Gaming has moved on a great deal since the Playstation 2 and original Xbox, but developers Heavy Iron Studios may not have been told as their Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse feels like its 2005. You control Stewie and Brian as they come up against one of Stewie's arch foes, Bertram. Bertram has invented his own Multiverse device and is using it to jump from place to place recruiting an invincible army. The baby and the dog must follow in his footsteps undermining his plans and saving their own Universe from destruction.
If you are a fan of Family Guy you should be well aware of the tone the game is likely to take – and it does. The Multiverses include ones; populated by disabled people you can kill, sorority girls to impress, or Santa to exterminate. The game is very reminiscent of Fur Fighters: Viggo's Revenge, a third person shooter with cell shaded graphics. Stewie and Brian waddle around a series of sandbox areas (with linear progression) and shoot things. Each character has a different set of guns; Stewie’s laser is great for heat shots, buts Brian later gets a sniper rifle that is extremely useful for long range action.
Each level is set in a different location, but you soon get the feeling you are doing the same things over and over again. Level starts, shoots things, level ends. The gameplay begins to get tiresome and the repetitive nature of the game is also present in the dialogue. Brian and Stewie have a set number of things to say in each level and they may be funny the first time, but they are certainly not on the 20th. Graphically, the game is cell shaded so feels like the cartoon, but the 3D rendering of the characters is still not as impressive as it should have been.