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IGN Review of Pokemon Rumble Blast
Pokemon Rumble Blast marks the very first Pokemon-branded title created for the 3DS. Pokemaniacs like myself have eagerly awaited the opportunity to see our favorite monsters rendered in full, stereoscopic 3D pretty much since we first heard about Nintendo's newest handheld. But while the game does have its charms, unfortunately the efforts of developer Ambrella just didn't end up warranting a full retail release.
A sequel to 2009's WiiWare title, Rumble Blast shares the basic idea of its predecessor - namely taking toy versions of Pokemon into battle in a miniature adventure/beat 'em up. Wielding your army of toy monsters, you basically mash A through level after level of Pokemon-filled areas. Defeating all of the areas in a field opens up a Battle Royale arena, where you must defeat all of the Pokemon present within the time limit to progress. Defeat them all and you'll be crowned the Battle Royale Champion.
While button mashing your way through each level provides more fun than you'd think, there's just not enough depth to it all. Yes, water Pokemon still have an advantage over fire types - and you have to keep a watch on your toys and switch them out before their health bar drops too low if you don't want to lose them - but that's about as far as the strategy goes. The levels are far too short, and you can honestly run right by the attacking Pokemon if you so please.
The addition of boss battles with giant Pokemon at the end of each area makes for a fun diversion, but nothing really spectacular, and nothing especially challenging. Going back to collect Pokemon figurines (which defeated monsters randomly drop) adds quite a bit in the way of replay value, but honestly I doubt most people will feel compelled to invest that much effort.
The best part of the experience involves playing through levels with a friend, which you can do for any area that both of you have already beaten. This not only offers its fair share of fun, but also makes collecting figurines much quicker and easier. Playing with a buddy certainly ups the experience, though I still found it to be lacking in the content department.
Considering the original rang in at about $15, you'd expect its sequel (currently priced at $35) would have upped the production value considerably. But it didn't. Not even a little. Rumble Blast sports the same jagged, deformed Pokemon models from the last game - and they look just awful.
Especially when compared to the gorgeous 3D representations showcased in Pokemon 3D, I found it hard to swallow a full retail release once again making use of the junky designs first showcased in Pokemon Ranch. Though having the ability to capture over 600 different kinds of Pokemon from all generations of games is awesome, I would have much rather it been limited to fewer monsters that actually looked liked they were supposed to.
The story and sound don't do much to help. While both are cute and more than passable, they don't come close to reaching the level of excellence I'd like to expect from a Pokemon-branded game. Some things, like the use of Miis and the well-implemented 3D effect, turned out rather delightful. But as an overall package, Rumble Blast just doesn't stack up.
©2011-10-24, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
A sequel to 2009's WiiWare title, Rumble Blast shares the basic idea of its predecessor - namely taking toy versions of Pokemon into battle in a miniature adventure/beat 'em up. Wielding your army of toy monsters, you basically mash A through level after level of Pokemon-filled areas. Defeating all of the areas in a field opens up a Battle Royale arena, where you must defeat all of the Pokemon present within the time limit to progress. Defeat them all and you'll be crowned the Battle Royale Champion.
While button mashing your way through each level provides more fun than you'd think, there's just not enough depth to it all. Yes, water Pokemon still have an advantage over fire types - and you have to keep a watch on your toys and switch them out before their health bar drops too low if you don't want to lose them - but that's about as far as the strategy goes. The levels are far too short, and you can honestly run right by the attacking Pokemon if you so please.
The addition of boss battles with giant Pokemon at the end of each area makes for a fun diversion, but nothing really spectacular, and nothing especially challenging. Going back to collect Pokemon figurines (which defeated monsters randomly drop) adds quite a bit in the way of replay value, but honestly I doubt most people will feel compelled to invest that much effort.
The best part of the experience involves playing through levels with a friend, which you can do for any area that both of you have already beaten. This not only offers its fair share of fun, but also makes collecting figurines much quicker and easier. Playing with a buddy certainly ups the experience, though I still found it to be lacking in the content department.
Considering the original rang in at about $15, you'd expect its sequel (currently priced at $35) would have upped the production value considerably. But it didn't. Not even a little. Rumble Blast sports the same jagged, deformed Pokemon models from the last game - and they look just awful.
Especially when compared to the gorgeous 3D representations showcased in Pokemon 3D, I found it hard to swallow a full retail release once again making use of the junky designs first showcased in Pokemon Ranch. Though having the ability to capture over 600 different kinds of Pokemon from all generations of games is awesome, I would have much rather it been limited to fewer monsters that actually looked liked they were supposed to.
The story and sound don't do much to help. While both are cute and more than passable, they don't come close to reaching the level of excellence I'd like to expect from a Pokemon-branded game. Some things, like the use of Miis and the well-implemented 3D effect, turned out rather delightful. But as an overall package, Rumble Blast just doesn't stack up.
©2011-10-24, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved