| Introduction
PIXAR just keeps churning them out! After two Toy
Storys, A Bugs Life and a whole host of shorts, we now
have the much anticipated Monsters Inc. Disney's favourite
computer animation company are by no means new to the
Gameboy and all of the above have appeared on one or
more systems. This story of the little girl 'Boo' and
what really happens when children go to sleep has charmed
audiences throughout the World. Unfortunately games
players are a little harder to please and with Disney's
track record of less than inspiring games it will be
interesting to see if this one breaks the trend.
GamePlay
As anyone who's seen the movie will realize this
game follows the plot very closely so you'll find yourself
involved in most, if not all, of the scrapes that our
two heroes, Mike and Sulley, find themselves in. These
mainly involve Boo who has somehow managed to find her
way into Monstropolis. As monsters are actually scared
of children you not only have to avoid the authorities
but also everyone else. Gameplay starts out simple enough
with both Mike and Sulley having to collect items such
as paperwork and blort cans from around the factory.
The latter are very important as when any collision
occurs some will spill out and if you don't have enough
you'll lose a life.
Things get a bit more complicated further on in the
game, in one level you collect parts of a sledge whilst
the following section is an obstacle course with Sulley
controlling said sledge. Some of the challenges are
really tough so the level where Sully and Boo are being
pursued by Randall in the Door Vault could have you
hitting replay over and over. The 'end of level bosses'
also take a lot of practice and skill to defeat so anyone
who purchased this title thinking it would be an easy
ride is sadly mistaken.
The password system is simple with only four digits
to scribble down in the back of your instruction booklet,
the problem is finding them. Rather than displaying
them on completion of a level you only get them when
you pause the game. This, fortunately, leads the player
to a handy feature, as pressing the 'select' button
will now reveal level hints which are essential for
solving some of the more challenging puzzles.
Control
This is such an important aspect of a platformer
and, thankfully, these are some of the most responsive
controls I've ever come across and the sprite detection
is excellent too. Both Mikey and Sulley (who can be
interchanged on most levels) are very sensitive so the
sections where the player must make a leap of faith
in order to grasp a door or ledge are actually a pleasure
to play.
Graphics
Unlike the GBA version this color title doesn't try
to replicate PIXAR's amazing visuals but wisely sticks
to a comic book feel. This pays off in a big way though
because everything looks wonderful from the animation
to the cut screens. Even when a character is stationary
they'll wave at the screen or start some other activity.
Considering the depth of the original movie the developers
have done a great job in this GBC version and the care
and attention to detail must be applauded as it occasionally
looks better than some GBA titles.
Sound & Music
After living with the more sophisticated GBA sound
chip for some time now it's very difficult to comment
objectively on the GBC's sound. This is definitely not
the worst we've heard though so the soundtrack and limited
sound effects should please most players. If not blocking
it out is as simple as turning down the volume.
Final Comments
In what could be regarded as the GBC's final days,
at least in terms of new releases, this is a welcome
addition and whilst maybe not as good looking as the
Advance version, it's certainly as playable. There's
a great range of gameplay styles in this little cart
and platform fans will not be disappointed. The only
downside, ironically, is that it may be a little difficult
for its target audience although this does allow a recommendation
to older gamers who may not normally consider a Disney
title. Overall it's a great little game with hours of
challenging gameplay and one of the best movie inspired
titles we've ever seen.
|
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