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IGN Review of Bratz: Girlz Really Rock!
The Bratz girls are off to summer camp. Not just any old summer camp, though, but a performing arts camp called Camp Starshine. Sounds a bit like Disney's Camp Rock. I'm sure nobody's noticed the similarity.
The tale of the girls' vacation adventure of singing songs, learning new dances and fawning over boys was the basis for the latest straight-to-DVD animated film for the franchise, Bratz Girlz Really Rock. This DS effort is an adaptation of that movie -- but while the setting and storyline are certainly new for the series, it all just turns out to be a fresh coat of paint applied to the same old collection of mini-game designs.
The game gets going with a fully animated intro sequence pulled straight out of the film, which follows the girls' journey by school bus to the entryway of Camp Starshine. On arrival, control passes to the player and you can begin to explore the outdoor environment -- if you can handle the interface.
It's difficult to get moving around in Bratz Girlz Really Rock thanks to an odd, too-close-for-comfort camera position framing your current character. The angle of the default shot is low to the ground, making it tough to properly point your stylus at where you want your girl to walk. And the focus always has her standing much too close to your viewing position, meaning you see a whole lot of her and very little of the surrounding environment. It's weird.
Perhaps the close-ups are intentional, meant to give you a better look at your character's fashion (since part of the game design is being able to alter each of the Bratz girls' outfits). But even then, more flaws are revealed -- like the girl's constant scowling expressions. You'll engage in friendly dialogue with fellow campers, happily commenting on sunny subjects like clothes and puppies. But, all the while, your character's face will stay locked into an emotion that looks downright angry. It's disturbing.
Getting past those initial hurdles, the game reveals itself to be a pretty standard Bratz design -- you walk around the camp, talk to the other campers, buy and try on new outfits and play mini-games. The mini-game designs are nothing new, as most seem pulled out of previous Bratz titles. There's the DDR dancing game with the moving icons, the Guitar Hero clone, the puzzler knock-off of Bust-a-Move. Pretty par for the course, and pretty boring overall.
And the extended experience features like adopting and caring for a pet has also been done before, and also feels reheated for this adventure. The pet care sequences additionally reveal some odd technical inconsistencies in the design -- for example, the music goes completely silent when you're in the pet area, playing with your virtual puppy. That kind of lack of polish is off-putting.
©2009-01-12, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The tale of the girls' vacation adventure of singing songs, learning new dances and fawning over boys was the basis for the latest straight-to-DVD animated film for the franchise, Bratz Girlz Really Rock. This DS effort is an adaptation of that movie -- but while the setting and storyline are certainly new for the series, it all just turns out to be a fresh coat of paint applied to the same old collection of mini-game designs.
The game gets going with a fully animated intro sequence pulled straight out of the film, which follows the girls' journey by school bus to the entryway of Camp Starshine. On arrival, control passes to the player and you can begin to explore the outdoor environment -- if you can handle the interface.
It's difficult to get moving around in Bratz Girlz Really Rock thanks to an odd, too-close-for-comfort camera position framing your current character. The angle of the default shot is low to the ground, making it tough to properly point your stylus at where you want your girl to walk. And the focus always has her standing much too close to your viewing position, meaning you see a whole lot of her and very little of the surrounding environment. It's weird.
Perhaps the close-ups are intentional, meant to give you a better look at your character's fashion (since part of the game design is being able to alter each of the Bratz girls' outfits). But even then, more flaws are revealed -- like the girl's constant scowling expressions. You'll engage in friendly dialogue with fellow campers, happily commenting on sunny subjects like clothes and puppies. But, all the while, your character's face will stay locked into an emotion that looks downright angry. It's disturbing.
Getting past those initial hurdles, the game reveals itself to be a pretty standard Bratz design -- you walk around the camp, talk to the other campers, buy and try on new outfits and play mini-games. The mini-game designs are nothing new, as most seem pulled out of previous Bratz titles. There's the DDR dancing game with the moving icons, the Guitar Hero clone, the puzzler knock-off of Bust-a-Move. Pretty par for the course, and pretty boring overall.
And the extended experience features like adopting and caring for a pet has also been done before, and also feels reheated for this adventure. The pet care sequences additionally reveal some odd technical inconsistencies in the design -- for example, the music goes completely silent when you're in the pet area, playing with your virtual puppy. That kind of lack of polish is off-putting.
©2009-01-12, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved