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> Results: Spongebob Squarepants: The Battle for Bikini Bottom
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If platforming nonsense be something ye wish!Spongebob Squarepants, bona fide phenomenon, wacky, wild, inheritor of the genius of Looney Toons, has only been represented in gaming by mediocre to interesting adventure games and generally poor 2D sidescrollers. Itﾒs about time the square one got his props with a full 3D platforming adventure.  The Battle for Bikini Bottom features all the voices from the show and kids (and adults) will delight in the opening plot. The nefarious Plankton has created a bunch of Bikini Bottom destroying robots to destroy Bikini Bottom, but he neglected to flip the switch that made them serve him. So now theyﾒre everybodyﾒs problem and only Spongebob (Patrick and Sandy Cheeks) have the wherewithal to stop them. They went the ﾓcollectorﾔ route with this one. Meaning youﾒve got to search, seek, and explore every cranny of every level looking for stuff to collect. Then you use this stuff to pay off Bikini Bottom denizens to advance the story. Itﾒs very derivative, but thereﾒs just enough variety to keep things interesting. You get to play three distinct characters. Each gets a special move and special attack. Spongebob does a spin attack and can jump good, Patrick can tackle and throw stuff, Sandy is, of course, strong and tough in her undersea suit. You can switch characters on the fly and sometimes you must use a specific character to get passed a puzzle. Bikini Bottom, its colorful cast of characters, most landmarks, items, etc., have all been translated into full 3D. The effect isﾅ expected. But something is lost in the translation. Part of the problem is a lack of polish and detail. The characters look plastic, rather than truly 3D. The environments are sparse and the effect, on the whole, does little to really capture the unique art design of the show. A bolder move would have been to preserve the 2D style and animation of the show with a cel-shading graphics style. That would have made the game feel warmer and might have helped with some of the minor camera problems too. Suffice it to say this graphics engine is adequate, but it looks and feels like a design team playing it safe. Anyway, kids wonﾒt mind, so take these criticisms with a glass of brine.  Kid Factor Itﾒs Spongebob and it features all the real character voices. Since these are some of the funniest actors in the cartoon business they generally rise above the mediocre script and make the game funnier than it should be. Thereﾒs a plethora of inside jokes and the offensiveness level never rises above that of the show. If your kid loves the TV show, then flop on the deck and float like a fish. Reviewerﾒs Recommended Ages: 5+ ESRB: E-Everyone Developer: Producer: THQ Genre: Platformer Score: 4 of 5 Reviewer: Samantha Hayne Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Spongebob Squarepants: The Battle for Bikini Bottom |
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