7.5

Monsters vs Aliens

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To compliment the box office smash Monsters vs Aliens which is currently screening worldwide, Activision have released the movie interpretation of the game which was developed by Beenox Studios and revolves around a group of monsters who have been conscripted to save the Earth from an impending alien invasion.

Before you start droning about movie based games which at times are generally of poor quality, Monsters vs Aliens is actually one of the better arcade action games and plays quite well on the 360. It should be mentioned that this game is aimed at the younger market so those looking for something complex are best to look elsewhere.

Features

• Play as your favorite monsters from the film – The rag tag team of monsters are tough, funny and sometimes misguided, but all together are a force to be reckoned with, both in their alien battling abilities and wise cracking personalities. Players relive their hilarious antics from the movie and create an all-new adventure in an epic battle to conquer mankind’s biggest threat, Gallaxhar and his giant alien robots.

• Experience unique gameplay as different monsters – Challenges stay fresh and lively through more than 12 distinct levels as players switch between characters, each with vastly different capabilities and sizes.

• The Missing Link: Utilize his skillful acrobatics to cling to and scale various surfaces. His agility and brut strength lets him take down enemies of all sizes.
  B.O.B.: The gelatinous B.O.B. can swallow and spit out enemies and objects, stretch, bounce, stick to walls and ceilings and seep through grates and cracks.

• Ginormica: Her enormous size allows players to race through the city using cars as rollerskates and her sheer strength comes in handy to lift heavy objects and brawl with the robot army.

• Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.: As the brainiest of the group and the mission giver, Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. is playable at any time in co-op mode to assist with slowing down enemies, overcoming obstacles and grabbing collectibles.

• Insectosaurus: Command this enormous 350-foot tall monster in epic battle sequences against giant robots. Insectosaurus shoots silk and has a piercing sonic scream that will have enemies running.

• Explore cool locations from the movie and more – Visit cool locations from the film and beyond including the streets of San Francisco, Gallaxhar’s huge overcompensating mothership and the super secret government containment area. Game exclusive levels, areas and locations include the inside of a 400-foot tall mining robot, a giant scorpion robot, a deeper look into the monster containment facility and Gallaxhar’s mothership.

• Work as a team in co-op mode – A second player can pick up a controller and drop in at anytime as Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. As the most brilliant scientist in the world, players can blast and beam away enemies with tricky gadgets, plus reach hard to access places that only the smartest of cockroaches can get to.

For those who have not seen the movie which we highly recommend that you do, you can check out the IMAX review here. The story revolves around Susa (aka Ginormica) who was hit by a meteor on her wedding day and unfortunately for her, she began to grow uncontrollably. Eventually reaching "giant" size, she was captured by a secret military organisation who have been attempting to keep the existence of such creatures secret from the public.

During her incarceration, she meets some other friendly monsters that include a jelly like creature called B.O.B., a lizard man named The Missing Link, a super intelligence cockroach named Dr. Cockroach and finally a giant insect called Insectosaurus. The story contains everything from action, comedy and a touch of romance and needless to say, it's one of the better Dreamworks CGI movies.

In the game, players must complete a variety of objectives in order to progress to the next level. Best of all, the player is not just limited to one character and you have access to Ginormica, B.O.B. and Dr. Cockroach. Each of these characters has their pros and cons, whether it's Ginormica who uses cars to skate or The Missing Link uses his super lizard like strength to smash things into the ether, each characters is quite diverse in terms of control and combat. The gameplay of Monsters vs Aliens is quite different as it involves quite a few genres such as a skating, adventure and fighting.

The Missing Link reminds me of Lizzie from Rampage as he smashes his way to victory, however kids will definitely enjoy B.O.B. who interacts well with the gaming environment such as climbing walls, shooting blobs or eating things in his path. The game even contains an almost first person shooter experience where you can use weapons.

Although this is generally quite slower than the other methods of play, it does help break up the monotony of arcade games. Apart from the main arcade adventure play, the game contains quite a few different mini-games that are littered throughout. Another interesting twist is the DNA labs that allows you to access fun things like weapon upgrades, scenes from the movie and even more mini-games. All in all, quite a sturdy game for kids!

Graphically, the title is quite reminiscent of the movie with colourful environments and characters that almost look like their IMAX 3D counterparts. The loading time between levels is a little slow, however the graphics are rather impressive for a movie based game. The special effects and lighting go hand in hand with the gameplay mode and match that with a great musical score and professional voice acting, this is the perfect compendium for kids who loved the movie.

In conclusion, Monsters vs Aliens is a good game for the kids and considering that it's the school holidays in Australia at the moment or you want to give your children something to do over the Easter break than this game is for them. Good gameplay, some frustrating levels, Monsters vs Aliens is definitely worth the entry price. Check it out!