The Incredibles Review

The Incredibles

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Publisher: THQ

Developer: Heavy Iron Studios

# of Players: 1

Category: Action

Release Dates

N Amer - 10/29/2004

Official Game Website

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The Incredibles Review

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As if on cue, a major movie cartoon is released on the public and the videogame tie-ins are right behind. The Incredibles is a fantastic and well done animated picture that incorporates everything right about super heroes (with a great comic bend).

If you know the movie, then you know the game. Mr. Incredible and his wife (Elastigirl) were superheroes 15 years ago. But a lawsuit happy public forced them to retire and assume new "regular" folk identities. Now, Mr. Incredible is known as Bob, and he longs for his days of action and two fisted justice and thanks to the re-emergence of a super powered villain, the government has called Bob out of retirement.

From a gameplay stance, the Incredibles does offer some interesting possibilities. Playing as the family of super heroes, you are treated to four different styles of gameplay. Mr. Incredible is super strong, so expect some heavy lifting and big melee action. Mrs. Incredible is elastic so she does all sort of swinging and stretch attacks, Violet the Daughter has invisibility and shield powers so her levels are more stealth based. And Dash, the son with the super speed. Dash's levels were amongst my favorite as he burns through his levels in an almost "Sonic the Hedgehog type velocity. And of considerable note, the family can combine their powers to do special attacks that are more then a little bit clever. Now the varying gameplay styles was a welcome addition and I really enjoyed some of the levels. But... the controls just weren't as tight as they should have been. The responsiveness just didn't seem as sharp as it should have been. The simple attacks are just that, simple. It should be noted that the game is played from the 3rd person perspective with a dynamic camera. But the regular host of problems do come out and will inevitably frustrate you on more then one occasion.

The deja vu feeling will be crossing your mind fairly often as there is some repetition in the game. And that repetition is one of the game's worst problems. Too often it seems like you have fought this guy or the level seems too familiar or whatever. It's this, that keeps the Incredibles firmly planted in mediocrity. No other Pixar movie could spell out a videogame better then The Incredibles, but just having a strong license is not enough for a strong game. Since the game has you acting out the tasks in the movie (loosely) there isn't enough action in a less then two hour movie to make an eight hour game (that's roughly how long it will take you to beat it). So the real question is, why didn't they just make an entirely original adventure using the character's from the movie? I am almost certain that this will be the next sequel in Pixar's library. What better way to introduce character's the movie's creators might want to see in a future installment.

Now, having come off HALO 2, I was afraid that games might all look a little limp for a while. But fortunately, The Incredibles does have some nice graphics. The in game cutscenes are fairly strong interpretations of the movie and the action sequences also do the title justice. There is a nice cache of bright colors and dark hues that compliment the game nicely in a cartoonish way. And even Dash's levels come across nicely at a steady 60 fps. I still am trying to figure out what Mrs. Incredible is grabbing onto while she swings around.

The audio is also done well, THQ apparently couldn't afford to get the original actors to voice the game, but they did get competent replacements. Decent voice work is another compliment to the game as is the audio music. I wouldn't stand up and cheer for it, but I never turned it down or off either.

You know, as I look back on this review, it would appear that the game is pretty good. But I don't exactly want you to get that out of this review. So let me add the last blurb of information to solidify your decision on whether or not you want to purchase it.

The Incredibles, never really busts out of its shell like I wanted it to. I think that older kids and adults will play it for a while, but will be bogged down by its repetition. I actually was talking to myself while playing the game and questioning why this game shouldn't have been better. It's all there. A cool little superhero family and what should have been an original adventure. But the decent graphics and audio don't outweigh the cumbersome controls and blah execution. I suspect younger kids 10 and under will get some playtime out of it but even so, I imagine only a small, select few will see the end of this title.

Review Scoring Details

Gameplay: 6.5

Nice that there are several ways to play the game, but the levels get awfully familiar. I wanted more originality in the execution. Controls need revamping.

Graphics: 7.3

Above average graphics. I love Dash and his speed demon levels. It was neat to see Bob pick up massive objects and blast them through a wall or enemies. Nice use of horizon. The cursed camera glitches do pop up and will tick you off.

Audio: 7.1

Decent, ample voice work, but after seeing the movie, it just felt a little.. off. Some fairly humorous one liners.

Difficulty: Easy

It's just not hard for anyone over 13.

Concept: 6.2

This category would have scored so much higher if the developers would have come up with some better scenarios for the family to get tumbled up in. Super hero games aren't new, but with such a fresh spin on things with the movie, I think it would have worked better if that same freshness was unleashed in the game.

Overall: 6.9

I said it best in my last paragraph. I wanted more, but didn't get it. This might be a must buy for the rare gamer. But the average nine year old will stop playing after a while and go back to something else.