I remember, just like anyone at my age, getting
up early on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons. One of those cartoons was
Scooby-Doo and it was always entertaining because of wacky cast of characters
and plots. Well, as I grew older my appreciation for Scooby-Doo didn’t grow with
me. With my son growing up I thought maybe he might take an interest in Scooby-Doo,
but so far this hasn’t happened. Disney characters/movies and Sesame Street rule
my house; everything else falls by the wayside.
Well, with Scooby-Doo
Unmasked for PS2 my son’s attention span lasted longer than I anticipated. He
stood and watched me play the game for a few minutes before his little brain
decided he’d seen enough. For a two-year-old that isn’t bad but for older
children Scooby-Doo Unmasked does offer a fun and entertaining platform game
that will provide hours of entertainment, not just minutes. The game doesn’t
reinvent the 3D platform genre created and polished by the likes of Sonic, Mario
and Crash. Instead it offers a fun romp based on what could have been an episode
of the cartoon.
The Mystery Inc. gang is out
to visit Fred’s cousin (wait for it……) Jed but when they arrive at the
Monstrous Fright & Magic special effects company Jed is missing. To make matters
worse a top-secret formula called Mubber is missing and Jed is considered the
prime suspect. Soon strange and unusual monsters start to appear and the gang
discovers the monsters were created with Mubber (I have to mention that when I
first heard the term Mubber I immediately thought of Flubber from the old Disney
movies). As the game develops you will uncover mysteries and plot twists right
out of the cartoon show. For fans of the show you shouldn’t be disappointed with
the story line.
The shining star of the game
goes to the graphics. The game looks greatly similar to the cartoon show. All of
characters, from Scooby-Doo to Shaggy, look fantastic. All of the stages in the
game have the classic Scooby-Doo appearance – the spooky, campy, Halloween-ish
look that was the staple of the cartoon shows. There are a wide variety of
monsters and creatures you will encounter during the game and all of them have
the same Scooby-Doo style cartoon demeanor to them. You will run into circus
strong men, clowns, flying dinosaur men and many more creatures. Once again, if
you’re a fan of the show then the look of the game will certainly please you.
The gameplay is where the
game starts to fall apart. This is a typical 3D-platform game that isn’t going
win any awards for gameplay. The basic gameplay has you controlling Scooby-Doo
as you run around eating Scooby snacks, finding clues, pieces of Mubber and food
pieces. Enemies will pop up and Scooby has a few different attacks he can use to
defend himself. The game has the typical jump from one platform or ledge to
another found in countless other platform games. The game even offers a subtle
hint system to make sure you know which way to go. Just follow the Scooby
snacks. If you see a row of Scooby snacks then you’re probably going the right
direction.
The game even ramps up the
difficulty nicely to make sure younger players don’t get frustrated when playing
the early missions. The first two stages were a piece of cake but once those
were out the way the game’s difficulty became considerably more frustrating.
Precise jumps were the name of the game and one wrong jump might have you
playing a section over again repeatedly. Thankfully the game allows you to keep
playing from the same spot if Scooby runs out of health. The amount of mindless
backtracking is eliminated due to this feature. All of the levels play out in
the exact same manner: play the stage, find the clues for the stage, have Velma
review the clues, which opens up another stage and then repeat.
The entire game only allows
you to play as Scooby, which was expected, but makes the other characters just
fillers. Shaggy is there to make his quirky remarks and cook food for Scooby.
Velma is there to figure out all the clues, Fred is just there to be Fred and
Daphne is there to get captured so Scooby can rescue her. Typical Scooby-Doo
style which plays out exactly the same for all of the stages. The game does
offer Scooby the ability to change into different costumes that give him special
abilities. The Kung Fu costume allows Scooby to pull off special karate moves
and the game will even show some of the moves in slow-motion (ala The Matrix and
countless other movies). The Bat costume allows Scooby to glide through the air
and fly short distances using air currents. The Robin Hood costume allows Scooby
to fire plungers at the enemies. Each costume is unlocked when you find a
specific costume coin but each coin has two versions, silver or gold. The coin
discovered determines which versions of the suits you can use.
Controlling Scooby-Doo was a
piece of cake but Scooby had a tendency to float after running or jumping. It
wasn’t a big problem but it took a few minutes to get adjusted. One problem with
the controls that seemed to occur at the wrong moment was jumping. Sometimes
Scooby would jump in the wrong direction or fail to perform a double jump at the
most inappropriate times.
The camera angle on occasion
would make it difficult in seeing where to go. During the majority of the game
you have full control over the camera angle but sometimes the game will switch
to a platform segment that prevents you from controlling the camera. Usually
those instances were side- scrolling areas where you wouldn’t need to adjust the
camera. Thankfully the game allows you to reset the camera angle back to the
normal view (behind Scooby) with the press of the R1 button.
Scooby-Doo Unmasked doesn’t
re-invent the 3D platform-gaming genre but is a fun-filled, if not short, game
that will make please fans of the cartoon. The graphics for the characters look
just like the cartoon but in a 3D world. The tone of the game is set up just
like an episode of the cartoon. All of the same expressions and quirkiness of
the cartoon show are included in the game. For gamers expecting a great game
that will keep you entertained for hours upon hours then Scooby-Doo probably
isn’t the game for you. The gameplay is repetitive and at times very simple and
childish. On other occasions the game will have you gritting your teeth with
frustration during certain levels. But in the end if you’re a Scooby-Doo fan
then you can overlook some of the shortcomings of the game.
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Gameplay: 7.2
I’ve mentioned early that the game follows a very simple and repetitive formula
when playing. You follow the Scooby snacks, find the clues and open up
additional levels. The platform gameplay works well enough but doesn’t offer
anything that hasn’t been done before in other games.
Graphics: 7.6
The game offers the same look and style of the cartoon show. Fans of the series
will not be disappointed in the graphics.
Sound: 7.5
All of the voice actors from the cartoon show contributed to this game which
helps in creating the tone of the game. Scooby’s phrases get a little repetitive
after a few levels but nothing too aggravating. The music in the game fits the
classic spooky tone you’ve heard in the cartoon series.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
The game starts off easy enough but after a few stages the difficult can get a
little frustrating. The frustration is due to some control issues but that still
adds to the difficulty. Younger gamers shouldn’t have any big problems playing
the game.
Concept: 7.0
Hey, it’s a Scooby-Doo game. If you’re not a fan then why have you read this far
into the review?
Overall: 7.3
If you’re looking for the newest platform game to keep you entertained until the
new Mario game finally comes out then keep waiting. For one Scooby-Doo Unmasked
falls short in achieving the crown jewel of gaming goodness but who knows how
long we’ll really be waiting for a new Mario game.
