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MONSTERS VS. ALIENS XBOX 360 REVIEW |
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The vicious
cycle of Pixar movies releasing with videogames
continues with Monsters vs. Aliens, a
family-friendly platformer of sorts. Developed
by Beenox and assisted by a truckload of opening
logo sequences, Monsters vs. Aliens is a
simplistic game and it is best describe as more
of a movie supplement, than an accompanying
experience (similar to the Madagascar series).
Monsters vs. Aliens follows a group of rag-tag
monsters as they try to escape from human
captivity and fight aliens along the way.
The fun attribute is build upon three major
gameplay mechanics. The first is the blending of
a Spy Hunter structure, where the main objective
is to dodge obstacles and ram enemies like a
runaway freight train; the second combines
action elements where beating up foes is a
conspicuous way of stimulating your inert boxing
instinct to be employed against unyielding
forces. The third mechanic revolves around a
platforming component in which your primary goal
is to infiltrate little areas and happily blow
stuff up. Suffice it to say, the game is
comprised of twenty or so scenes; therefore,
this is not a "budget production".
Roughly a fourth of these scenes are compacted
into one level. As the level progresses, a new
chapter unfolds and thrusts players into
different environments. The first minutes of the
game takes place where the humans have the
monsters captive, but shortly after that you’re
transported in the San Francisco backdrop – that
is how quickly the stage changes! Each level
takes advantage of one of the three mentioned
mechanics, which gives the game some diversity.
The gameplay is easy to pick up, and there is
also a nice co-op mode but it is limited in
function and only available to certain scenes.
The controls are consistent in all levels. |
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PRODUCT
OVERALL RATING: 7.7 OUT OF 10 |
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The attack
button is the same across each stage, from
combat sequences to various platforming
elements, making it easy for anyone to adapt to
dynamic environments. However simplistic, the
game sometimes doesn’t give any hints to make
progress nor does it make some of your missions
clear. Thankfully, your quest to do well in each
level grants you a plethora of extra content.
Perfection is sought out in Monsters vs. Aliens.
As you make your way through your next mission,
you can grab some “power-ups” called monster
DNA. The more DNA, the more stuff can be
purchased through the in-game extras store.
"Perfection" is introduced via monster DNA
multipliers; certain power-ups multiply the
amount of monster DNA acquired at the end of the
level by how many multipliers are possessed. If
the playable character takes damage, they lose a
multiplier, and in turn, lose large amounts of
monster DNA. The unlockables aren’t cheap,
either; achievement junkies will love this game
for its extremely rewarding nature.
Unfortunately for a Pixar-backed game, Monster
vs. Aliens could have used a bit more visual
polishing for its console release.
When it comes to presentation, the game seem to
be relatively outdated considering we are all
used to watching everything in high definition.
The sleek animations, nicely modeled characters,
and colorful shaders spice up the game a bit.
While the cutscenes are amusing to watch, they
sometimes look flat visually, which is not what
you would expect for a Pixar-based game.
Thankfully, the audio in the game has a
satisfying grip to it, along with some quality
voice acting. All of the levels include a number
of interesting dialogues between various
characters as they comment on the situation they
are in.
The music is alright for the most part, but it
could use some extra kick to deepen the
experience of the game's missions and
challenges. It's a big contrast to the sound
effects, which does a better job of portraying
the action on the screen. Monsters vs. Aliens is
a nice family game that provides some relatively
fun, wholesome experience; it's also an outlet
for achievement junkies to milk. This is one
game that is extremely easy to pick up, while
not being completely repetitive or boring.
However, the game itself isn’t very long but
then you have a chock-full of replay value for
achievements. It’s a good package overall and
worth a look for those looking into something
entertaining for the family. |
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