for the very first time, only one thing came to mind: this looks like a game
that’s based on a hit cartoon series. Sure enough that’s just what it is. I
don’t watch too many Saturday morning or weekday afternoon cartoons anymore,
so I hadn’t heard of this series before. However, if you like side-scrolling
beat-’em-ups, that doesn’t really matter.
The Super Duper Sumos are
big on the outside, but even bigger on the inside. They dedicate their lives
to doing what any "super duper" hero would do: saving the world. Brief
written story segments introduce each chapter, but if you’d prefer to kick
some butt and leave the words for novels, you can skip the text and go right
to the game. The story segments have little to do with your actual mission,
so it’s not important to watch them if you don’t want to.
Gamers over the age of 12
should remember the SNES classic Final Fight, as well as the Sega Genesis
classic Streets of Rage. Both games were very a part of the rarely seen
side-scrolling beat-’em-up genre. There’s only one point to those games, and
that’s to walk around each level, look for an enemy, and punch and kick him
until he’s down. If you desired, you could also attack some of your
environments, which could lead to either more points or a possible weapon (a
pipe could be used to beat the weak enemy into shape).
Super Duper Sumos fits in
with those games, with a couple of exceptions: 1) it is much simpler (target
audience = kids), and 2) there isn’t as much destruction involved.
You can acquire some
non-weapons that can be used as weapons, like a giant fish (strange, but
powerful). Even stranger are the enemies: deformed penguins, brute thugs,
giant sea creatures, etc. They’re big, almost comical villains that are
likely taken direct from the show. I’ve never seen the show but I was still
moderately amused by them. This is probably a show I would have watched as a
kid, and definitely a game I would have played.
Super Duper Sumos uses
one of the foe 3D setups made popular by 16-bit arcade games. It’s purely a
2D side-scroller, but you can move up and down the sidewalk, which is intended
to simulate moving in and out of the foreground. If you’re not familiar with
Final Fight or Streets of Rage, maybe the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
arcade game will ring a bell. They all share the same level structure.
By defeating enemies and
protecting the world from the threat of invasion, you’ll have to chance to
obtain special attack items. These power meter-increasing items fill your
meter and, when full, give you the option of unleashing one of two powerful
attacks. There are three meters, and any time that one is full, you can
unleash a powerful stomp by pressing the right trigger. This stomp will
eliminate (or at the very least knock down) any enemy that is standing near
you. You could take out several enemies simultaneously if you plan your
attack with enough skill. The most powerful special move is performed first
by filling up all three power meters. Then when you press the right trigger
your super duper sumo wrestler will jump high into the air and drop to the
ground like a 2000-pound car. All enemies will be knocked down, and most will
be removed from the game. I’d say "killed," but this game isn’t in the least
bit violent. No death is indicated. Enemies merely disappear, not roll over
and croak.
Quite
simply, I enjoyed Super Duper Sumos. The beat-’em-genre is great when done
correctly. I wish it would get more exposure because it has been years since
I’ve played a game of this kind. Super Duper Sumos won’t appease the hardcore
crowd, especially those who are jaded and angry at all the "less than perfect"
games that exist. But this was made for kids who watch the show. It’s
perfect for them, so parents, aunts and uncles, if your child or nephew is a
fan of the show, you know what to stick in his stocking.
Gameplay: 7
Are you a sumo
wrestler? Are you super duper? Oh, you’re not? Well that’s too bad, because
the stars of this game are. They’re big, but nice; overweight, but unusually
fit. They move with ease and strike with powerful punches, pound for pound.
The
game is fun – fans of the series will be thrilled to have a licensed game that
isn’t just a piece of marketing hype. There’s a real game inside of Super
Duper Sumos.
Graphics: 7.8
Appropriately
cartoony graphics, with good characters and decent animation. Usual praise
for usual effects.
Sound: 7.5
Not bad at all.
I’m not sure where the music came from (it may be from the show or it may be
brand-new), but it’s worth listening to. The sound effects are not nearly as
annoying as you’d expect from a game based on a cartoon series.
Difficulty: Easy
If you can’t beat
Super Duper Sumos, it’s probably your first game.
Concept: 7
Super Duper Sumos
doesn’t do anything new or extraordinary, but as a kid-targeted beat-’em-up,
it turned out to be a fun game.
Overall: 7
Sometimes it’s
hard to rate a game because it lacks an extreme quality, good or bad. Is
Super Duper Sumos above average (like Crash Bandicoot GBA)? No. Is it below
average (like Disney’s Party)? No. So where does it fit? It fits best in
the hands of a child who enjoys the show. Other kids would enjoy it too, but
there are so many games out there that they probably wouldn’t even give it a
chance. That’d be a mistake, but it’s a tough world out there, with so many
choices to make when it comes to time tell Santa what you want.
