The
Incredibles: Rise Of The Underminer
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Nice
graphics |
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2
Player Co-op |
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Repetitive
button masher |
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Touch
screen inconvenient |
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When
you're called The Incredibles, you had better make
sure you live up to that name. by
Cole Smith
December
1, 2005 - The
story is one-dimensional but at least the graphics
aren't.
The
Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer is basically a
GBA game augmented to fulfill the capabilities of
the DS. The results are what appears to be a rushed
product with generic gameplay elements and bare-bones
features that hardly make the DS break a sweat. It
looks nice though.
The
Underminer is your stereotypical, underground-dwelling
villain that threatens the existence of the free world
with his legion of robots. Eschewing the family component
of superheroes, the only playable characters are Mr.
Incredible and his cool pal Frozone. The others are
relegated to drilling holes into the Earth as the
two men take to the underground to battle robot, after
robot, after robot. The premise is as simple as the
gameplay - and is as predictable as it is repetitive.
Games
tied to movies are usually disappointing and this
is one is no exception. Add to the fact that it's
the Holiday season and you really need to be on the
lookout for exploitative games. I can sympathize with
kids that love the Incredibles and trust that a game
based on the popular blockbuster should possess some
level of quality throughout. Unfortunately the only
thing that passes muster are the graphics. Kids are
going to be disappointed with this one.
Gone
are the sprites in favor of hand-drawn images which
do look good. Primarily a side-scroller, there is
a mix of 3D and 2D graphics, known as 2.5. The backgrounds
are colorful and nicely detailed but the underground
backgrounds and textures becomes redundant. You have
to be on top of the planet to truly appreciate the
characters, backgrounds and colors. The 2.5 graphics
come at a price. The camera is largely static and
usually won't display the next region until you are
already immersed in it. This will leave you open to
take some hits from offscreen enemies. Even during
some of the robot battles the camera will stay fixed
as scores of robots, usually two at a time, are sent
in from either side. These areas are confining and
make it very difficult to move your character around
and plan an attack.
The
gameplay requires a lot of button mashing but the
developers sought to integrate the touch control system
of the DS which is very inconvenient. The commands
require you to draw squiggles and tap the screen which
typically result in command errors. Although you can
access most of the moves from the face buttons and
D-pad you will still encounter some inaccurate commands
such as Frozone's randomly-faulty aiming ability which
sometimes causes him to wind up shooting too high
or too low.
Mixing
elements of combat, platforming and puzzle solving
you will control both characters and use their different
abilities to destroy robots and pass obstacles. Mr.
Incredible is strong and has the ability to smash
through walls, jump on enemies and even pick them
up and throw them. In order to pick them up, the enemies
must be frozen so that they pose no threat. It's best
to have Frozone freeze the robots first and then use
Mr. Incredible to either throw them or smash them.
This will result in fewer hits.
Frozone
can also use his freezing ability to create paths
of ice that Mr. Incredible can glide on to reach certain
levels. He can also create floating platforms of ice
to give Mr. Incredible a higher area from which to
launch an attack. The loose control system makes staying
on these platforms a challenge and you are also at
the mercy of the robots that launch projectiles at
you. Unlike Frozone, their aim is much more deadly
and accurate.
You
will need another copy of the game to play the co-op
mode. Each of the two players can play as either Frozone
or Mr. Incredible. This mode is the most fun you will
have with the game but it's not so much fun that I
would recommend two players each purchasing separate
copies. But if you and friend of yours manage to get
a copy of this game for Christmas, all is not lost.
There is very little in the way of voice samples.
The console version is full of dialog but all we get
here is text. The music is limited and the sound effects
seldom vary.
The
game is relatively short but the replay value has
been artificially inflated by limited saves that force
you to start over when you lose your life. There are
no collectibles which you can use to purchase things,
nor are there any unlockables such as characters,
costumes or mini-games. What you will find when searching
for items are points. Nothing but points - from which
to increase your high score. What a rip! Who cares
about high score, especially when you have to go through
the entire boring game over again?
Features:
- All
new action/adventure game that begins where the
film, Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar
Animation Studios film, The Incredibles concludes
- Play
as Mr Incredible or Frozone
- Cooperative
gameplay with the ability to change characters at
any point in the game
- Upgrade
your character's moves and abilities as you advance
through the game
By
Cole Smith
CCC
Reviews Editor
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