Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem Review for Nintendo DS

System: DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Way Forward Technologies	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: D3Publisher of America	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: July 6, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

The end result is, predictably enough, just not very fun. Nobody wants to be a master over unthinking drones who will throw their lives away without a second thought (unless you’re a politician, of course). Gamers tend to like controlling powerful units who are competent, have room for improvement, and can develop over time. As such, Despicable Me is not even an unsuccessful attempt at developing a good idea, but is more of a sorry attempt at developing something that had little promise from the very moment it was conceived on paper.

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem screenshot

Graphically, Despicable Me is adequate. Each of the different minions has a unique look, but the environments are all sterile and filled with anonymous enemies who leave no lasting impression. I can’t recall what a single enemy actually looked like, despite the fact that I encountered many dozens of them. Strangely enough though, some of the music was almost interesting. A few tracks even reminded me of dumbed-down, simplified versions of the soundtrack for Earthbound (or Mother 2). Not as memorable or endearing, but pleasantly reminiscent nonetheless.

The Nintendo DS is home to many quality titles, but it’s also plagued by store shelves stocked with endless schlockware with bright, colorful appearances that lend themselves to impulse purchases made by an uninformed audience. Despicable Me will, unfortunately, move quite a few copies since it’s based on a film that sold many, many tickets. For those of you who are informed and read reviews before you spend your dollars, I implore you: If you want to play a fun puzzle game for the DS, then try Puzzle Quest 2, or the older Puzzle Quest: Galactrix instead. Both are incredibly unique, engaging, memorable, challenging, and difficult to put down. Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem is none of those things.

By Kyle B. Stiff
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

1.4

Graphics
This game has a simplistic, unimaginative look that feels derivative of other simple and unimaginative games.

2.0

Control
While the entire hook of the game is that you cannot directly control your minions, it makes it no less infuriating as your forces display complete ineptitude and unwillingness to survive.

2.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Occasionally interesting bits in the soundtrack do little to redeem a largely repetitive, uninspired sound. Turn down the volume and play your own music.

1.6

Play Value
Forty stages feel more like four hundred due to slogging painfully from one to another.

1.5

Overall Rating - Avoid
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Send a wide variety of minions on forty dangerous and puzzling missions exclusive to the Nintendo DS.

Assault puzzle-fortresses with shrink rays, freeze rays, web guns, and other despicable weapons.

Fly as either Gru or Vector in exciting multiplayer games as you participate in dogfights, fortress defense, minion collection, and more.