Fairly Odd Parents: Shadow Showdown PS2 Review
Nickelodeon is famous for their weird and strange shows. They have a large list of cartoons they have made successful and even turned some into movies. From their Rugrats movies to Spongebob which is set to hit cinemas soon, Nickelodeon is one of the most popular television channels for kids these days. One of their television shows that is catching a lot of attention as of late is the Fairly Odd Parents. Already having released their first title based on the television show (Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin’ Da Rules), THQ has published their second for the Gamecube with Shadow Showdown. Is it a step up or is it below par? Read on to find out about how my experience was with this wonderful Nickelodeon cartoon.
Gameplay
The Fairly Odd Parents revolves around Timmy and his Fairy Godparents. They grant him wishes when he is in dire need of them such as when his television is broken in this case. They receive their magical powers from their fairy world but it seems as if their magic is gone for some odd reason. It’s time to enter fairy world and find out why all the magic is gone.
Shadow Showdown is among the list of cartoon games that become platformers and try to combine item collection with easy puzzle solving. Item collecting was perfected with the N64 Banjo-Kazooie and everyone since then has tried to emulate something similar to that. Timmy will be collecting crowns throughout the game to use as his money of sorts. The crowns will gain him the ability to buy power ups and what not during the game. Power ups include stars for his godparents to use to power up their weakling wands that they have which are spares since they no longer have magic anymore.
The action is handled usually through Timmy’s wish list. Timmy wishes for an object to get past an obstacle standing in front of him. The wish list could have been used wisely and broadened the scope of things with allowing more wishes to be granted and choices of wishes. The wish list is probably the biggest let down of the game if there is one but it’s nothing to fret about as it never really distracted me away from acknowledging that this game is intended for children.
It’s easy to play as the game only offers a few actions for Timmy to execute. Basic moves include running, sprinting, jumping and stomping. Stomping is of course used to stomp on objects to move on further that may have been an obstacle in the way. Timmy barely ends up dieing as his health is solid and hits don’t nearly take a bit out of the health bar at all. The levels are large and you may get lost as you lose sight of what your objectives are when running around the levels.
Sound
The voice-overs are identical to the television show so children will love this. Dialogue is intended for the younger ages of course so they will get a kick out of the jokes they try to throw into the game. Sound effects are generic and so is the music. The best part of the sound is in the voices and how they copy the success of their television series with the dialogue.
Graphics
Graphically the game resembles the cartoon but still suffers from jaggies. Animations are still behind modern standards but the game captures the cartoon beautifully. It’s not the best looking game off a Nickelodeon cartoon or in the children’s video game category, but it still proves to be good looking enough for any child to enjoy.
Lifespan
There are unlockables but the main draw for those who want to play this over and over again would be the mini-games that allow two players to play. If there is one big improvement over the first Fairly Odd Parents game it would be the fact there is multiplayer for two players. The game will last around 15 hours for those who pace themselves. The only attraction for replay would be the six multi-player mini-games.
Overall
Fairly Odd Parents: Shadow Showdown does deliver a great game when you compare it to other children’s games. They did add a few multiplayer games to keep players interested after completing the game. The mini-games aren’t anything big but allow the players to have a reason to replay this game. In the end, I would urge those have children to buy it for them as both you and your child will love this game if you are fan of the television series.
