Take a trip to your local
library or bookstore and you’ll eventually come across the pre-teen section and
the name Alex Rider. While Harry Potter rules Hogwarts, Alex Rider rules MI6 as
a more tech-savvy and thus much cooler teenage version of James Bond. Brought to
life in a series of books by author Anthony Horowitz and now a recent UK film
starring Mickey Rourke and Alicia Silverstone, Alex Rider: Stormbreaker
finds himself on the Nintendo DS as an action/stealth game. Unfortunately,
thanks to bad game design, this is one spy thriller that will make you want to
turn off your DS and re-read the book instead.
Stormbreaker
is an interesting story … although you wouldn’t know it if you followed the
story via the cut scenes that are composed of the film’s screenshots and the
chopped up dialogue. We barely grasp an understanding of how a young British kid
is bamboozled into joining MI6 (the UK’s version of our CIA) and becoming a teen
spy infiltrating a media mogul’s empire. Then again, if they threatened to
deport my hot American nanny, I’d go through the grueling training and risk my
life for Queen and country too.
The story does follow the
main plot points of the film. Alex’s uncle is killed in the line of duty and
Alex soon discovers that his uncle was really an MI6 agent and not an investment
banker. He soon becomes mixed up in a plot to uncover the secret agenda behind
billionaire Darrius Sayle’s intentions to distribute his new Stormbreaker
computer to every school in the UK. What exactly does the Stormbreaker do and
why will people kill to make sure it reaches every school? Alex must uncover
these things through a number of short missions.
Yes, that’s right, the
game is short. You start off by playing as Ian Rider, Alex’s uncle, who
introduces the game’s stealth elements as well as combat. It also shows the
game’s biggest flaws, which, in this case, is pretty much everything. We’ll
start with the stealth because this is a spy game. You can creep along the map
and you can run (although you do lose stamina for running) but either way you do
it, somehow the enemy somehow finds you. When you do successfully sneak up on a
bad guy you can unleash some surprise attacks but be warned when I say that
there is no real lock-on. You will be punching and kicking at nothing most times
and thus killing the element of surprise. When you are locked in combat (which
is often), you will find that there is no variety to the punches or kicks or
even the combos. Sure Alex can upgrade his skills but the result is pulling off
the same moves every time.
A part of being a spy is
the cool gadgets and Alex certainly gets those in the book but in the game, you
are given a modified version of the Nintendo DS. You can use it as a map but you
can also use your DS to call for help, unleash a smoke screen or locate enemies
and goodies. Unfortunately, the DS touch screen is hardly used, unless you count
the few mini-games that use it. For instance, at one point you’re rappelling
down a wall, carefully attempting to avoid the enemy’s spotlight or a guard who
is poking his head out of the window. You use the touch screen to swing Alex
down or up. In another part, Darrius Sayle challenges you to a game of Snooker
(a British version of pool). You can move the cue with the directional pad but
if you want to break you have to use the touch screen.
Speaking of mini-games,
this should have been the one element of the game we could have really looked
forward to but it just isn’t any good either. There are moments when you take
control of vehicles and much like the character movements they are still and
annoying. Take, for example, an early mission as Ian Rider who hops on a
motorcycle to make his escape. You will be chased by goons, only the real
obstacle here is wondering how you managed to hit that barrier when you clearly
moved out of the way seconds before reaching it. Even the collectible items
aren’t fun to collect (zit cream?).
As for the game’s
graphics, Stormbreaker isn’t the prettiest Nintendo DS game you will
play. There are moments when the environments actually do look good but then
again there are times when they seem rather dull. The character models are
hideous and their movements are far from natural. There are cut scenes that use
stills from the movie but they hardly convey any emotion. As for the game’s
sound, the music that repeats often throughout the game isn’t awful at least.
It’s just too bad there aren’t any sound effects that stand out in the game.
In the end, Alex Rider:
Stormbreaker for the Nintendo DS just isn’t a very good action game nor will
it make a fan out of you if you like a good dose of stealth along with it. With
unappealing graphics, awful controls and missions that just aren’t any fun at
all, this is a game you might want to skip if you like the novels or the movie.
Sorry, THQ but this just isn’t the Alex Rider adventure fans or any gamer will
like.
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Gameplay: 3.5
Whether you’re sneaking through a
mansion or on field training, the stealth and action parts are handled poorly in
the game. Expect a frustrating beat ‘um up with stealth elements that will not
fail to make you roll your eyes. Worse yet, the mini-games aren’t fun at all.
Graphics: 4.0
Visually, Stormbreaker is an
eyesore in many aspects and not a bad-looking game either. The character models
look crude but at least some of the backgrounds look somewhat decent. There are
screenshots from the movie used to advance the story but other then that there
isn’t much here to please the eye.
Sound: 4.0
The game’s music is repetitive but
at least it isn’t bad or annoying. There isn’t much in terms of voice acting so
don’t expect clips from the movie. Even the sound effects are minimal in this
game.
Difficulty: Medium
For the most part the game is fairly
easy and getting past a room filled with armed guards isn’t anything to worry
about in this game. The problem is that when it comes to punches and kicks, Alex
is more likely to kick and punch the air instead of hitting the guy right in
front of him.
Concept: 4.0
It’s a game based on the Anthony
Horowitz books and the recent Stormbreaker movie out in theaters now. The
Nintendo DS touch screen is not used creatively in the game but at least there
are many collectibles. Sadly, the majority of the mini-games aren’t worth
playing again even if you do like Snooker.
Overall: 3.9
Whether it was meant to be a stealth
game with action elements or an action game with stealth elements, Alex
Rider: Stormbreaker for the DS just doesn’t do either one right. It’s a
flawed game that had the potential of being a refreshingly youthful take on the
action/spy genre made perfectly to take with you on the go. Sadly, with all the
game’s flaws I wouldn’t consider even mentioning this game to fans of the book
or the movie.
