Monsters vs. Aliens – PC – Review

Following in the tradition of
blockbuster movies, particular those aimed at younger audiences, gamers can
take on the roles of their favorite characters in the film-to-game adaptation
of Monsters vs. Aliens. Several characters are available, and each utilizes
their unique constitution and special abilities throughout the game. Some of
the gameplay mechanics are genuinely fun – for the first few minutes. It isn’t
terribly long before each character’s repetitive move set loses its luster,
and the lack of novelty is something that even younger players are liable to
find boring after a while.


Ginormica,
who is essentially just a large woman (not obese, just proportionally
enlarged), sets her feet inside of vehicles and skates around her designated
stages like… well, a skater. It’s not a difficult connection for even a young
player to make, but despite the visually attractive maneuvers
Ginormica can execute, they offer fairly limited
thrill with repeated use. Players who enjoy the basic mechanics would probably
be blown away by what a Tony Hawk game has to offer, but this game is no Tony
Hawk.

Substantially less exciting are
the stages which set you in the scaly skin of The Missing Link, a fairly
generic character resembling a man-fish-lizard hybrid. The actions that
comprise his gameplay sections involve smashing crates and dodging incoming
fire, and as you may expect, these lose their appeal very quickly. Easily the
best character rounding out the bunch is B.O.B. This gelatinous pile of blue
can consume objects, and even enemies in his path. His sticky composition
allows him to adhere to a variety of surfaces, and knowing what those surfaces
look like is crucial to the game’s progress. If he isn’t carrying anything
around inside like cheap fruit in a gelatin dessert, B.O.B. can pass through
certain permeable surfaces like fencing. This would have been an interesting
place to build innovative mechanics, making him into an almost T2-like
character; unfortunately, this is not the case. Still, he offers plenty of
bouncy, flatulent fun for young audiences who manage to reach his levels in
the game without losing interest.


Replayability
for Monsters vs. Aliens comes primarily from the DNA lab. Here you’ll find
sundry rewards for completing an assortment of challenges and tasks. Most are
fairly forgettable, and probably won’t motivate players to replay an already
repetitive level unless they truly enjoyed it to begin with. The game also
features a rather dull co-operative mode, in which the secondary player fires
projectiles and such while the other does most of the work. It’s a bit like
Super Mario Galaxy’s co-op, so if you enjoyed it, you’ll know what to expect.

The sounds of the game are
generally appropriate for the cartoonish
presentation, and the music is similarly suited. It would have been nice to
see some use of the film’s cast members, especially since many other movie
games (like Spiderman and Lord of the Rings) have been doing this in the past.
Graphically, Monsters vs. Aliens is quite a letdown. While it may be
unrealistic to expect visuals nearing the fidelity of those seen in the film,
the game’s character models look downright awful – a glaring sign the title
was rushed in order make the movie release date and appear on multiple
platforms at the same time. If you’re thinking of picking up Monsters vs.
Aliens for your kids, you could certainly do much worse. With an expected
playing time only twice that of the film’s length, most of us would probably
benefit from looking elsewhere for entertainment.


Review
Scoring Details for Monsters vs. Aliens

Gameplay: 5.5

Some

interesting mechanics, particularly in the semi-permeable blue fellow. Still,
the game is awfully repetitive.


Graphics: 5.0 
Even the
brightest of color palettes can’t conceal a very disappointing visual design.


Sound: 6.0

The

music and effects are alright, but what happened to the original cast?


Difficulty: Easy

The

hardest part of the game? Playing long after you’ve lost
interest.
Other than that, it’s definitely geared toward children.


Concept: 6.0 

Multiple

mechanics work well, but a proper cooperative mode could have things much
better.


Multiplayer: 5.0
Co-op isn’t
all that fun, but it’s better than nothing.


Overall: 5.3
No matter how
much you loved the movie, think twice before
picking up the game. Monsters vs. Aliens gets dull
very quickly, and it won’t last you more than a few hours.