 |
Phineas and Ferb Across the 2nd Dimension (Wii)
by cath_del
My sister has been a fan of Phineas and Ferb (a television show on the Disney Channel) for quite a while, and when looking for new Wii games, we came across this one in Asda. It cost around £12, making it pretty cheap for a Wii game, so I wasn't expecting too much from it. However, I was suprised as it actually turns out to be quite a ... good game.
The characters themselves exactly echo the television show, creating different inventions in a day that most people wouldn't even be able to think of. They each have their own witty sense of humour, and every age can enjoy their funny remarks. Not only are they intelligent, but they're also friendly, so you can never hate them!
In the story, Dr Doofenschmirtz is trying to take over the world (again!) and they travel through a portal into different dimensions. In these new dimensions, Phineas and Ferb have to battle against various enemies such as spiders and hedgehogs in robot form and jellatin monsters.Throughout these dimensions, you are also faced with some form of boss fight that reflects the dimension and its enemies.
The dimensions drawn are detailed exactly like the Phineas and Ferb show, each bright, colourful and well drawn. The graphics are well done and detailed, quite good for the proce that was paid for it. Each dimension is different from the other, with loads of features that differentiate them from the last. The enemies are all quite evil looking, and generally the bosses are a great improvement on the smaller enemies.
The game's dialogue itself is able to be easily enjoyed by every age, as as well as kids enjoying it, they also make remarks that older kids and adults will be able to enjoy. So when I wasn't even playing, I could enjoy just sitting there and watching to.
You can play this game with a friend to, similar to the Lego series, as you have the chance to drop in and out of the game.Normally I would do this if I was taking a break from working, and I would play for a couple of minutes with my sister and then drop out. When you are playing solo, the computer controlled character manages to keep up with you the whole time and they never get in the way, which usually causes for frustration within a game. For those who love customising their game, there is also the ability to choose which character you can play as, from Phineas to Perry. While each character does have slight benefits over the other, its hardly noticeable, so you can just pick your favourite and play.
The gameplay is definitely designed keeping children in mind, as my mum and I played it, and found it to be ridiculously easy. However, it is varied enough in the gameplay that it provides, that it won't get boring as it mixes between platform mixed with action to puzzle solving. Platforming revolves mostly around jumping from one place to another and the puzzle solving you do throughout is quite simple. While the enemies aren't too hard to defeat in the action parts, there's nothing more satisfying than getting rid of loads of enemies all at once with ease.There are also two mini games, Claw Grabber and Ski Ball, which give you tickets and are a nice break from the game itself.
You do get quite a lot of gagdets to play with and use throughout the game, keeping with the show in which the two characters are always using gadgets to do something more ridiculous than they have before. You get the Antigravity ray to pick heavy things up, the Mechanic Ball to shoot balls at enemies, Carbonator which melts the jellatin monsters and there are others, but they are not really featured as much as these. Controlling them is pretty simple as all you really do is press the buttons on the Wii remote, and they respond quite quickly.
Throughout the game, you collect these small electronic component style things, which allow you to upgrade the weapons. They come in different colours of red, green, yellow and purple - each with different values. You can use these to upgrade all of your weapons, and there are two gadget improvement choices. You can Upgrade Chips to make the rate of fire, rehcarge, damage or capacity improve, or you can upgrade the Mods for specific gadgets which make it more useful or add effects to it. This adds a sense of acheivement to the game, as you always want to improve your gadgets to the best that you can, making you try and get as many electronics as possible.
The tickets that you earn from completing the minigames I mentioned previously, can be switched in for Gadget Mods and other various things. Throughout the game, there is also a couple of collectibles for you to get, as hidden away are figurines. This adds a bit more challenge to the already easy game, as they are quite rare and you'll have to search a bit harder to find them.
Although this game is created really well, it's main flaw is that it is just too easy. You pretty much never die as there are health packs in most places, so even if you do get damages it's unlikely that you will ever get into serious trouble. However, this can also be quite good, as it stopped the game from getting frustrating for my sister and myself at that, as I no longer have to repeatedly come and help her beat enemies that she can't defeat.
Overall, I would say this is a well designed game with a great storyline and graphics. Collecting electronics combined with the various dimensions was enough to keep me interested even though the gameplay was easy. It definitely is easy for those who play games a lot, and children who play the Wii often might find it too easy. But it is still a good game, that is cheap at the moment and does provide a fair bit of entertainment.
Read the complete review |
 |
Tangled (Wii)
by baby-cakes
When my brother and I decided to swap our computer consoles, I inherited his Nintendo Wii and he got my Sony PSP. With the Wii I gained lots of "boys" games which I had very little interest in so decided to trade them in but this left me with hardly any games so I was happy to see a range of games reduced in price at Asda. One ... of the games was Disney Tangled and it was on sale for just ten pounds so I popped it in my trolley thinking it would be a game both my daughter and I could play.
Looking at the box you will see a kind of action shot with Rapunzel seemingly flying through the air using her magic hair and a very worried looking Flynn gripping on for dear life! In the centre of the cover you will find the Disney Tangled logo which is identical to the dvd, and at the bottom of the cover there is a large number 7 which indicates the recommended age for playing this game.
"Join Rapunzel and Flynn on a hair raising adventure! Swing, twirk and climb with Rapunzels tresses. Duel as Flynn and find buried treasure!"
To play Tangled you will need the Wii remote only and it needs to be held sideways in order to play the game. The game starts in Rapunzels tower and the first thing you can do is to paint a mural on one of the walls if you wish. There are only a couple of colours that you can choose from the paint palette as the rest of the colours are unlocked as the game progresses. It is a lot harder to paint a mural than it looks really, it is kind of like using the paint application on a computer only more fiddly. After this you need to go to the map which takes you to the woods and start the first of various levels.
Before each level begins part of the Tangled story is told in picture form which does take some time and can be a little frustrating having to wait to play any of the game. In each level you can choose which character you wish to play as, either Rapunzel or Flynn Rider but at times you will have to use one character in particular as each have special tasks that they can carry out. Rapunzel uses her magic hair to open doors, move objects and make flowers appear. She also has her frying pan with her to hit objects (and people). Flynn has a magic sword which smashes through various objects and he also has the ability to climb up walls if there is ivy growing.
When playing the game, for the most part Rapunzel and Flynn need to hold hands so they go through the levels together. To make the characters hold hands, simply press A and they will stay together until you press it again to release them. As they run along (well Rapunzel skips all the way through) they will come across certain obstacles and other characters which you must work your way through. The characters interact with eachother and with others that they meet. One of the tasks for example is in the Snuggly Duckling pub and the task is to find a special drink for one of the thugs before he dobs you in to the guards.
There are various different aspects to the levels, though for the most part they are pretty much the same in that you have to find objects, work through puzzles and collecting items. During the game you will explore the forest, village, Snuggly Duckling pub, tower and caves. In each level you are required to collect sundrops (which appear like jewels). When seeing butterflies (these appear at various points during levels), this means Rapunzel can do an action - such as swing with her hair, grab something with her hair or spin to make flowers appear in which you will find lots of sundrops. If a ? appears this is Flynns sign to show that there is treasure nearby and he has to dig to find it. Pascal the chameleon will appear in the corner to show there is danger near which is usually a guard that Flynn needs to fight with to get past.
There are some mini games to play, one of them is paint the Wanted poster of Flynn Rider and the idea is to make it as random looking as you can to disguise Flynn so the guards won't recognise him. The game is completed when all the levels have been done along with the mini games. Everything that you unlock throughout the game will appear in your journal so at any time you can view all the things you have collected, such as costumes, badges, new colours for the paint palette and more. There is really so much more I could describe for this game but I have covered all the basics as I don't want to turn it into a step by step guide for completing the game!
I never really took to playing this game much as it really isn't my kind of game. However, my mum completed the game in really no time at all and she did enjoy it as she likes games with tasks and puzzles so she played it with my little girl (and also on her own which shows how much she must have enjoyed the game as thats something my mum never does!!). I do think this game is a little too tricky for a four year old to play though with help from myself or my mum she was able to get through the levels without much frustration. Of course the game is recommended for children aged seven and above which is an accurate guide in my opinion but obviously younger children can play and still enjoy the game.
My daughters favourite parts of the game are the mini games and painting the mural. Her favourite mini game is the goat game in which Rapunzel and Flynn are sat on goats and are running through country roads really fast and you need to collect the sundrops. My daughter loves this as it is so fast and looks really quite funny seeing them just bombing around on these little goats, and more so when they fall over!!
One major downside to the game for me is that the story is told before every single level and this is really time consuming and ends up taking away from game playing time as I won't let my daughter play for prolonged periods of time so half of it is taken with listening to the story! Also, you have to complete a full level before being able to save the game which is a little frustrating at times as it would be nice to be able to stop playing whenever and just pick up where you left off.
The graphics aren't bad in this game, they could be better but it is clear who the characters are supposed to be and the voices are the same as you will hear in the films which my daughter finds really amazing! One of the characters is Mother Gothel (who kept Rapunzel locked in the tower) looks really quite scary in this game whereas in the film she is quite a stunning woman so thats the only negative really where the graphics are concerned.
It is a little confusing at first when using the Wii remote to play this game as you have to hold it sideways but to move the characters you use the arrows so quite often we forget to hold it the correct way and when pressing the arrows Rapunzel is going completely the wrong way!! I do like how you are required to do various actions with the remote for this game, all the buttons come into play and for different things you are asked to shake, wiggle or turn the remote so there is some variation in the game.
All in all I think this is a really good game with a good range of activities throughout from art, to puzzle soving, racing to a bit of fighting so there is a bit of everything in there! I would recommend this game happily as my little girl really enjoys it, and as my mum really likes it too it shows it isn't just for kids!
You can find Disney Tangled Wii on Amazon for £10.99 which is a great price for the game in my opinion as it is well worth it! With this game you will receive 200 Disney Movie Rewards points if you collect them which is an added bonus!
Thank you for reading my review!
Read the complete review |
 |
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (Wii)
by cath_del
After playing both of the Harry Potter Lego series and Indiana Jones games , my family decided to purchase the Lego Pirates of the Caribbean game, as we had enjoyed the others so much, it was clear the next in the Lego series wouldn't disappoint. We bought the game at £30 when it first came out at a GAME store, however I've seen it ... decrease in price to about £25 and it is far cheaper preowned.
The game is still rated at seven plus, similar to the others, due to the slightly difficult puzzle solving that a younger child may be unable to do. However, if they were younger at about five and a half to six, if they were playing with another older family member, it may be easier for them to play. You can still play with up to two people as long as you have the Wii remotes and nunchucks.
The graphics are still the same as the other in the Lego franchise, with the same Lego look about all the items and scenes within the game. The characters still do the neat thing of breaking into smaller pieces when they are killed to! All the environments that the characters travel through look like the ones in the movie, with the characters looking exactly like them to, with all the added details and costumes to.
The main aim of the game is to just follow through the plot of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but in Lego form. You travel through all the scenes in the typical humorous Lego way, with each being different and challenging than the next. Unlike the other Lego games, this time you have the ability to play with more than seventy characters. You also have the ability to play in regular story mode, or as free play where you can find all the hidden collectables.
However, different to the others in the Lego series, you now have a party of about half a dozen pirates to control. This makes gameplay a little bit harder as you have to remember what each character does so you can complete all the challenges put in front of you. Often this large group can be annoying as they will get in the way of you when you are trying to go somewhere and it takes ages to get them out of your pathway. Puzzle solving can get difficult to, as enemies are always constantly respawning, and all of my family agreed this confused you to where you had already been and if you had solved that area.
There are still collectables for you to gain throughout the Lego game such as the Lego studs that are around all the areas of the game and you have to collect enough so you can be classed as a True Pirate. Getting these gives you even more of an objective throughout the game, and collecting them is addictive as ever so you just want to keep playing. Also, by gaining the mini kits, you can use them in bonus levels to and the red bricks can unlock extras that can make your game experience a lot more fun, such as special abilities.
Multiplayer is still as fun in this game as it is in the Lego series, as you still have to work cooperatively to complete the levels. It makes controlling the amount in the group much easier to, as you can coordinate between you, who does what. It's easy to just start playing to, for example within my house, if you are playing single player usually someone will just come straight in and press the plus button and begin playing with you.
Overall, this game has been a good addition to the Lego franchise as it has the same great elements all the Harry Potter and Indiana Jones games had. Although the game does have minor faults that can get annoying, the other features included that make this game so enjoyable outweigh it. This is definitely a game you should add to your Wii collection if you haven't already.
Read the complete review |
