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The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Spiderwick Chronicles based on the
popular novel by Tony DiTerlizzi and the soon to be released film of the
same name has arrived on the PlayStation 2. Based on the movie by
Paramount Pictures, the Spiderwick Chronicles (game) revolves around
three children (Jared, Simon & Mallory) who uncover a mysterious book
hidden away at their Uncle's home.
Unbeknown to the children, this book tells
them of the unseen universe of faeries, goblins and other mythical and
mystical creatures such as the Elves who cannot be seen by humans. This
book however changes the status quo and allows these three children to
enter their realm in this magical game of action, adventures and
puzzles. However, there is a price to pay for the children and when the
book unleashes magical powers, the Goblins vow to have this book which
may turn the tides of this unknown universe.
Although available on the XBox 360, Nintendo DS and Windows PC, this
review will focus on the PlayStation 2 version. In the game, players
control all three characters in the title, each with a unique and
different abilities who are joined by a cast of wondrous and magical
characters. There are also other playable characters and once the game
is completed in single player, gamers can then play multiplayer.
In its essence, The Spiderwick Chronicles
is your classic adventure game where the gamer must explore and solve a
variety of puzzles and quests in order to successfully complete the
game. The game itself is not all about puzzles and problem solving as it
features a health dose of combat where the character must capture the
creature they are fighting in order to catalogue them.
Goblins on the other hand are disposed of
and each character has a different way of fighting, whether its with a
bat, sword or home-made gun. The control system of the game is
relatively straight forward and both my nephew and niece picked up the
controls in no time as they explored the game.
Graphically, The Spiderwick Chronicles on the PS2 is a visual treat
which really pays homage to the upcoming movie with its highly detailed
and colourful environments with realistic and almost surreal characters.
Match that with a variety of special effects and you have a great movie
based game. Probably one of the best movie games that I have seen in a
long time. Although much of the scenes are taken from the movie, the
developers have also created exclusive content for the games that goes
hand-in-hand with the exclusive movie content.
The musical score of The Spiderwick
Chronicles is brilliant and sets the ambient scene for the game which
changes as the players progress and encounter the various characters in
the world of these mythical creatures. With professional voice acting
(not sure whether this is from the movie), the game is rather impressive
on this front.
In conclusion, The Spiderwick Chronicles is a great game for the younger
gamer that features easy to solve puzzles, adventure and excitement
which will compliment the upcoming movie quite nicely. Great graphics,
good gameplay, there is little to complain about the Spiderwick
Chronicles. |
