In-game advertising has come a long way, because though it used to be just simple billboards placed in a game or a licensed song from a band on a specific label, things are turning to the more extreme now, so that we're seeing advertising coming first with the videogame following second. With Burger King's new line of games, exactly that is happening, but does that necessarily mean there is no fun to be had?

I like Burger King food – I don't have to be sold on it. When I make a trip it is always two singles and a strawberry shake with nothing varying unless I want a chicken nugget to go for the next day. So when I heard about the Burger King games, I bought what I needed (a Value meal) and bought the game for a cheap $3.99. Up second was Big Bumpin' a…well…I guess a bumper car collection of mini-games.

Controls are extremely simple for the game and almost non-existent: the left thumbstick moves your bumper car and the A-button boosts you for a bump. I'd usually rally against such simple controls making up an entire game, but for $3.99 the game is quite fun for what it is.

As a single player game, the bulk of your time will be spent playing in five tournaments, with only the first one being open at the beginning, with each successive one only opening up once you've finished in first in each tournament. Tournaments are made up of several different match types, including Last Man Standing (be the last car standing while doing enough damage to the other cars to destroy them or knock them out of play by hitting into pits or off the playing field), Own The Puck (touch a puck to turn it your color, netting you points for every second it is your color, while you try to keep it away or turn it back if someone changes the color), Bumpin' Hockey (typical ice hockey, but with two bumper cars on each team and obstacles in the way like the bumpers in a pinball game), Shockball (think a game of hot potato, but only with exploding bumper cars – don't be "it" or near "it" when the timer goes off), and Power Surge (reach power points to charge your car and get to the generator to net you points – every enemy dealt hit makes you lose a bit of a charge). Overall, surprising each mode was pretty fun.

The game also has a nice amount of levels for being such a cheap game, and a few of them even have environmental hazards (specifically the Last Man Standing levels), such as circular buzzsaws, fire jets that will set you on fire, ice patches that make you lose traction, and pits that mean instant death should you fall in them.

The games are also filled with powerups, such as powerups that repair your car or temporarily increases its speed, Protector (shield), Super Magnet (automatically attracts the puck towards you), Leech (reduces speed of car you touch), and Repulse (keeps enemies away from you). The powerups aren't too much to look at, but they can change the course of a game in a matter of seconds.

The game does have an interesting (to say the least) small roster of characters, featuring everyone's most scary Burger King mascot, Whopper Jr. (guy in a burger costume), Brooke Burke, and the Subservient Chicken just to name a few. You can also create your own character for use, or as I like to call it, "Tweak an already existing one." Basically, there will be about five character types, which you can insignificantly change and name, but it is one of the most lacking create-a-character modes I've ever seen in a game. The bumper cars also aren't much, because though there are some you can unlock, the only thing that really changes is the color; the cars don't even have any stats that vary from one to the next.

The game also has Xbox Live multiplayer, which should be a good thing, but I've got to plead the fifth and issue a "No Comment" on this particular nugget. You see, each time I tried to connect to Xbox Live to give the game a play to test it out, not once could I connect. Most times I couldn't even get a match to show on my screen (especially any Ranked matches). I hope this problem to be remedied, because I could see people having a pleasant time with Big Bumpin'.

The environments are nice and have a lot of lighting effects, but the camera is so pulled back from the action that you can barely make out your character and will often times get two nearby ones confused for each other. Sound work is like that of the other Burger King titles, with everything being pretty adequate, but nothing outstanding by any stretch of the imagination. Though the graphics and sound aren't so hot, what matters is that the gameplay is actually pretty fun, and if you find yourself standing in line at a Burger King and someone asks you if you want a Value meal, ask if they have Big Bumpin' and if so get that meal and buy the game – it will be money you shouldn't regret later as long as you are looking for a temporarily quick fix.

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