Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius
Score: 15% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: THQ Developer: Nick Games Media: GCD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Platformer
Graphics & Sound: What do you want first, the good news, or the bad news? Let's start with the good. Nickelodeon and THQ have done the game justice by casting the actual voice actors from the movie and television series of the same name. Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius's voice-acting is superb, in fact. But are you ready for the bad news? If so, simply read the rest of this review. Unlike the great voice-acting in Jimmy Neutron, the graphics are so bad they'd probably be considered sub-par, even on the original PlayStation, or possibly on the N64... making them absolutely horrible on the 128-bit GameCube. Characters are very blocky, and the texturing in the game ranges from looking decent to being stretched out or blocky. But what amazes me the most is how badly the game chugs at certain points, even with the extremely low-poly characters and worlds. Not only was the game poorly visualized, but also poorly programmed.
Gameplay: I have never played a game that felt so rushed out the door in my life. Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius is quite possibly the worst game I have played in recent years, and is most definitely one of the most limited in terms of gameplay. Loosely based on the movie, Jimmy Neutron follows our star character through a sneak-away party at an amusement park to another world, where he will defeat the evil Yokians that have captured his parents. Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius is simple in concept, and simple in design. I would estimate the target age for this game to be 7-10. Yet, even with this simplistic approach, the game just isn't fun. There are only 6 short levels in the game (but, maybe this is a blessing in disguise), and the clunky camera makes frustration the word of choice when playing Jimmy Neutron. Adding to the above is the poor programming that is present in Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius. A number of times I came across graphical and programming glitches, ranging from poor collision detection to accessing areas that shouldn't have been accessible. Still, the camera is so bad that it not only makes the game no fun to play, but nearly impossible for children of all ages. The good news about Jimmy Neutron is that kids should be able to easily figure out the controls. Your basic layout includes a jump, kick, and talk button. What blows my mind, however, is that this 'kid's game' is actually fairly difficult at points.
Difficulty: Once again, Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius is definitely aimed toward the youth who watch and love the cartoon. Because of this, you'll be shocked to see some of the puzzles Jimmy is asked to solve. It's not necessarily that the thought process is all that hard (except for maybe the youngest of gamers), but the jumps and movements required in solving the puzzles compound the difficulty. The fact is that the camera is not locked in an over-the-shoulder view, but instead as a close-up from the same angle at all times. This makes jumping from platform to platform extremely difficult at times! Not only that, but as you walk toward the camera, you can easily stumble over a cliff edge or walk right into the clutches of an enemy Yokian.
Game Mechanics: Quite frankly, the camera control (or lack thereof) in Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius is horrendous!!! Fortunately, the button layout is very simple, so virtually anyone should be able to jump and kick their way around each of the short levels. However, this in no way makes up for the shoddy quality of the game. Parents, be warned. This game is terrible. I think that even kids who are into the cartoon would be bored by the game in no time. And, if they do stick it out, also be warned that it took only a few playing hours for me to beat the game... and most of that was because I kept falling due to the static camera angle. Jimmy Neutron isn't even worth a rent, unless your child throws a fit at your local Blockbuster. And even then, the torture of a kid screaming may be less than the torture of playing through Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius.
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
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