Reviewed: October 3, 2002
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
THQ
Developer
Radical Entertainment
Released: September 18, 2002
Genre: Sports
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone
2
4
6
3
2.8
Supported Features:
I cringe every time a new movie-based game hits the market and with good reason. With only a few (very few) exceptions, most games that get their roots on the big screen tend to stink…really bad. It has just become too easy for game companies to turn a quick buck on the latest movie craze, cash in, and then head to their tropical beach bungalow to plan their next assault on the unsuspecting public.
I can’t think of a movie better suited to make the leap to computer game than Pixar’s mega-hit, Monsters Inc.. After all, it’s a CG movie so it just seems natural to carry that style over into a game. Those of you who bought the recent DVD release may have played the attached copy of Pinball Panic; a perfect example of a great franchise wasted on a low-budget game. And now comes THQ and Radical Entertainment’s equally low-budget title once again confirming my belief that movies should simply stay on the big screen or in my DVD player.
Monsters Inc. Scream Arena cashes in on the current Monsters craze by wasting all of those charming characters and gorgeous CGI backgrounds on a stupid game of dodge ball. You know the game - the one you played in junior high gym class where all the cool kids bashed the hell out of the nerds with red rubber balls the size of basketballs. Despite the “no headshot” rule there was always at least one bloody nose or broken set of glasses by the end of the hour.
When I first realized this was nothing more than dodge ball I had a fond flashback to the South Park episode that featured our favorite 3rd graders competing in the world dodge ball championship. Then I remembered another dodge ball game from about two years ago – yes it was that South Park FPS game that was nearly as bad as this latest incarnation of the sport. At least in the South Park game you had large levels to explore and bosses to fight.
Scream Arena Features:
- 7 arenas inspired by artwork from the blockbuster movie, Monsters, Inc.
- 6 different game modes
- Play as one of your favorite Monsters, Inc. characters (13 to choose from)
- Multiplayer mayhem for up to 4 players
- Players unlock hidden characters, bonus stages and mini-games
- Save capabilities on the Nintendo Memory Card
Scream Arena picks up where the movie left off with laughter being the more efficient energy source over screams. Apparently some sick monster came up with the idea that bashing fellow monsters with large balls will make kids laugh. Cream pies, yes – rubber balls, not really. The weak premise is followed by an equally weak game.
You get to choose from 13 monsters, but 8 of them are locked when you start in an attempt to force you to play this game longer than you will probably want. There are also 7 arenas based on locations from the movie. These are also locked and you will have to complete each of 5 sub-missions in each arena, which are also locked forcing you to play this entire game in a very linear fashion until you have unlocked everything.
The various levels have a variety of balls like the giant red ball you can use to block shots, the green ball that stuns your opponents, the bubble that floats your opponent off the ground, and so on. Objectives range from holding onto the key ball the longest, to hitting targets within the specified time or simply outscoring the opposing team in hits.
Gameplay is reduced to picking up the ball and throwing it, both with the A button. You can also arc the ball with the X and use the triggers to block incoming shots provided you are in possession of the red ball. The entire game quickly becomes repetitive and downright boring after only a few arenas.
The true testament to this is when I teamed up with my 6-year old niece. She loved the intro, she loved the characters, and she loved the first 2-3 levels. When she asked if we could play in a different part of the movie I had to explain that it was “locked” and we had to play this level five times. She patiently continued to play until we unlocked arena 2. After two rounds in the city street level she set down the controller and asked to play Star Fox.
With all of the wonderful art available from Pixar and the proven graphical power of the GameCube there is no excuse for the visuals I was subjected to while playing this game. After seeing the amazing fur effects in Star Fox I now have to look at Sully in pure polygon textured form. He looks like that other monster that got shaved because he had the sock stuck to him. Mike looks ok only because he is simply a green ball himself. All of the other characters are recognizable but not done nearly as well as they should have been. Pixar should have definitely stepped in before this title released and setup some quality control.
The animation is jerky and awkward. Your characters often look like 2D sprites in an 80’s retro style reminiscent of Robotron. The game is played on a static background so frame rate is never an issue. There is simply nothing here that probably couldn’t have been done on the N64 or even the Game Boy Advance.
On the plus side, there are some nice lighting effects, shadows, and other special effects that liven up an otherwise dull visual experience. And despite the lack of fur mapping, the textures that are used to recreate our favorite monsters are all adequate to above-average.
The music is a total mismatch for this title for two reasons. First of all, it is excellent quality, which is a stark contrast to the game itself. Second, it is comprised mainly of some great (really great) jazz tunes which I can appreciate being in my late 30’s, but will go right past most of the kids this game is targeted towards.
The sound effects are sparse, but only because the game doesn’t afford an opportunity for a wide range of effects. You have your classic bouncing ball sound, the gurgling of bubbles, the crash of a chair or table after you throw it, the smashing of glass, and so on. It’s all pretty generic stuff and gets repetitive at about the same pace as the game.
The voices are great and sound like they were done by the original actors or very good impersonators. Each character has a respectable library of quips they dish out during the game and in the menu screens. My personal favorite is when Mike hits his teammate and quickly denies it with a, “It wasn’t me!” But alas, even these wear thin after little more than an hour of play.
Games normally feature a bunch of locked material to enhance the main game. In the case of Scream Arena, the lack of any real main game has forced the designers to lockout 98% of the game out of the box, and you must play it from start to finish in their prescribed order to see and do everything.
There are a few movie clips that can be unlocked and the four-player mode is always welcome, but the game is so shallow that it would be hard to break this game out at a party and have anyone really enjoy it. The concept of dodge ball might work as a mini-game at best, but to base an entire title on the concept is stretching the limits of a recommended purchase or even a rental.
If you do decide to get this game you can easily unlock and finish everything it has to offer in about 3-5 hours. Smaller kids may take longer but not much. The designers are banking that you will want to replay all of the content over and over once you have unlocked it. I’m guessing you will struggle to finish it the first time out of sheer tedium.
Monsters Inc., as a movie has everything you could possibly want for a great game; charming characters, a timeless visual style, and endless possibilities for story ideas. The absurdity of wasting this license on a sport that has been banned in many schools is actually more humorous than the game itself. Sitting here typing this, I can think of at least a dozen better concepts including adventure games, or even a racing game in Mike’s new car.
Monsters Inc. Scream Arena is not worth your time as a purchase, even if you find it in the budget cage where it is doomed to appear in the not-so-distant future. Parents might be able to distract their kids with a weekend rental, but anyone old enough to understand the controls and gameplay will see through the shallow design and move on to something with more substance. Just ask my niece.