The Incredibles Review (no fat)

Game Description

The game is based entirely on the Pixar movie that won several awards including an Academy Award for Best Animated Film in 2004. The whole game is based upon a family full of superheroes that goes on a bad guy bashing spree.

The Incredibles - Story in a nutshell

Every superhero that lives in the city of Metroville, is forced to hang their boots and live like ordinary folk. Subjected to a life of mediocrity, Mr. Incredible, the patriarch of the Incredible family, decides to break the rules. His escapades, with his buddy Frozone, eventually lands him with an assignment that sets the pace for the rest of the movie. Classic comic book style, good against evil, story.

The Incredibles - Character Sketches

• Bob Parr aka Mr. Incredible - possessor of superhuman strength
• Helen Parr aka Mrs. Incredible (Elastigirl) - with the ability to stretch and mould her body
• Violet Parr - their daughter, blessed with the power of turning invisible and also creating force fields that can deflect enemy attack.
• Dashielle Parr (Dash) - their son who can run faster than greased lightning.

The Incredibles - Gameplay

The plot is fairly simple - it's a superhero slugfest that involves a lot of running, stretching, hiding and bashing. You have 18 levels of action to wade through. While the earlier levels are fairly easy to maneuver, the game tends to get difficult as you go along. You also have some mean bosses to deal with.

Each level features one of the Incredibles and is designed to suit that characters powers and personality. While Mr. Incredible's levels involve a lot of violence, as he mows through hordes of villainous henchmen using his super strength, his wife has to use her super-stretch abilities to get her tasks accomplished. This makes the game jump game genres often as you go from punching baddies in a platform style environment to running and dodging obstacles within the space of a level.

Overall game play is good but quirks in the camera lead to blind attacks and even a loss of life which might lead to starting the level all over again. Also, the action tends to get monotonous at times.

The Incredibles - Graphics

The developers have done justice to the movie in the graphics department. The game features authentic detailing of the movie's sets and sprites that move around in fluid motion. Well placed video clips help move the plot along and also gives the player a chance to unwind and take a break from the mayhem. Camera views could have been better and they are the only issue that can distract you from enjoying the eye candy.

The Incredibles - Sound

The soundtrack complements the action, sound effects are top notch and the voices are done very well with occasional humor cropping up. The movie's influence is evident throughout the sound department… even though the voice acting was not carried out by the same actors.

The Incredibles - Summing Up

With a plot that's packed with thrills and spills, and a great movie to use as a reference guide, this title had everything going for it. However, a few minor quirks mar the overall experience.

To give the developers their due, the audio-visuals are high quality and the attention to detail is commendable. The video clips taken from the movie add a nostalgic feel to the whole experience and makes one want to reach into the shelf, grab The Incredibles DVD and watch the movie all over again.

For fans of the movie and Gamecube owners who enjoy the genre, the game is a good collectible… even if not incredible.

The Incredibles - Cost

The Incredibles currently retails at $19.99US at the time of writing.