Under the Skin – PS2 – Review

I once knew a fellow from
Manchester, England who relished in pulling off office pranks.  His pranks
ranged from the very tame (whoopee cushions) to the more excessive (exploding
cigars) but it was the act of planning and the execution that made pranks such a
joy for him.  Yet after awhile those same pranks began to wear thin and, after
the twentieth whoopee cushion, no one was laughing at the sound of fake
flatulence anymore.  Capcom’s Under the Skin is a game about a mischievous alien
with a fondness for playing pranks on humans.  It’s a unique game indeed but
will the pranks get as old as my old co-worker’s whoopee cushion?

Under the Skin doesn’t
have much of a story, really.  The game revolves around Cosmi, an alien from
Mischief Planet who is going through a right of passage only the three year olds
of his planet must go through: cause mischief in other planets.  An unfortunate
accident sends Cosmi to planet Earth, a planet he knows is filled with barbaric
life forms that might make pulling off pranks quite dangerous.  From the
metropolis that is Coco Town to the T-Virus infected streets of Raccoon City,
Cosmi must cause mayhem while attempting to beat other rivals from his planet
attempting to do the same.

Cosmi’s method of pulling
off pranks on the humans is interesting.  In order to cause the sort of mass
mayhem that will get him recognition back home, the little diapered alien must
disguise himself in order to walk among the humans.  With a Scan gun in hand,
Cosmi can choose any human that comes within scanning range and then stand
underneath the rays of a UFO to transform into said scanned human.  Each human
has a number of items Cosmi can use against pedestrians and this is the heart of
the game. 

The pranks are plentiful
but depending on the level, you’ll see the same pranks in a given level over and
over again.  You’ll have tacks the disguised Cosmi can toss so pedestrians can
step on them.  There’s a karaoke machine you can use to intentionally sing so
bad that anyone standing next to you will suffer physical pain (their heads
inflate like balloons).  There are some Loony Tunes-inspired pranks such as a
pie to the face or even an extending arm with a boxing glove at the end.  The
most unique pranks are the ones you don’t see quite often like sending a giant
hamburger down on people or calling up a herd of angry elephants.  You’ll even
electrify people.

Each human disguise has a
set number of prank items so when the human disguise runs out of items you can
scan another human and take his or her form to continue the prank-fest.  Still,
the game isn’t only about the pranks, there’s collecting to do.  Each level has
a main objective, which in the majority of levels involves collecting coins
before your opponent does.  One level has you attempting to get five hundred
coins before Becky–another alien–collects five hundred.  Another level has you
attempting to take away your opponent’s coins while making sure you don’t loose
your own. 

The levels themselves
(eight in total) have a variety of different people that up the challenge just a
little bit.  For example, in High Stakes Hills you’ll find some pick pockets
while in Frontiersville the local law will be hounding you every step of the
way.  The game has a Panic Meter that when it reaches an all time high; the game
goes into Panic Time.  In Coco Town, Panic Time makes traffic so deadly that
even pedestrians get flattened by the speeding cars.  In one of the best
levels–set in Resident Evil’s Raccoon City–the Nemesis (from Resident Evil 3:
Nemesis) will go into a blinding rage that even RE heroes Jill Valentine and
Carlos Oliveira can’t stop it.

Cosmi also has to put up
with angry civilians and police officers that when they hit him his disguised
form is seen in his or her underwear.  If he gets hit again, Cosmi drops a large
percentage of the coins he had collected and he reverts back into his alien
form.  Then you have to go back and collect all the coins you lost by pulling
more pranks once again.  It’s a pain but it adds to the challenge.
Unfortunately, this is not the only annoyance in Under the Skin.  The pranks do
get tiresome and pulling them off continuously becomes more of a chore than
entertaining.

Visually, the game is cel-shaded
like Space Channel 5 or Jet Set Radio.  It’s a distinct look that gives the game
its personality.  The characters moving about their business look wild and
engaging so choosing your next disguise becomes pretty fun.  It’s also
impressive to see so many characters on screen at once.  Unfortunately, the
environments lack detail and the same sharpness the game’s characters possess.

As for the sound, the
music is as unusual as the game’s visuals but that’s a good thing since it
matches the game’s action.  The sound effects, though, win big points with the
sounds of the pranks being unleashed on humans turning out to be quite funny.
There’s some voice acting, particularly from your mentor, Master Itazura, as
well as human news anchorwoman Annie Campbell.  The voice work is good but
nothing really out of the ordinary.

Unfortunately, Under the
Skin becomes a lesson in repetitiveness despite its interesting concept.
Wrecking havoc and pulling off pranks can be fun but having tossed the tenth pie
or threw the seventh collection of tacks you’ll see that even that can become
tiresome.  If you’re looking for something unique and interesting rent this
game. 

#Review Scoring Details for UNDER THE SKIN

Gameplay: 6.0
Each level has its own objective and
opponent you must beat but–as far as adding more things to your plate to spice
thing up–the levels never stray far from the same
collect-more-coins-than-rival-X formula.  The controls work fine enough when it
comes to scanning, transforming and selecting prank items. 

Graphics: 7.5
The cel-shading is a pleasant and
unique look for the game.  The streets are filled with dozens of imaginative
characters and watching Cosmi transform into one of them is great.  The
environments, however, look a bit on the plain side.

Sound: 7.5
The music certainly does a great job
of accompanying the madcap events that transpire in each level and, oddly
enough, the music never gets on your nerves.  As for the voice work, it won’t
fail to put a smile on your face.  I can listen to people getting comically
electrified all day.

Difficulty: Medium
Collecting coins before the timer
runs out might sound simple enough and it is . . . until Cosmi’s rival knocks
you flat using a prank.  The biggest challenge comes from those levels that have
you attempting to take coins away from your rival.  Panic Time also makes things
a bit more challenging.

Concept: 5.5
Cosmi relishes the act of pulling
off pranks and taking the form of any Earthling that comes across him.  It’s
also fun to look through the inventory filled with various pranks items but
using them in every mission will get old fast.  Each level has its own appealing
qualities and objectives. The Resident Evil-inspired level, though, is great.

Multiplayer: 6.0
At least multiplayer adds a little
more excitement . . . but not by very much.  You can play against a friend
taking up the role of the secondary character Cosmi competes against in VS
Mode.  The mode is played split-screen style.

Overall: 6.0
Under the Skin could have been one
of those wonderfully unique rarities that very seldom show up but, while the
game is indeed quite rare, its repetitive gameplay quickly wears out its
welcome.  This is too bad really, since the game looks nicely unusual and some
of the levels can actually be fun.