Reviewed: December 4, 2004
Reviewed by: Matt Gonzales
Publisher
THQ
Developer
Heavy Iron Studios
Released: November 1, 2004
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen
8
8
8
6
7.5
Supported Features
Publisher THQ and developer Heavy Iron Studios continue their successful run of movie-based offerings and a love affair with Pixar studios. Is that a bad thing? Well, one man’s monopoly is another man’s...something. Just read.
The Incredibles is not only a platformer; it’s a few of them in one glossy package. And the familiar feel of some of the better games of the early history of consoles makes this title more interesting than it might be otherwise for older gamers. Running around like Sonic when playing Dash’s levels is a blast, though admittedly I never was very good at Sega’s classic game. And while it wasn’t very well received, playing as Mr. or Mrs. Incredible reminded me of Batman Vengeance for the PS2, which I really enjoyed. But let me explain the plot for those who haven’t seen Pixar’s latest CG extravaganza.
Superheroes have been outlawed, causing past legends to have retired into obscurity. But those former glories are not forgotten, and what’s more they will be needed when evil comes calling in the absence of any notable resistance. Well, duh. Specifically, The Incredibles tells the story of a particular super powered family headed by strong man Bob Parr played in the movie by Craig T. Nelson (played by a sound alike in the game). He and his wife Helen, the former ElastiGirl, have gone into a relocation program for meta-humans, eking out a life in suburbia where they raise their speedster son Dash and disappearing daughter Violet while daydreaming wistfully of their fabled exploits.
Movie/video game tie-ins are now as guaranteed as a Sean Bean death scene, which hasn’t exactly endeared them to the gaming savvy public. Still it’s a bountiful revenue source when it comes to kids and their hunger for any opportunity to extend the experience of their latest favorite movie of all time. The problem most often is that lackluster products rushed to store shelves in time for the matinee. Luckily, gamers have found their faith renewed with a recent spate of fantastic movie to game translations in the forms of the Lord of the Rings and Spider-man games. So, is The Incredibles another hit or a miss?
It’s never a major part of the gaming experience, but I do like a good interface. Seriously, just look at the Metal Gear Solid games and more recently KillZone with their slick, cinematic, DVD menu-looking productions. The Incredibles does a similarly impressive job with the addition of Samuel L. Jackson (who plays the hero Frozone in the movie) making snarky comments as you navigate. Now I think Jackson is one of the most overrated actors on the planet today, but darned if he isn’t amusing in this game. This opening visual bodes well for the game as a whole.
The Incredibles is similar in its attention to detail as Heavy Irons Studios’ effort on the SpongeBob Squarepants: The Movie conversion coming out around the same time. Not surprising since the developer is responsible for both games - and it shows. And while practically no game can boast the same visceral thrill that the movie itself provided, but it can at least try to mimic the look and feel of its celluloid inspiration. And The Incredibles does that all over the place. Unlimited special moves are kept in check by forcing the player to find power-up icons hidden in destroyable boxes or other objects strewn liberally about the levels. Not really a problem, because most gamers not only understand this mechanic on a subconscious level, they just like blowing up everything they can by default.
The combat however can be a little annoying at times as some of aiming mechanics feel pretty wonky. For instance, one of Mr. Incredible’s moves is to pick up objects for throwing at enemies or other strategic objects in order to open a door for instance. A handy visual cue lets you know that you are aiming right at what you need to hit in order to, say, shut off a security system with a well-placed smashing. Unfortunately, the sweet spot that triggers that cue isn’t consistent, causing you to twitch around in a frustrating attempt to make it light up so you can proceed. A similar problem occurs with ElastiGirl and her ability to stretch her arms to grasp serendipitously located hooks and beams for an Indiana Jones-style swinging over dangerous ground. I can’t count how many times I took hits from enemies as I tried to point the camera in the right spot to get a successful grappling. Very frustrating.
Heavy Iron Studios does a fine job of recreating the visual style of The Incredibles – especially when you consider the aging hardware of the PS2 as compared to the raw monolithic power of the vast server farms Pixar uses to create their masterpieces. Character models look just like their cinematic counterparts and move smoothly throughout the levels even with multiple enemies onscreen. Dash’s speed blur looks especially cool, as does Violet’s invisibility effect during her disappointingly short game time.
Heavy Iron Studios must have elves working over there to put out a game as good as The Incredibles is AND put out the SpongeBob Squarepants movie game of similar quality – that is to say good. Thankfully, load times aren’t a real problem, and the in between cinematics that set up the major levels are quite entertaining to watch as they’re the next best thing until the DVD arrives.
What’s also impressive is the inclusion of new enemies not in the movie that fit with the style of the game while avoiding an exact rehash of the main villain.
The soundscape of The Incredibles is fittingly and refreshingly rich. With the audio resources of Pixar at the ready, it’s easy to see why. And even though the voice actors don’t sound exactly like the principal actors (with the exception of the giddily hammy Jackson) of the film, they do a more than adequate job. And let’s face it, there’s not a lot of problem coming up with a sound effect for exploding bombs or helicopters (delivered in the serviceable Dolby Pro Logic II), but too many other games skimp on such obvious elements of the aural experience.
Thankfully, Michael Giacchino’s marvelous soundtrack is also in effect as he’s one of the best soundtrack artists in the business these days. I’ve been watching his career ever since his amazing soundtrack for the Medal of Honor series back on the original PlayStation. Nice.
Don’t expect to play this game for days on end like a Square title, but seeing as the target audience is mainly kids, the challenge should be just about right for a good dozen hours of gameplay. I dismiss the so-called extras that come in the form of unlockable artwork and production stills only because who really cares about that stuff anyway? But, if it interests you, one could go back and make sure to find every red I-con for such a purpose, but the truth is, there’s not a real reason to replay this game once it’s done.
The game does have some flaws inherent to the genre of move-based video game tie-ins. They almost always pale in comparison to the actual phenomena of the movies themselves, but The Incredibles does do an more than adequate job of capturing the basic look and feel of the flick, if not the real magic. That counts for something, especially to the true target audience, the tweener fans.
Packed with a little bit of old school fun in the various levels offered, Heavy Iron Studios manages to keep things interesting enough with a new plot and familiar environments. So while I could make a quip about the title of the game with relation to the actual enjoyment delivered I won’t. You guys know the drill. With a great audio/visual style, but lackluster mechanics and replay value, only true fans of the movie need apply.