The Last Airbender Review for Nintendo DS

System: DS, Wii	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Halfbrick Studios	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: THQ	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: June 29, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

The Last Airbender excels on a visual level as well. The game is linear, but it takes you through a variety of settings, including a ship and a town where you do your training, in a sizable 3-D world. The cutscenes look great and capture the series’ anime feel. We encountered only one hiccup: about halfway through the game, we managed to get our character stuck and had to restart the console. Thanks to the frequent checkpoints, the glitch didn’t cost us more than a minute or two.

The Last Airbender screenshot

The sound is a serious problem, however. The music seems to be going for a Zelda meets anime feel, but it’s far too hyper and gets annoying long before you’ve finished the game. The cymbals in some of the songs are especially irritating coming through the DS’s tinny-sounding speakers. The sound effects, meanwhile, are not noticeably good or bad.

The other significant problem is the game’s short length. If you’re diligent about collecting currency, you’ll have unlocked all of the special powers by the time the credits roll, so there’s not much of a reason to go back through searching for secrets. Thirty dollars for a fun five-hour experience that ties into a beloved cartoon series (and a terrible movie) isn’t a ripoff, but it’s not really a deal either. All but the most diehard fans should probably wait for this one to come down in price.

In addition, The Last Airbender won’t do much for gamers who aren’t already fans of the series. There’s not much challenge, and there’s nothing groundbreaking about the gameplay. It pales in comparison with its obvious inspiration, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. (Then again, what game doesn’t?) We doubt most non-fans will even give this title a second glance, but those who do should be wary.

For the countless children who love the series (and made their parents take them to that awful film), the game is a great way to continue the experience. The puzzles, combat, and boss fights will keep these fans occupied for a few hours, and the cutscenes tell a story they’ll want to experience. That’s a lot more than you can say for most movie games.

By Robert VerBruggen
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.3

Graphics
This title has well-done cutscenes and in-game environments.

5.0

Control
They’re more or less stolen from Phantom Hourglass, so they’re perfect.

1.4

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Annoying music and generic sound effects make up the game’s audio.

3.5

Play Value
It’s only a few hours long, but it’s fun while it lasts.

3.8

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

Game Features:

Go beyond the experience of The Last Airbender movie through environments such as underground caves and cities that are exclusive to the game.

Journey through levels of dynamic gameplay inhabited by intense bosses, leading to a climatic ending.

As Zuko, destroy enemies with fierce firebending. As Aang, master the power of airbending. As The Blue Spirit, Zuko’s Ninja alter ego, defeat and conquer with stealth maneuvers.

Players utilize the touchscreen of the DS/DSi to bend fire and air as they combat, battle, and maneuver through a mystical game universe.

The DSi exclusive feature, the Bender Detector, lets you shoot a photo and discover what type of bender you and your friends are.