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Monsters vs Aliens
As reviewed on the Xbox 360
Movie tie-ins usually spell one thing. Disaster. So when my DVD rental company told me they had popped Monsters vs Aliens in the post for me I have to be honest, I wasn’t particularly ecstatic. However, within minutes of placing the disc in the Xbox tray, my opinion of it changed!
The story revolves around three monsters; The Missing Link (a green swamp creature), B.O.B. (from what I gather is an acronym for Blob of Blue, even if it’s not then it’s the best way to describe him) and Ginormica (a 30 foot tall lady that prefers to be called Susan).
The game starts when all three are held in captivity by the military, which in turn sculpts the first chapter where the monsters plan to escape. Coincidently, on their escape, aliens decide to invade the planet and the general that kept watch over them in captivity enlists their help to take on the alien threat. This is the basic shape the plot of the game follows.
The gameplay is rather varied, as you only take control of one monster at a time. Each monster has their own particular kind of level, with Ginormica (I mean Susan! I don’t want that size 50 boot kicking me!) having a gauntlet style rush through a map, B.O.B. having mostly maze and puzzle based scenarios and The Missing Link takes on your traditional platformer – taking on numerous enemies and solving the odd puzzle. There are a few bonus points along the way, with each monster taking on a boss or two and B.O.B. even has a shooting minigame! Certainly enough going on to keep you interested until the end of the game.
If you should happen to reach the end of the game and still want more, make sure you visit the DNA Lab to play some fantastic mini-challenges – in exchange for some Monster DNA that is. Every level is plastered with these collectables that you can pick up and work with in the lab. There are plenty of challenges to get to grips with and within the lab you can also exchange the DNA for unlockable videos, concept art and character upgrades. It is well worth the effort attempting to collect as much DNA as possible as it does give that added depth needed to keep you playing.
Let’s take a look at some of the technical stuff about Monster vs Aliens. The controls are very user-friendly (a nice change to the standard dodgy controls and cameras of the normal platformer), although they can be a little oversensitive sometimes. The B.O.B. missions will have you screaming as you push him off the edge for the thousandth time due to this, but at the same time it is slightly addictive trying to beat the level with this added challenge!
The only other gameplay downpoint is the inclusion of the button press action sequences. I personally don’t think they belong in games, although I suppose it does help kids grasp basic gaming. It does however provide some reassurance that you are doing the right thing in the many boss battles when they pop up.
Graphically, well what do you expect from a game that is based on an animated movie? As the movie was made on computers, it isn’t overly difficult to transfer these designs onto a computer program and make a game with them. The characters look as good as they do on the screen, so you can have no complaints there. I would say that a little more effort could have gone into the scenery you come in contact with; after having such brilliantly designed characters, to see blocky cars and trees kind of ruins it a bit. But overall the graphics are pretty sound.
There are some decent achievements to aim for here as well. Monsters vs Aliens should provide a yield of 600 points on a single playthrough. Some are simple but others truly are a nightmare to obtain, such as obtaining 500,000 pieces of monster DNA (I only managed 100,000 by the end...). But I guess they wouldn’t be achievements if they were easy!!!
Overall Monsters vs Aliens holds its own as a platform game. As a movie tie-in it does exceptionally well. It will give you a few good days of entertainment (if played moderately) and the variation in the levels keep you playing until the very end. These sorts of titles usually take the easy way out and become very repetitive, so Monsters vs Aliens has done very well to conquer this! It is certainly worth a try if platformers are your thing and I can gladly say my time of playing and reviewing dull and boring games has come to an end.
83%
As reviewed on the Xbox 360
Movie tie-ins usually spell one thing. Disaster. So when my DVD rental company told me they had popped Monsters vs Aliens in the post for me I have to be honest, I wasn’t particularly ecstatic. However, within minutes of placing the disc in the Xbox tray, my opinion of it changed!
The story revolves around three monsters; The Missing Link (a green swamp creature), B.O.B. (from what I gather is an acronym for Blob of Blue, even if it’s not then it’s the best way to describe him) and Ginormica (a 30 foot tall lady that prefers to be called Susan).
The game starts when all three are held in captivity by the military, which in turn sculpts the first chapter where the monsters plan to escape. Coincidently, on their escape, aliens decide to invade the planet and the general that kept watch over them in captivity enlists their help to take on the alien threat. This is the basic shape the plot of the game follows.
The gameplay is rather varied, as you only take control of one monster at a time. Each monster has their own particular kind of level, with Ginormica (I mean Susan! I don’t want that size 50 boot kicking me!) having a gauntlet style rush through a map, B.O.B. having mostly maze and puzzle based scenarios and The Missing Link takes on your traditional platformer – taking on numerous enemies and solving the odd puzzle. There are a few bonus points along the way, with each monster taking on a boss or two and B.O.B. even has a shooting minigame! Certainly enough going on to keep you interested until the end of the game.
If you should happen to reach the end of the game and still want more, make sure you visit the DNA Lab to play some fantastic mini-challenges – in exchange for some Monster DNA that is. Every level is plastered with these collectables that you can pick up and work with in the lab. There are plenty of challenges to get to grips with and within the lab you can also exchange the DNA for unlockable videos, concept art and character upgrades. It is well worth the effort attempting to collect as much DNA as possible as it does give that added depth needed to keep you playing.
Let’s take a look at some of the technical stuff about Monster vs Aliens. The controls are very user-friendly (a nice change to the standard dodgy controls and cameras of the normal platformer), although they can be a little oversensitive sometimes. The B.O.B. missions will have you screaming as you push him off the edge for the thousandth time due to this, but at the same time it is slightly addictive trying to beat the level with this added challenge!
The only other gameplay downpoint is the inclusion of the button press action sequences. I personally don’t think they belong in games, although I suppose it does help kids grasp basic gaming. It does however provide some reassurance that you are doing the right thing in the many boss battles when they pop up.
Graphically, well what do you expect from a game that is based on an animated movie? As the movie was made on computers, it isn’t overly difficult to transfer these designs onto a computer program and make a game with them. The characters look as good as they do on the screen, so you can have no complaints there. I would say that a little more effort could have gone into the scenery you come in contact with; after having such brilliantly designed characters, to see blocky cars and trees kind of ruins it a bit. But overall the graphics are pretty sound.
There are some decent achievements to aim for here as well. Monsters vs Aliens should provide a yield of 600 points on a single playthrough. Some are simple but others truly are a nightmare to obtain, such as obtaining 500,000 pieces of monster DNA (I only managed 100,000 by the end...). But I guess they wouldn’t be achievements if they were easy!!!
Overall Monsters vs Aliens holds its own as a platform game. As a movie tie-in it does exceptionally well. It will give you a few good days of entertainment (if played moderately) and the variation in the levels keep you playing until the very end. These sorts of titles usually take the easy way out and become very repetitive, so Monsters vs Aliens has done very well to conquer this! It is certainly worth a try if platformers are your thing and I can gladly say my time of playing and reviewing dull and boring games has come to an end.
83%
Thanks pb, I really must get around to watching it. Unfortunately tesco prefer sending me the game before the movie!
Good review. I heard this was a good movie tie-in and was tempted to get it for the kids second hand in GAME. The film is great, lots of references to other films and to 24.
Monsters vs Aliens
As reviewed on the Xbox 360
Movie tie-ins usually spell one thing. Disaster. So when my DVD rental company told me they had popped Monsters vs Aliens in the post for me I have to be honest, I wasn’t particularly ecstatic. However, within minutes of placing the disc in the Xbox tray, my opinion of it changed!
The story revolves around three monsters; The Missing Link (a green swamp creature), B.O.B. (from what I gather is an acronym for Blob of Blue, even if it’s not then it’s the best way to describe him) and Ginormica (a 30 foot tall lady that prefers to be called Susan).
The game starts when all three are held in captivity by the military, which in turn sculpts the first chapter where the monsters plan to escape. Coincidently, on their escape, aliens decide to invade the planet and the general that kept watch over them in captivity enlists their help to take on the alien threat. This is the basic shape the plot of the game follows.
The gameplay is rather varied, as you only take control of one monster at a time. Each monster has their own particular kind of level, with Ginormica (I mean Susan! I don’t want that size 50 boot kicking me!) having a gauntlet style rush through a map, B.O.B. having mostly maze and puzzle based scenarios and The Missing Link takes on your traditional platformer – taking on numerous enemies and solving the odd puzzle. There are a few bonus points along the way, with each monster taking on a boss or two and B.O.B. even has a shooting minigame! Certainly enough going on to keep you interested until the end of the game.
If you should happen to reach the end of the game and still want more, make sure you visit the DNA Lab to play some fantastic mini-challenges – in exchange for some Monster DNA that is. Every level is plastered with these collectables that you can pick up and work with in the lab. There are plenty of challenges to get to grips with and within the lab you can also exchange the DNA for unlockable videos, concept art and character upgrades. It is well worth the effort attempting to collect as much DNA as possible as it does give that added depth needed to keep you playing.
Let’s take a look at some of the technical stuff about Monster vs Aliens. The controls are very user-friendly (a nice change to the standard dodgy controls and cameras of the normal platformer), although they can be a little oversensitive sometimes. The B.O.B. missions will have you screaming as you push him off the edge for the thousandth time due to this, but at the same time it is slightly addictive trying to beat the level with this added challenge!
The only other gameplay downpoint is the inclusion of the button press action sequences. I personally don’t think they belong in games, although I suppose it does help kids grasp basic gaming. It does however provide some reassurance that you are doing the right thing in the many boss battles when they pop up.
Graphically, well what do you expect from a game that is based on an animated movie? As the movie was made on computers, it isn’t overly difficult to transfer these designs onto a computer program and make a game with them. The characters look as good as they do on the screen, so you can have no complaints there. I would say that a little more effort could have gone into the scenery you come in contact with; after having such brilliantly designed characters, to see blocky cars and trees kind of ruins it a bit. But overall the graphics are pretty sound.
There are some decent achievements to aim for here as well. Monsters vs Aliens should provide a yield of 600 points on a single playthrough. Some are simple but others truly are a nightmare to obtain, such as obtaining 500,000 pieces of monster DNA (I only managed 100,000 by the end...). But I guess they wouldn’t be achievements if they were easy!!!
Overall Monsters vs Aliens holds its own as a platform game. As a movie tie-in it does exceptionally well. It will give you a few good days of entertainment (if played moderately) and the variation in the levels keep you playing until the very end. These sorts of titles usually take the easy way out and become very repetitive, so Monsters vs Aliens has done very well to conquer this! It is certainly worth a try if platformers are your thing and I can gladly say my time of playing and reviewing dull and boring games has come to an end.
83%
As reviewed on the Xbox 360
Movie tie-ins usually spell one thing. Disaster. So when my DVD rental company told me they had popped Monsters vs Aliens in the post for me I have to be honest, I wasn’t particularly ecstatic. However, within minutes of placing the disc in the Xbox tray, my opinion of it changed!
The story revolves around three monsters; The Missing Link (a green swamp creature), B.O.B. (from what I gather is an acronym for Blob of Blue, even if it’s not then it’s the best way to describe him) and Ginormica (a 30 foot tall lady that prefers to be called Susan).
The game starts when all three are held in captivity by the military, which in turn sculpts the first chapter where the monsters plan to escape. Coincidently, on their escape, aliens decide to invade the planet and the general that kept watch over them in captivity enlists their help to take on the alien threat. This is the basic shape the plot of the game follows.
The gameplay is rather varied, as you only take control of one monster at a time. Each monster has their own particular kind of level, with Ginormica (I mean Susan! I don’t want that size 50 boot kicking me!) having a gauntlet style rush through a map, B.O.B. having mostly maze and puzzle based scenarios and The Missing Link takes on your traditional platformer – taking on numerous enemies and solving the odd puzzle. There are a few bonus points along the way, with each monster taking on a boss or two and B.O.B. even has a shooting minigame! Certainly enough going on to keep you interested until the end of the game.
If you should happen to reach the end of the game and still want more, make sure you visit the DNA Lab to play some fantastic mini-challenges – in exchange for some Monster DNA that is. Every level is plastered with these collectables that you can pick up and work with in the lab. There are plenty of challenges to get to grips with and within the lab you can also exchange the DNA for unlockable videos, concept art and character upgrades. It is well worth the effort attempting to collect as much DNA as possible as it does give that added depth needed to keep you playing.
Let’s take a look at some of the technical stuff about Monster vs Aliens. The controls are very user-friendly (a nice change to the standard dodgy controls and cameras of the normal platformer), although they can be a little oversensitive sometimes. The B.O.B. missions will have you screaming as you push him off the edge for the thousandth time due to this, but at the same time it is slightly addictive trying to beat the level with this added challenge!
The only other gameplay downpoint is the inclusion of the button press action sequences. I personally don’t think they belong in games, although I suppose it does help kids grasp basic gaming. It does however provide some reassurance that you are doing the right thing in the many boss battles when they pop up.
Graphically, well what do you expect from a game that is based on an animated movie? As the movie was made on computers, it isn’t overly difficult to transfer these designs onto a computer program and make a game with them. The characters look as good as they do on the screen, so you can have no complaints there. I would say that a little more effort could have gone into the scenery you come in contact with; after having such brilliantly designed characters, to see blocky cars and trees kind of ruins it a bit. But overall the graphics are pretty sound.
There are some decent achievements to aim for here as well. Monsters vs Aliens should provide a yield of 600 points on a single playthrough. Some are simple but others truly are a nightmare to obtain, such as obtaining 500,000 pieces of monster DNA (I only managed 100,000 by the end...). But I guess they wouldn’t be achievements if they were easy!!!
Overall Monsters vs Aliens holds its own as a platform game. As a movie tie-in it does exceptionally well. It will give you a few good days of entertainment (if played moderately) and the variation in the levels keep you playing until the very end. These sorts of titles usually take the easy way out and become very repetitive, so Monsters vs Aliens has done very well to conquer this! It is certainly worth a try if platformers are your thing and I can gladly say my time of playing and reviewing dull and boring games has come to an end.
83%