The Incredibles GBA
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You know, I hear this is a good movie.
Being that The Incredibles released to theaters not too long ago, I doubt you are surprised that a tie-in game for the GBA was released along with it. Such is the nature of movie licenses converted into video games. Usually, most of these games end up... shall we say... less than average. But there is an outside chance that there occurs a movie-to-game that isn't just a quick cash-in. That hope, that maybe this time, the publisher maybe treated this as a game instead of a cash crop. Unfortunately, The Incredibles GBA is a member of the latter group.
Play a little video game word association with me. I'm going to say a word, and I want you to say the first genre that pops in your head. Ready? Superheroes!
...
You said side-scrolling beat-em-up, right? Of course you did. That is what this game is, and any problem that can exist with a side-scrolling beat-em-up, The Incredibles has.
If you, during our little word association experiment, also imagined a lot of walking to the right and punching people, you would also be correct. But The Incredibles offers so much more. For example:
As you can see, the gameplay variety is pretty slim, which is puzzling because the nature of each different character's powers would almost demand a great deal of variety.
Of course, these are not just any villains you fight. They are Syndrome's personal guard! You also fight some of Bomb Voyage's henchmen, but these super villains must hire out of the same temp pool. They act the same and almost dress the same. A note about these henchmen: They are very mean-spirited. They come at you with sticks and guns, but sometimes they do not attack. Sometimes, they point at your character and laugh. I really have no idea why they are laughing. They do not have the upper hand in this game. Despite all the cheap damage you take, you cannot lose this game, as 1-ups are very easy to find and quite plentiful, and it takes a lot to end the life of an Incredible. So... what are they laughing at? Like a manhole cover to the face, the reason for their mocking of the player becomes clear as glass. Like the mind of a killer, the reason for their ridicule of the player lies in plain sight. The henchmen are laughing at the player because he is playing The Incredibles GBA. That he willingly selected this game out of the sea of quality GBA titles. I can think of no other explanation, and I believe this is truly the source of their mockery.
Now what would a game like this be without a good boss fight? And I mean that in the most literal sense. A boss fight. Singular. And what if they made you repeat this boss fight 3 times and you defeat the boss in the exact same way each time? The boss in Question is the Omnidroid.(R)(C) You fight it by punching its claws and then punching its "eye." And that's it. Even the final boss of the game is a recurring enemy. And it's over. As I watched the rather long credits, I pondered as to whether those henchmen were justified in belittling me that I spent $30 on this game. I have reached a conclusion. However, despite my capacity to guide your thoughts about this game, I cannot force you to reach my conclusion, and I leave you to reach your own.
This game is not without its merits. The animation is more than adequate, and the world in which the characters exist is vivid and moderately detailed. This game sports Factor 5's MusyX sound compression. While what is being played through the speakers leaves a little to be desired, everything comes out crystal clear. The controls offer no encumbrance and respond very well to commands. These qualities are much to the credit of The Incredibles GBA, but they do not come close to surmounting the detriments. The game is short, but made to feel long and tedious through repetition. Not recommended.
Score
| Graphics | Sound | Control | Gameplay | Lastability | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 |
Summary
Pros:
- Animation and backgrounds are above average
- Crystal clear sound
- Keeps the dust out of your GBA if you have no cart in it
Cons:
- Quite possibly the most tedious game on the face of the earth
- Will make the other games in your collection feel bad about themselves
- Evil henchmen are really mean by laughing at you
- All this and a password save, too. Even That's SO Raven had a password save.
