Ok, I’m not
really being fair, there is always a preconceived notion that movie tie-in games
stink. And, well, that is a pretty good assumption since most of the time movie
tie-in games
do
stink. Well, this is a fairly straight up scenario, kids’ movie expected to do
big business is given the go-ahead to use that license and pump out a video game
that may or may not follow the plot of the movie. In this case, the game is
pretty much crammed into a sort of side scrolling adventure that touches on
parts of the movie.
And in that
movie our heroes are the monsters, secretly kept by the government, the monsters
featuring Dr. Cockroach, The Missing Link, Insectosaurus, Bob the Blob and
Ginormica are asked to stop an alien threat that conventional warfare cannot
stop. Now the game plays out in a somewhat uninspired and repetitive fashion.
The Missing Link (think creature from the black lagoon) and Bob both jump and
can stick to walls. Bob, however, is more stealth oriented and Link is more
geared toward
fighting as he can attack enemies. Dr. Cockroach’s levels are essentially puzzle
levels while Ginormica skates around using cars as roller skates. Lastly the
giant Insectosaurus portion is a slugfest straight out of a Godzilla movie (only
not as much fun).
"Meet
the team needed to save the world."
Having a few
different forms of gameplay helps break the monotony, but to any seasoned gamer,
this is merely a Bandaid on a gashing wound. You see, none of the levels are
particularly engaging or creative. We have all played games like this only in
better titles. Yes, I realize that the game’s target audience probably will not
care, but it still bears repeating. Interestingly enough, both of my sons are
really enjoying this title so that does say something to the developers’ ability
to pull in the core audience.
So with all
this excitement (sarcasm), how does the game look? Well, I’m glad you asked, the
game has a certain flair to it that may appeal to younger gamers. It is, after all,
based on a cartoon and has a certain cartoon look going for it. The cut scenes
really hammer that fact home as your child will scream in delight as the sight
of their favorite character comes on screen. But the in-game models do lose that
special something. The A.I. in the game is pretty much worthless and my boys, who
have more games than should be allowed by law, have had nary a difficult time
with them.
"Yup,
just as good looking as the cartoon."
Almost all
of the voices from the movie make their appearance here in the game. Will Arnett
and Seth Rogan are pretty funny and will elicit some chuckles from even the
most jaded gamer. Sound effects are a little light for this game especially
considering the game has you knocking down skyscrapers at one point.
But again,
for all the things I found irritating or disappointing, my kids could have cared
less, the gameplay was simple enough for my five-year old to engage and kept
them both playing for quite a while. I need to remember that the game is
targeted at children who do not get so caught up in bit-mapping and textures,
just the pure enjoyment of it all, so that made me think more about my review.
And then
finally, the game is really quite short. If you have seen the movie, then you
may be tempted to get it for your kids, but it can be beaten in about the same
amount of time it takes to watch the movie.
|
|
Gameplay: 6.0
Five
different monsters, eerily played the same way sometimes. Nothing really awesome
about the gameplay, but ample enough controls for any child to get.
Graphics: 5.4
It’s grainy
and can seem a bit dated at times and then occasionally it looks decent. So the
graphics are flaky.
Sound: 6.7
It only gets
props because most of the original cast managed to be in it.
Difficulty: Easy for adults, easy for kids
Concept: 5.0
Here we have
a game based on a family movie, totally original. The game does take some
liberties with the established movie.
Overall: 5.3
It has some
fun in it for the young ones, but they will tire of it if they haven’t already
beaten it.
