|
When
a game of a well loved cartoon franchise is released, and  let’s
face it, it happens a lot, it is inevitable that it will be doing
the rounds. In the case of Scooby-Doo!
Unmasked, this means ports to GameCube, Xbox, NintendoDS,
Game Boy Advance and, of course, PlayStation2. In the GameCube
In-depth Reviews Archive of the Electronic Articles there is
a review of Scooby-Doo! Unmasked, and also a review of the
differing offering for the NintendoDS is available in the NintendoDS
In-depth Reviews Archive. Since the GameCube is in many ways a
superior games console when compared to the PlayStation2, how will Scooby
Doo! Unmasked fare on Sony’s black box?
Scooby-Doo!
Unmasked is a simple 3D platformer taking a lot of it’s
inspiration from the Crash Bandicoot series. In order to
complete the game’s Levels you must reach the end point through a
fairly linear path, eliminating enemies and gathering collectables.
The list of games to use this system is extensive to say the least,
since the basic formula has been used since the original Donkey
Kong for Nintendo’s Game And Watch series, so Scooby-Doo!
Unmasked is hardly the most original or ground-breaking title.
But it is doubtful that that was ever the idea, usually when games
like these are released, it is expected that the game will not
introduce any new or inspired features, but will still provide a
decent amount of fun for a few hours.
The
controls  for the PlayStation2 are very similar to the GameCube
system. Being the worlds best-selling current-generation games
console, it’s fairly likely that the PlayStation2 Control Pad was
always the controller that Scooby-Doo! Unmasked was designed
for, so provided you like the layout of the PlayStation2 pad, you
will have little problem directing the infamous canine. The actual
game is identical to the GameCube version; the games’ moderately
original sections, such as the mystery solving and costume wearing,
all work in exactly the same way as the GameCube version and to be
honest, if you weren’t holding a PlayStation2 Controller, you
wouldn’t know the difference…
That
is, apart from the fact that the PlayStation2’s comparatively
feeble hardware has difficultly running the game during some areas,
resulting in some irritating frame rate issues. Considering that, in
all likelihood, the PlayStation2 was the system that the game was
originally designed for, this does seem a little sloppy. However,
these problems do not really adversely affect the game and although
they can become quite annoying at times, it is unlikely that they
will ever cause the player to fail. The sound, one of the better
points of Scooby-Doo! Unmasked due to the top notch
voice-acting, and is also indistinguishable from the GameCube
version.
With
so very few differences between the two versions, Scooby-Doo!
Unmasked for the PlayStation2 has all the good and bad points of
the GameCube, but also has a few graphical glitches. That being
said, the game is still a fun, if slightly short, 3D Platform game
that will entertain children and Scooby-Doo! fans alike.
 
|
