This Week's Waste of Time

OK. I give. I'll make the faux-Nintendo Great Gatsby video game This Week's Waste of Time. And despite all the hype surrounding it, the presentation and execution are spot on even if plot accuracy is lacking (read, completely nonexistent).

Accompanied by a note-perfect soundtrack that translates flapper anthems to the 8-bit music palette, the Mario-esque Nick Carraway runs and jumps and collects coins, gold hats, drinks. What could be more fun than controlling everyone's favorite inhabitant of West Egg as he brandishes his lethal boomerang hat and mows down butlers, hobos, and crabs with impunity. That was always my favorite part of the book anyway.

The four levels of largely uninspired play is more than salvaged by the dialog, cut-scenes, and bosses. One particularly tough battle pits you against the wildly symbolic eyeglasses, now with lasers. The interstitial scenes after every level lay on the drama thick even if they make little to no sense without remembering your high school English classes.

The highlight of the The Great Gatsby for NES is possibly not even the game itself but the website that gives a fake backstory to the fictional game (yes, pun intended). The anime-style ad and instruction booklet are laughably realistic. The mythical game is allegedly found at a yard sale and discovered to be an unreleased Japanese cartridge called Doki Doki Toshokan: Gatsby no Monogatari, which roughly translates to The Great Gatsby ... I guess.

To the kids hoping that playing this game will suffice for the pop quiz on Monday, watch the movie.