Ok, before I
get going with this, I have always been one of those kinda “iffy” people when it
comes to any games based on movies or TV shows as many of my past reviews have
shown. On a non-personal note, it also seems like much of the world agrees with
me on that and history has repeatedly shown that most movie or TV show games are
average at best. Cartoon Network has multiple popular shows, and we’ve seen
titles from just about all of them hit store shelves. Well, here we are again,
with another game based on the popular “Ed, Edd, and Eddy” show based around
three cul-de-sac kids constantly looking for ways to scam money and candy off
their buddies, and while the TV show can be mildly entertaining, unfortunately
the new “Scam of the Century” DS game is not.
In Scam, the
three Eds have had their book of scams stolen, and the other kids in the
cul-de-sac are ticked off and looking to stomp a mudhole in them, so the three
friends split up and head off in their own different directions, consisting of
four different levels to play through platformer style with all three
individually. Each one has his own unique attack, like Ed spitting gumwads and
Eddy headbutting things, and enemies can be taken out by either using one of
these attacks, or in the case of the gum, stopping them and them jumping on them
to get rid of them. They also have a “special” attack that is activated by
tapping on their stomachs like burping or sneezing. Along the way, there’s also
stuff to collect like records or Eddy’s pet cheese, and items like hot sauce to
boost up a special attack meter or marshmallows to regain health.
Well, I really
don’t know what to really jump into and say positive that was done with Scam.
The platformer style controls have all been done multiple times before, but the
game is so annoying both in gameplay and sound that it’s not worth trying out.
Most of the game doesn’t take place in any familiar setting from the show, and
the enemies consisting of birds, dolls, spiders, etc. are tossed in ALL over the
place to constantly hit you and knock you backwards, either causing death or
going back and forth from one part to the next over and over again, like falling
through a treetop into a forest and them back to the treetops again … with all
the enemies back once more.
Each one of the
characters also will get pursued by one of the characters from the show, like Ed
being chased by Kevin or Eddy being hunted by his sister and Jimmy, but during
the stages there’s no way to actually kill them or get rid of them, so they just
relentlessly pursue you and hit you or basically do damage while you have no
defense. Add in the multiple enemies that each stage gets flooded with and
large, open platform jumping, and obviously this becomes absolutely ridiculous
after a short period of time.
Now along the
way, you will also come across quarters that you can use at the main menu to
play mini games, which was the one area that I hoped may be a saving grace to
this game, but unfortunately it’s not. The mini games are dull and uninspired,
like popping zits with the stylus or matching up various meats, and they aren’t
very challenging and after playing once I really didn’t have a desire to go back
and collect quarters to play anymore.
Overall, this
game isn’t worth the time to even consider picking up. The game is too annoying
and the ridiculous storyline mixed with completely uninspired and frustrating
level design isn’t going to provide much enjoyment past like the first 3
minutes. If you are a fan of the series, go back and watch DVR’d episodes or DVD
collections or whatever and leave this one alone.
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Gameplay: 3.5
The game is a pretty
standard platformer, but it doesn’t do much right. You can jump, attack, special
attack, and everything else you’d expect … but the execution is terrible.
Enemies are all over the place, and some you can’t get around at all, and having
to deal with annoying enemies while jumping over pits or falling into a lower
area and going back up over and over and over again makes you want to throw the
game across the room.
Graphics: 5.5
The graphics and
animation to the game is true to the TV series with weird movements and a shaky
kind of presentation, but the levels look like something circa early 90’s.
Repetitive areas abound throughout the game, and there were even spots that
caused you to fall since they were only a slightly lighter shade than one you
could stand on which led you to believe they were OK.
Sound: 4.0
Honestly, this was
the worst game music I have ever had to sit through since the same jazzy style
track looped over and over again and never changed (even though all three have
their own one). The rest of the sound effects weren’t anything nifty, and I even
got yelled at to turn it down due to the annoyance of the blooping jump noises.
Difficulty: Hard
Well, I think I
covered this area, but it’s just way too frustrating to deal with. Kids who like
the show will probably quit watching after fooling with this game
Concept: 3.7
Scam seemed to me
like a quick attempt to turn a buck, much like the kids on the show always try
to do. There was nothing original here, and the repetitious gameplay wasn’t even
done to decent standards. The mini games sounded unique, but they were rip offs
of other games already done 1,000 times before and weren’t challenging.
Overall: 3.4
Leave this one alone
… you’ll thank me. Even if you like the show, it’s annoying and the aggravating
execution along with the boring story and level design won’t provide much more
than MAYBE a couple of minutes of fun. Stick to watching it on TV, and hope that
if they do yet another one, they come up with something a little better.
