| Introduction
THQ continues its publishing deal with Nickelodeon
with their latest offering which can best be described
as a skating platformer. Rocket Power initially had
all the hallmarks of an original title and it took a
fair bit of playing before I could even categorise it
which, believe me, is usually very straightforward.
Imagine my surprise then when a week later TDK Mediactive
released Get Phat which is another (yes, you guessed
it) skating platformer. Rocket Power is undoubtedly
the stronger of the two but still an odd mix of genres.
I'm intrigued by this seemingly unique title for a number
of reasons but the main question always remains - is
it any good?
GamePlay
Titles like this usually have to replicate the feel
of the original series to gain any sales at all and
this is no exception. All the characters and locations
are here and the visuals/animation are very close to
the on screen originals. To cap it all we have a Rocket
Power inspired plot which goes someway to explaining
the highly improbable situation which the lead characters
find themselves in. During a restless night's sleep
Otto has a nightmare that Merv Stimpleton is about to
kidnap all his friends and it's up to him to rescue
them using his skating skills and knowledge of Ocean
Shores Beach. Now if you watch the series you'll now
exactly what all that means. For the rest of you it's
a 'kill the henchman and rescue your friends' type of
affair.
All the locations are chosen from a map screen and
whilst some are locked or simply unavailable it means
that there's always more than one way to tackle the
game. Every level has roughly the same objective which
is to reach the end and battle an end of level boss.
Once this is done you'll free one of your friends who
can now be selected via the menu to play in other levels.
Occasionally you'll also be presented with a special
piece of equipment such as a Hockey Stick or a Rocket
Board which is needed for completing the tasks in other
levels. It's usually obvious where to use these but
keeping them fuelled up is another thing, as soon as
you receive them you'll be searching everywhere for
hockey pucks and rocket fuel.
Throughout the game there are loads of pick-ups,
the manual alone lists two pages of them. One of the
most important is the 'Z' icon as this keeps you asleep.
Too many bumps and you'll wake up from your dream and
the whole thing starts over. One of the best though
has to be the 'Turbo boost' which not only has you flying
across the screen but also makes you invulnerable to
damage, helping you to pick off enemies along the way.
Actually completing levels will have you collecting
tokens to pass through doors, flipping the odd switch
and either avoiding or 'bouncing' the enemies that you'll
encounter. Everything does get a little more difficult
as the game progresses but it is more frustrating than
challenging which is possibly not the best direction
for a platformer.
Controls
All your controls are the classic platform layout
only you're on skates. While the controls are responsive,
without in-depth knowledge of all your equipment, you'll
find some areas very puzzling so thumbing through the
manual is well advised. All the characters have their
strengths and weaknesses, some rollerskate well, others
skateboard better. You need to use a variety of tactics
to complete each of the areas and whilst players can't
be changed within a level, equipment can.
Graphics
The in-game graphics and animation are the least
we could expect from a game of this nature however the
cut screens are far more impressive. Using some of the
GBA's advanced graphics capabilities the developers
have created an impressive visual story which is almost
as good as the series it's based on. You'll find yourself
rushing through the levels to discover the next chapter
of the story and here you'll see how excellent presentation
can bring an otherwise ordinary 2D platformer alive.
Sound & Music
The music that runs throughout the game is a reasonable
rock 'n' pop hybrid that will no doubt please most fans
of the series but annoy people who desire something
a little more sophisticated. The sound effects are much
better and the crashing of skateboards and bouncing
on peoples heads is wonderful. Fortunately the GBA's
advanced sound chip allow you not only to turn everything
off but also to alter the volumes of both music and
sound effects which should please everyone in the audio
department.
Final Comments
Strip away the novelty of skating rather than running
and jumping in this title and all you're left with is
an average platformer and with no diversions or sub
games. Even the reasonable gameplayer will fly through
this title in no time at all. The puzzles are easy and
disposing of enemies is simplicity itself but where
Rocket Power really struggles is the repetition as every
level consists of the same aims and objectives with
only the location changing. The title is saved from
a considerably lower mark because of its wonderful cut
screens which must be seen and rank well above other
games we've played recently. Finally though, it has
to be said that this really is one just for the (younger)
fans of the series and those who, for some reason, enjoy
this type of game.
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