Latest Reviews
UK Online Exclusive: Saints Row 2FIFA 09Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhoodde Blob Brothers In Arms: Hell's HighwayUser Reviews
There are currently 0 User Reviews for The IncrediblesWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
The Incredibles Review
Derek dela Fuente
30/11/2004
Videogame translations of Pixar films usually aren't the greatest, however The Incredibles shapes up to be the best of the bunch...
Many canât have failed to notice the fact that the latest film from Disney/Pixar has just hit the cinema and with that loads of media coverage in what many are saying is one neat movie with really new ideas, cool looks and outrageous cast and animation. To coincide perfectly, comes the game. Now not having seen the film at this stage, which the game is loosely based around, could be a slight disadvantage but on the other hand, many games based on films have come in for a lot of tough criticism so we play this without any real perception of the film and as a stand alone game!
The Incredibles is quite literally a very âincredibleâ family and it appears that Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible, was once one of the worldâs greatest super heroes. Fifteen years on Mr. Incredible lives a normal life as an insurance claims adjuster, with his family in the suburbs, fighting boredom and a bulging waistline. When mysteriously summoned to a remote island for a top-secret assignment, Mr. Incredible jumps at the chance to get back into action and so begins a super charged, action fraught, escapade that includes the whole family. Yes, it appears that the family of 4, all have some special powers, and who you will control - in the 18 levels - include Mrs. Incredible, Dash and Violet!
Mr Incredible has super strength and muscles bulging â“ and not looking unlike an old Wayne Rooney - and while what Mrs. Incredible lacks in sheer strength, she more than makes up for in elasticity. Dash taunts in the game as he hits speeds of over 200 miles per hour, whilst Violet may be a little shy, but she uses her invisibility and at times her force fields to stay out of harmâs way.
The development team worked closely with Pixar so what you get is a very stylized looking game with lots of variety in both the locations and also many gaming ideas. You could say that the game is a bold mix of gaming ideas â“ a real compendium - so if you like variety then this will be very pleasing as instant gratification is served up constantly.
There are going to be loads of hardened gamers who may say that some of the games are too simplistic and there is not enough of a hook or real challenge on offer and that is the real dilemma. Bashing up, having loads of fist-e-cuffs, shooting at loads of things that move and steering your own space craft in a small aircraft hanger or evading lots of missiles and running, jumping and generally cavorting every which way with some sneaky puzzles thrown in, within 18 levels of mayhem and destruction isnât a bad premise for a game so are expectations too high?
Just as you get used to one theme, setting, or idea things quickly move on, although there is a myriad of surprises, some of the locales do feel very small and claustrophobic but there are probably lots of unseen items that we've not managed to cover! With every positive there appears to be a negative!
It all starts off on the rooftop with Batman music and Mr Incredible the central focus. Learning the combo moves is simple, understanding the kind of things you need to do is straight forward and within minutes you will be breezing through the level. Bash, punch, whack. Bare fist fighting, fending off the guards that come in droves is easy â“ just splaying your arms and youâll find you will catch âem. Itâs only after 15 mins that you start to become slightly bored. You are given plenty of tips and hints but they are pretty much telling you to pick things up, look around and generally be aggressive. Chuck the fridges, bash the air vents and flex your muscles! There appears no real system to work through â“ just run around like a madman!
You need to use your brains only a tad, get to the electric box and shut down the systems, jump over from one building to another with your super jump and face another horde of fighting menâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦..
Level one onto level two and its pretty much the same gameplay - new look but old ideas. OK, so few games have entirely new ideas in truth but you tend to feel what is on offer is evolving â“ here you get what you expect and everything seems fleshed out!
Incredibles is a platform, fighting, running, chasing, seeking out game. Itâs certainly not original, although the cast are larger than life and full of vitality and clever tricks but it is not enough. The downside is that the cameras work is pretty dire and the actual layout and design of the levels are like they have been done by numbers â“ all pretty obvious and there is nothing really cunning or surprising in store...
