audio. There are a solid amount of extras included in the package. The behind the scenes extra (featuring series creator Adam de la Pena) is probably the best but the GameAvision games are also amusing.

“Code Monkeys” is obviously meant for gamers and most should get a lot of enjoyment out of the series. However, people who like adult animated comedies like “South Park” should also give the show a try. Recommended.