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Polly Pocket!: Super Splash Island (GBA)
by thole09
"Polly Pocket: Super Splash Island" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance console in 2006 by Zoo Digital Publishing. It is based on the Polly Pocket series of children's toys. In the United States, the game received a rating of "E" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for all ages.
The ... gameplay of this title is split into six different mini games. Polly Pocket has won a local radio contest and receives a day out at the local water amusement park as her prize. She enters the park and has access to all but the giant water slide, and aims to gather enough tickets to ride it. The player will play through park attractions such as the bumper boats, which is a simple demolition derby in essence, to the water blaster stall which is a target shooting game using water pistols. Performance in the game rewards the player with a set amount of tickets and should the player also find a hidden flower will receive a special costume for Polly to wear for the remainder of the current attraction's duration. Ticket rewards are also dependent on the difficulty level chosen; easy rewards less than medium which rewards less than hard.
The graphical presentation changes perspective depending on the mini game being played. "River Crossing", for example, is presented from a top down perspective whereas "Water Blaster" will be presented from a side perspective. Regardless of the view the graphics are bland in their presentation and only make use of typical water based hues from the blues of the water to the greens of nearby shore features. Polly comes across as being somewhat of a squashed sprite on the display but any rewarded special otufits do become visually obvious on screen. The soundtrack is comparably simple with gentle musical scores and sound effects following the player throughout.
Overall, Super Splash Island is a game which would likely appeal to younger fans of the Polly Pocket series. It did not appeal to me as an adult player and I would be hesitant about recommending it to anyone outside of the younger market.
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Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (GBA)
by thole09
"Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance console in 2006 by Vivendi Games. It is based on the animated film of the same name. In the United States, the game received a rating of "E" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for all ages.
Having experienced the previous ... "Ice Age" game I was hesitant about acquiring the second installment. The poor gameplay mechanics and lackluster visuals made me cautious and expecting the same sort of play out of this. Thankfully what I observed wasn't the case. The gameplay is divided into two seconds where the players control Scrat in side scrolling platform areas and the team of Sid, Manny and Diego in top down adventure style areas. The side scrolling areas are very basic in their play and do not last for a considerable length in game. Scrat will run and jump his way through less than inspired levels while collecting items and avoiding enemy encounters. The main crux of the game lies in its adventure area. The player will control the team using their specific strengths to activate switches and exit the stage. Sid will be used primarily as he has the ability to swim and walk across icy terrain with ease. He is compromised in areas of lava but can ride on Manny's back who has no problem walking across the patches of lava. Diego has a long jump and can cross gaps with ease to perhaps facilitate a crossing by use of a nearby environmental object. It is an interesting gameplay mode which can provide some fun to the player provided one enjoys puzzles of this nature.
The graphics are presented from either a side scrolling or top down view focusing on the character(s) in play. I found there to be a difference in between the Scrat stages and the team puzzle stages; animations were smooth and quick to render in the puzzle stages but the earlier Scrat stages were choppy and slow. In both areas the visuals were brightly coloured and well detailed, and keep with the typical characteristics seen in the film. The audio features numerous musical scores accompanied by digital voice snippets of the characters from the film which did make for a good listening experience.
Overall, I would recommend Ice Age 2 to to fans of the film. While this release improves considerably over the first, it is not likely that players outside of the fanbase of the film would find much enjoyment in the game.
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Eragon (GBA)
by thole09
"Eragon" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance console in 2006 by Sierra Entertainment. It is a roleplaying game based on a fantasy fiction novel series of the same name. In the United States, the game received a rating of "E" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for all ages.
The story is ... based on Eragon, a young farmer, who comes across a dragon's egg while tending to his fields. The fictional world of Alagaesia has been overthrown by evil forces and upon hatching the dragon reveals that Eragon is to save this world. Eragon will travel through numerous towns and dungeons in aims of purging the evil which dwells within. The player also has access to numerous sub quests which further benefit the character's statistics. Each statistic is "leveled" individually. After each battle, the player receives a set number of experience points which can be applied to areas of personal preference including strength, magic use, weapon proficiency and similar fields. This allows the player to have complete control over what he or she would wish for Eragon. Should a player wish to become a competent warrior then strength and weapon proficiency would be increased after gaining experience points, or similarly should a player wish to play the role of a mage then magic use would be increased. The player has constant access to these experience points as the battles are plentiful and often unavoidable. Battles are contested through a turn based mode with a player selecting a specific attack or spell and awaiting the result of its effect on the enemy. It is generally an easy game to complete but the requirement of constant battles does make for repetitive gameplay.
The graphics are mostly presented from a top down view but quickly switch perspectives during battle to a side view. Regardless of the presentation, both views are somewhat lacking in their detailing. There are few enemy sprites and each appear both generic and inappropriate for their presentation; for example there are areas which contain what appear to be Vikings within the depths of a damp cave. The game does make good use of colourful images but are absent of finer artistic design. The soundtrack, though, is of a higher standard with more gentle compositions following the player in both travel and battle. These too are somewhat inappropriate for their implementation but are an enjoyable listen nonetheless.
Overall, Eragon could perhaps appeal to players seeking a more simple roleplaying game. Independent sources claim an available 20 hours of in game time and I find this to be accurate. Whether or not the player actually engages with the time available remains a matter of personal preference. I would suggest if a player does not enjoy himself or herself within 30 minutes then it is unlikely that the game would be an enjoyable experience.
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