Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies for GameCube Reviews by Gamers

Game editors usually fear titles based on big-name licenses. Fear multiplies the further you go down the age demographic, ultimately settling on games based on Saturday morning cartoons. Traditionally, they've always been the worst of the lot. While exceptions do exist, cartoon-based kiddy games have always lacked engaging gameplay and the kind of visuals capable of drawing in the average gamer. Well, has anything changed of late?

Does Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies shatter preconceptions of how a kiddy game should play? Does it break free of its predecessors such as Sponge Bob Square Pants: The Battle for Bikini Bottom and the recently released Fairly Odd Parents: Shadow Showdown? Does it simultaneously engage older gamers while capturing the imagination of kids?

While mature gamers may have to wait a little longer for a well-crafted game based on their favorite cartoons, Attack of the Twonkies marks a definite improvement over previous attempts. The game obviously caters toward younger players, as the difficulty of the puzzles and enemies will attest. And the adventure is relatively short compared to most games. But it still packs a decent amount of fun for a budget title geared toward seven-year-olds.

The premise is as simple as the game itself. James Isaac Neutron, the biggest dweeb in the western hemisphere, inadvertently releases a group of maniacal alien beings on Earth after returning from a trip to space. Using a collection of oddball inventions and gizmos, Jimmy must save the denizens of Earth and vanquish the horde of alien "invaders" known as the "Twonkies." Along the way, you'll interact with series regulars such as Jimmy's neighborhood friend Carl. You'll also interact with Jimmy's mom and school teachers.

To ease fledgling players into the experience, Attack of the Twonkies weaves a thorough tutorial into the first chapter of the game, titled "A Comet Cometh." Here, the game teaches you all the basics you'll need to survive the game: movement, constructing inventions and gizmos, and using your robotic dog "Goddard" to perform various tasks. The developers based much of the game on the creation of inventions, so we'll give you a basic rundown of how this works.

Opening the "Inventorface" presents four basic options: Blueprints, Gizmos, Inventions and Super Inventions. You'll need to collect dozens of gizmo parts throughout the game. The game doesn't really hide any of them, so don't expect any treasure hunting sequences. In fact, you'll need each piece to progress through specific parts of each chapter, so the game practically leaves them out in the open for you to find when you need them. After collecting specific parts, a flashing icon will appear on-screen letting you know a new gizmo is available.

Creating a new gizmo is a simple affair. Choosing the Gizmos tab in the Inventorface lets you cycle through the various parts. Once two seemingly unrelated items match, an on-screen Jimmy will give you a "Thumbs-Up" giving you the go-ahead for Gizmo creation. Again, each new Gizmo helps you progress through specific parts of the game, so none of them are optional. You won't be cycling through hundreds of parts creating wicked-cool contraptions either. Attack of the Twonkies lacks the kind of in-depth creation system seen in some RPGs, but the system here is decent for a kids game. It's better than the wish system seen the Fairly Odd Parents titles, anyway.

As in the show, you'll be creating oddball Gizmos out of ordinary household items like old sneakers, calculators and chalk. During one of the earlier stages, you'll be stuck outside of an abandoned space station. The only way to proceed inside is to invent the "Attracto Sneakers" by combining a pair of shoes with magnets. Another section of the game sees you inventing the "Chalky Seakers" by wrapping colored chalk to the bottom of a pair of sneakers.

While Gizmos only require two parts to create, Inventions call for three parts. Inventions serve the same purpose as Gizmos, they're just a tad harder to construct. You can also create Super Inventions. These high-tech devices require four parts to construct. While relatively simple, each invention is implemented well in the game. You'll spend quite a bit of time finding pieces for different inventions, so it's a good thing that using them makes up one of the more enjoyable aspects in Attack of the Twonkies.

Jimmy's robotic dog plays a hefty role in the game. You need to collect special items that increase his capabilities, letting him excavate buried minerals, break down barriers and hunt for Gizmo pieces. Just like the inventions, using "Goddard" is another cool aspect of the game and enhances the overall experience.

Controlling Jimmy is easy enough due to the game's camera and simple control scheme. You won't find any fancy ledge-hanging or wall-running techniques here. You'll just run and double-jump your way to saving the Earth from an army of Twonkies. The only major problem is Jimmy's running speed. He's damn slow. While you can invent speed boots later in the game, it doesn't help much. The game would actually be some hours shorter had Jimmy been a little faster.

You'll also get the chance to pilot vehicles during action sequences. The earliest example sees you controlling a rocket ship as you throttle past a meteor shower. You'll need to dodge all sorts of space trash and meteors. Luckily, your ship comes equipped with a laser, so you can blast through larger meteors with ease. Like most things in the game, you'll need to invent the rocket ship out of parts before you can take off into space. These sequences are actually fun and help break up the platforming action that makes up a bulk of the game.

Graphically, the game looks decent for a budget title. Attack of the Twonkies boasts snazzy effects during some of the space sequences and character animation is fairly smooth. The textures could have used some work, however, as many of the surfaces in the game lacked serious detail. The game mirrors the style of the show, so all the characters and environments will look familiar and each is rendered well. Fans of the show will also recognize much of the sound effects, music and voice talent from the show.

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