The
Incredibles are back! Though we may never get the sequel we desire (Disney has
the legal right to make it, but Pixar is unlikely to have anything to do with
it), the games are going to keep on coming.
Up next is
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, the DS adaptation of the console
button-masher released earlier this fall. The Nintendo DS is capable of
running 3D games, but why do a straight port when you could create a different
game that uses the same characters, same scenarios, and is just as repetitive?
"You tricked me! You said repetitive!" Yes gamers, I do that sometimes. I suck
players in, enticing them with the promise of good gaming, and then crush
their dreams with the cold reality of rehashed gameplay. Actually, that’s what
movie-based games often do.
Rise of the
Underminer is not to be underestimated. There are elements here that gamers
will like, whether a fan of the movie or merely someone in search of an
exciting action game. The powerhouse Mr. Incredible and ice-creating Frozone
are the stars of this adventure. They used to fight crime and save lives like
it was nobody’s business. Fear and lawsuits shut them down; a crazy villain
brought them out of hiding and back into action.
At the end
of their big-screen adventure, a new threat appeared that set the stage for a
sequel. Not a movie sequel unfortunately, but it gave developers something to
work with. That villain was The Underminer, a hardhat-wearing lunatic who
loves to dig as much as a golden retriever. He’s not hiding bones though; he’s
making a secret lair! Tearing up the earth, destroying our cities, and
threatening world domination (as any good super villain does).
Mr.
Incredible and Frozone will do whatever it takes to stop The Underminer from
undermining our world. Their families could’ve helped out, but I’m willing to
bet that market research showed that if gamers could only choose between two
characters, they’d pick Mr. Incredible and Frozone. Smart thinking, but that
doesn’t stop me from wondering where Dash is (winning race competitions, I
hope).
Playing as
Mr. Incredible means having great strength. Controlling Frozone gives you an
icy edge in level navigation and object destruction. Both are necessary in
beating the game and both may be controlled at any time.
Mr.
Incredible’s strength advantage lets him lift barriers that are twice his size
and several times his weight. Players will frequently encounter various
objects that need to be removed or destroyed to progress – Mr. Incredible is
the primary character for solving these problems. Barriers that can’t be
lifted can most certainly be destroyed. Even laser beams are no match for him,
at least not in scenarios where he is able to locate the machine powering the
laser. Wow, that gray box sure looks sturdy. Let’s test its ability to
withstand immense damage. Darn, it failed our product evaluation. Mr.
Incredible has once again sent another product back to the drawing board.
Just think
of how safe our cars would be if he were in charge of testing them. SUVs would
then stand for "Super Utility Vehicles."
In other
instances you’ll need to rely on Frozone to progress. His ability to freeze
enemies is helpful in battle. However, it’s his ability to freeze platforms
that make him so cool. (Get it? He can freeze stuff and he’s cool. I know it’s
cheesy but I couldn’t resist.) Frozone’s freeze shot is two-directional; he
shoots forward or up at an angle that’s not quite 90 degrees. It wasn’t always
easy to line him up with the transparent platform (it’s see-through until it’s
frozen. Once frozen it turns solid and can be walked on).
Frozone’s
coolest ability comes straight from the movie: ice-slide. This stellar move
lets him spray a strip of ice that he can slide on to cruise over large gaps
and reach valuable items.
Enemies come
in all sizes, but they don’t differ much in shape. They look like they were
made from scrap metal and junkyard parts. That seems to be intentional, but
the fact that you fight the same few enemies repeatedly throughout the course
of the game – intentional or not that aspect doesn’t work. Has it ever? I
can’t think of a single time where I played a game and thought, "I just beat
Enemy A for the 100th time. Here comes Enemy B. Oh look, there’s Enemy A
again!"
The controls
are a little stiff, making it impossible to go from fighting one enemy to the
next without a brief pause. Mr. Incredible likes to pummel his opponents with
a three-hit combo. That’s great. But if I’m hitting one enemy and another
approached from behind, I want to stop and attack the other before I get hit.
Likewise, if I’m combo-ing an enemy and he’s about to fight back, I want to
stop my combo and escape the hit. Neither of these evasions are possible.
The story,
not surprisingly, is devoid of depth, comedy, or anything else that made the
movie great, and only takes up a few seconds of your time. Its primitive
presentation is anything but incredible: voice-less stills and generic
pictures of the three leading characters (Mr. Incredible, Frozone, and The
Underminer).
You won’t
know it until you’ve finished the game, but those items you spend time
collecting are a total waste. Health is necessary to maintain your character.
Life replacement items are also out there and add extra lives to your game.
The other items you collect add points to your point total. Correct me if I’m
wrong, but isn’t this 2005? Gamers lost interest in beating the high score
back in the 80s. Games have gotten better than that. They’re deeper and more
intelligent. The reward for beating them and for performing well should be
about something more than a number.
Which brings
me to a point I wish I didn’t have to make: Rise of the Underminer isn’t just
repetitive, it’s also very short. A few levels, a couple hundred enemies –
you’re in, you’re out, you’re done. Only one boss battle exists. The final
level. And then it’s onto the credits, back to the title screen, and back to
Blockbuster for this game. Honestly, at $30-$40 for a new DS game I expect
more than 90 minutes of sub-par entertainment.
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Gameplay: 6.0
Good at first,
flawed in the first 10 minutes, repetitive by the first 20, and boring before
the end. The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer could’ve been the rise of a
great new series. It falls flat on its face by asking the player to do the
same thing 20 times. I like to jump on platforms, freeze enemies, and punch
and kick them as much as any gamer. I don’t, however, like doing it and
only it for 90 minutes.
Graphics: 7.0
Bland, poorly
detailed characters set in a 2D world with 3D environments. The backgrounds
are fairly detailed and move in and out of the foreground to create an effect
similar to games like Klonoa and Pandemonium. The result, however, is not as
effective as either of those PSone titles.
Sound: 3.0
I hate to say it,
but The Incredibles video games are making me hate the movie soundtrack.
They’ve taken a masterpiece and butchered it with repetition and horrible
sound effects. These are some of the worst I’ve heard on a handheld this year.
Difficulty: Easy
Concept: 6.0
The developers
tried to get a little creative by cramming every function into the touch
screen. I see where they were going and I like the idea, but without a clear
indication of where to tap the stylus, there’s no point in using it. You’ll
fumble, die a few times, and go back to using the face buttons, the
tried-and-true (and anything but innovative) way of controlling a character.
Multiplayer: 5.0
The only thing
that’s worse than playing a repetitive game by yourself is playing it with a
friend.
Overall: 6.0
The Incredibles:
Rise of the Underminer isn’t worth your attention. As a budget game I’d
consider it but still have the 90-minute conundrum and lack of replay value to
contend with. It’s one of the most repetitive games I have ever played. It is
one of the shortest DS titles available. It has its high point, but it’s
really hard to explore it when the game is too busy dishing out metallic
beasts that you’ve already beaten and puzzles that you’ve already solved.
You’ll see environments that you’ve already seen, and when the end is finally
reached, have only one measly boss battle to remember.
