Review: Monsters vs. Aliens

Childrens’ video games suck. That’s not conjecture. That’s straight-up fact. Now, a video game adapted from a children’s movie? That’s a disaster waiting to happen. Luckily, Activision has taken steps to reverse this horrible trend. Monsters vs. Aliens, a movie-based title for the kids, is actually a surprising adventure that both children and adults alike can enjoy. It’s not perfect - most games seldom are, but it does offer up a good time for anyone who gives it a chance.

Monsters vs. Aliens follows the story of a woman who grows into a giant after being hit by a meteor. Labeled as a “monster,” she’s wheeled off to a top-secret research facility that’s home to a group of fellow monsters who are being held under surveillance: B.O.B., Dr. Cockroach,and the Missing Link, a motley crew of monsters who are not allowed any contact with the outside world due to the fact that they’re, well, monsters. Susan, also known as Ginormica, obviously cannot get used to the confines of being treated as a monster, and understandably yearnrs to return to her everyday life. When an alien known as Gallaxhar notes that Susan has been transformed by a meteor, he is quick to sent a robot to extract radiation freely flowing from Susan’s body. The robot is a menace to all in its path, though when the crew of monsters break out from the research facility, they’re able to take it out. The humans should rejoice that they’re such friendly creatures, but instead shun them. Susan’s fiancee breaks off their engagement, and Susan realizes her new life may be one she’s better suited for. Still, there is the issue of defeating Gallaxhar, and that’s the basic premise of both the movie and of the game.

Monsters vs. Aliens is, at its core, a platformer. Throughout the game you’ll control each character more than once in specialied segments tailored to the character’s strengths. For instance, Ginormica generally has skating levels that require you to duck, jump, and perform well while on skate-like apparatuses. She’ll perform different jumps, slides, and wall maneuvers in addition to running into enemies that race toward her. B.O.B’.'s stages are half-fighting and half-puzzles with various locations calling for him to put his jelly-like consistency to good use. He’ll need to pass safely over grates by absorbing a box or similar object. Finally, The Missing Link’s stages are pure, brawler goodness with the exception of bolts that need to be turned or turrets that need to be deactivated. It’s probably the most entertaining out of the rest of the level mechanics, as it’s a brawler perfectly tailored to both kids and adults’ different play styles.

No matter whose levels you’re playing through, the narrative is a continuous flow from beginning to end. You’ll switch between characters quite often, according to each different scenario. This is a nice touch, ensuring that players don’t get overly bored playing with one mode throughout the game. Even with this supposed failsafe in play, though, you may grow a little weary about halfway through. Each character plays different, but levels are simply palette swaps of the previous areas. Little ones may not mind this, but I know that I do.

Each level contains select powerups and collectors’ items to obtain that can be put toward purchasing unlockables such as commentary, videos, art from the movies, and various other treasures. This is a nice change of pace and can become quite addictive if you happen to be big on collecting items in games a la Banjo Kazooie.

Perhaps thebiggest aspect of Monsters vs. Aliens that sets it apart from competitors in the movie game department is the fact that it presents genuinely involving gameplay. It never feels like a watered-down exercise in monotony. It presents many legitimate challenges that were inspired by some real creativity when it comes to level design. The developers should be commended for not dumbing the game down despite its target audience.

The graphics are truly nothing to write home about, but are at least true to the movie and its visual aesthetic. Environments are colorful and varied, even in the inside facility levels. Both adults and children should enjoy the settings, and that’s usually a rare feat to accomplish. Nothing too much to complain about here, though some character models could stand a bit more polishing.

As for the voice acting, none of the original cast of actors (Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland) reprise their roles for the game. This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. The fact that the people who attempted to make the original project into something respectable can’t be bothered to come back for a game simply blows my mind. The voice actors assigned the task provide marginally acceptable performances, but the writing is a bit stilted. Dr. Cockroach always refers to The Missing Link as “THE Missing Link”, no matter the context of the sentence. It sounds a bit strange, and it makes me wonder why exactly it had to be set up that way. Strange, indeed.

In what I hope to be an attempt to keep children off of Xbox Live, there is no online multiplayer to be seen in Monsters vs. Aliens. Instead, you can check out the local mode and have some fun playing with a younger sibling or anyone else who enjoyed the movie. It’s a commendable co-op mode that a few “normal” platformers would do well to include in their upcoming releases - co-op in platformers would always be welcome, in my eyes.

Overall, this is not at all a horrible game. Say what you will about movie games, but this one should be recognized for all that it does right rather than simply what it is. That kind of mentality severely limits the fun gamers end up having because they’re too afraid to shy away from the norm a bit and try something new. If you’re a platformer enthusiast, have children, or just enjoyed the movie, then give this a spin. It’s a great way to spend a couple (or one if you have the time) afternoons.

Doin It RIGHT:
- Interesting level design.
- “True” gameplay rather than dumbed-down idiocy for kids.
- Fun, colorful, and easy to pick up and play.
- Faithful to the movie.

Doin It RONG:
- Voice actors’ roles not reprised.
- Character levels are often just palette-swaps.
- Dodgy script at times.