Do you remember Bertram, Stewie’s evil twin from a few years ago? Well, he’s back… technically. He was killed in our universe however he’s still going strong in all of the other universes which are coincidently made up of different episodes from the Family Guy series. His goal is to destroy the universe which Stewie lives in but they aren’t going to let it happen that easily as Stewie has thankfully made a multi-universe remote with a tracker so he can follow every universe Bertram visits and attempt to take him out; if only it was that easy.

If you’re a fan of the Family Guy TV series; you’ll recognise the vast majority of the settings for the lengthy levels while you fight off Bertram’s armies. As soon as you enter the Back to the Multiverse game, you’ll visit the Greek (college) frat house while helping Mort collect resources to host the best party possible to fighting off Santa’s overworked elves, eventually fighting a big bad boss at the end of each level; most taking you 30 or so minutes long but there is only ten levels in total, so don’t expect to be playing this for long.

A Family Guy game was always going to be an unknown, you had no idea how the game will play coming into it and interestingly enough; it was the complete opposite of what I was expecting. Instead of a weird platformer, you’ve got an incredibly poor third person shooter which you can unfortunately drag someone else in to play as Brian. Don’t worry though; there’s at least a reasonably large arsenal of weapons that you can vaporise your enemy oh so witty enemies with.

As you can imagine, all the enemies are people that you’ve seen in the Family Guy franchise at some point and they do love their little catch phrases which will drive you insane by the end of each level. Every time you dispose of one, they’ll drop a random chunk of money which you and your coop partner share this money and can be spent on a bunch of goodies such as new guns, costumes and character upgrades at shop portals that are dotted throughout each level.

If the normal weapons aren’t your thing, there are plenty of special weapons which can either be found in super secret hiding places or purchased for a small fee. The special throwable weapons range from the angry chicken which hatches from a golden egg and will go around beating the crap out of everything to Joe Swanson speeding around in his heavily armed wheelchair.

You’d think considering the game is based on a cartoon that it’d at least look decent, right? Well, that hasn’t happened, even the cut scenes there is always something looking horrendously wrong with someone or something. I’m a huge fan of the cell shaded style but it doesn’t change the fact no character looks quite right.

One of the few redeeming factors of Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse is the voice acting as all of the voices are (seemingly) done by the people from the show and it has the same level of dodgy one liners that the fans of the franchise have grown to love. A few extra catch phrases here and there wouldn’t go a miss as they do become just frustrating.

The lacking single player is accompanied by an even worse multiplayer that after one or two games, I don’t want to touch it again. It feels like it’s been implemented because they needed an extra bullet point for the back of the box; both competitive and cooperative modes are available for you and your friends to participate in.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Heavy Iron Studios’ Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse is now out for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, and publisher Activision has released a launch trailer for the game.

The trailer showcases some typical Family Guy humour, starring fan favourites Stewie and Brain, and a chuckle-inducing scene with Peter.

The game is a co-op game, but it also has  competitive multiplayer, and includes challenges, costumes and more.

Back to the Multiverse sees the return of Stewie’s evil half brother Bertram as well, who was killed off on the show some time ago. Bertram wants to eliminate Stewie after he learns that Stewie is planning on killing him, who “starts an adventure” with Brian.

The game’s now out for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Have a look at the video above if you plan on buying it.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for continued coverage.

The bonuses will give gamers some extra content and each one is unique depending on where you pre-order it from. Check out the options below:

– The Space Station Challenge: Play as Stewie or Chris in single player or co-op mode as they fight through one of the toughest battles they have ever seen. Choose your weapons, lock and load, then clear the space station of the scourge of alien chickens. Available from GAME and Xtravision

– Humiliation Pack: Raise the eyebrows of even your most evil foe on the battlefield with these outrageous outfits. Play as Stewie wearing just his nappy or Brian in a dazzling shade of pink. Unlock available for Story Mode, Multiplayer and Challenge Mode. Available through Amazon.co.uk.

– Evil Pack: Watch your enemies flee with these all new melee weapons. With this pack Evil Stewie wields a machete and Mayor West brandishes a petrified cat! Weapons are accessible in Story mode (Stewie only), Multiplayer and Challenge Mode. Available through HMV.

Watch out for the release of the

About Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse :

Game Overview:

Written by Family Guy talent, Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse features an all-new original narrative that is an expansion on the popular episode, “Road to the Multiverse”. It turns the outrageous world of Family Guy into an action-packed video game filled with nods to the long-running comedy. Playing as either Stewie or Brian, each with unique abilities and weapons, players will battle their favourite Family Guy characters as they advance through ‘Multiverse’ themed levels in their pursuit to battle Stewie’s evil twin, Bertram, who has returned and is hell-bent on destroying Quahog. Fans will also be able to team up in co-op multiplayer mode or compete against each other in competitive multiplayer levels – all with a Family Guy twist.

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Heavy Iron Studios

Platforms: PS3 and X360

Release Date: 23/11/2012

Stay tuned to Gamingbolt.com for more news and updates.

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse sees Brian and Stewie seemingly returning to the topsy-turvy Multiverse, which revealed different sides of the popular Family Guy characters when the episode premiered. Only now, you can also select Peter, Quagmire and other characters for some mission of some sort. Apparently this is all in an effort to stop Stewie’s evil half-brother Bertram (yes, his half-brother is the evil one). Interestingly, developer Heavy Iron Studios has added some Multiplayer Challenges to freshen things up. So hopefully they won’t just be coasting by on the property and characters alone.

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse will arrive on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on November 23rd. Mark your calendars, like right now.

About Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse :

Game Overview:

FAMILY GUY follows the adventures of endearingly ignorant dad Peter Griffin and his hilariously odd family of middle-class New Englanders – wife Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and dog Brian – in Quahog, Rhode Island. The animated series, which features the voice talents of Seth

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Heavy Iron Studios

Platforms: PS3 and X360

Release Date: To be released later this month.

Stay tuned to Gamingbolt.com for more news and updates.

Heavy Iron Studios president Matthew Seymour and his fellow co-worker, in an interview with GamesIndustry.Biz, said that the PS Vita is going to fail, saying that if people wouldn’t pay 250 bucks for a 3DS, there’s no way there’d pay 300 for the Vita.

“With all due respects to Sony and Vita, it’s a car wreck,” he said. “And how about Xperia Play? I’d love to pull up the numbers on that.”

“If people aren’t willing to pay $249 for a Nintendo 3DS why would they pay $299 for Vite?” said Lyle Hall, another Heavy Iron Studios employee. “People don’t want to carry more than one thing in their pocket, that’s why Android and iPhone have done so well, they are the devices of choice, they offers multiple functions outside of gaming.

“The technology is sweet, I’m a huge fan of mobile technology, but I just don’t know there’s a market out there anymore for the hardware. I can’t see why you would want to put a device out that only does games.

“The consumer has spoken. We wanted to see that world exist – more players, more opportunities for us, but at the same time people don’t want that. Unless there’s a super technology paradigm shift it’s not going to shift back.”

Stay tuned for more info.