Scooby Doo: Unmasked for Xbox Reviews & Ratings by IGN

Scooby-Doo, where are you? Long-time pal and hungry sidekick Shaggy has asked that very question more times than we could count, but kids across America needn't think about the answer. Since the cartoon series rose to popularity in the early 70s, Scooby-Doo has been just about everywhere. The iconic character has in the 35 years since his inception appeared in nearly 20 different cartoon revivals spanning some 320-plus episodes. And due in part to a hit live-action movie and in large to the dedication of both kids and adults alike, Scooby doesn't appear to be going anywhere. Except, that is, to the latest videogame platforms. Publisher THQ has throughout this generation worked with studios to bring new iterations of Scooby-based videogames to consoles and while these efforts have mostly met with mixed critical results, kids continue to lap them up all the same.

Scooby-Doo! Unmasked, from THQ and developer A2M (Scooby-Doo: Mystery Mayhem), is the latest romp into the cowardice dog's frightening and comical universe. The title is the most ambitious of any Scooby game to date, attempting to blend the style and humor of the franchise with traditional platform mechanics, and in some ways it is a success. However, despite notable improvements to control and presentation, some clunky operations remain, and repetition runs amok.

The Facts

• New Scooby-Doo platformer
• All-new storyline capitalizes on the franchise
• Play as Scooby-Doo and interact with friends Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma
• Platform through levels and combat different enemy types, many recognizable from old episodes
• As Scooby, don three new suits in order to gain unique abilities and advance
• Real-time cut-scenes drive the storyline
• Celebrity voices, including Adam West, bring characters to life
• Quasi-cel-shaded style mimics that of the cartoons
• Single-player game

There's a Mystery Brewing
Games designed specifically with younger players in mind all too often have a tendency to come up short on presentation. Thankfully, this is not the case with Unmasked. A2M's attention to the little details shines through from the title's opening cut-scene, which is a recreation of the famous intro from the television show, only executed using the game engine. It looks spot on and the accompanying theme music successfully introduces the playfully spooky atmosphere of things to come. The cinema also highlights the unique quasi-cel-shaded style the game utilizes to acceptable effect.

A simplistic, yet fitting storyline moves the action forward. It isn't long before players jump into the adventure and learn of the gang's latest mystery. Evidently Fred's cousin, Jed, works in the special effects business and his factory has gone haywire just as he's gone missing. It's up to Scooby and friends to figure out why spooky robots are running freely through the place and likewise solve the mystery of what happened to Jed, whose absence has led some to believe that he's behind the madness. The story is unraveled through in-game cut-scenes, which get the job done, and A2M has contracted considerable celebrity voice talent to bring the characters to life. Gamers will instantly recognize Adam West's well-known voice as one of the personalities, for instance. In this way, Unmasked much more effectively captures the atmosphere of the cartoons than previous Scooby-based videogames.

Scooby-Doo! Unmasked serves up a very conventional, straightforward platforming experience, for the most part, which is good and bad. Kids will undoubtedly be able to quickly familiarize themselves with the controls. Scooby is tightly moved around a mixture of open and controlled environments, is able to spin-attack enemies, jump and double jump, and belly-flop. Gamers navigate platform-heavy locales while breaking open crates to gain Scooby Snacks and a weird substance called mubber, which later enables the character to take on new suits and abilities. And through all of this, the unwitting dog hero must fight off groups of enemies. Most of these elements work, with the occasionally frustrating hiccup. As a result, Scooby-Doo! Unmasked is oftentimes a fun, if shallow platformer. Likely the greatest mechanical addition to Unmasked is Scooby's ability to don new suits and in turn gain new, super abilities. Specialized machines located throughout levels enable him to turn mubber into these different suits. He can change into a kung fu master and dish out martial arts moves. He can wear a bat suit and fly. Or he can throw on a Robin Hood-like outfit to become a skilled archer; he incidentally shoots plungers and not arrows. These three costumes break up the monotony of the platforming sequences and even inject a capsule of strategy into the experience. When Scooby is dressed in Kung Fu attire, he can use a super move to blast away some barriers otherwise impenetrable. When he wears his bat suit, he can fly to areas otherwise unreachable. As a result, there's a certain amount of satisfaction to using these different moves.

A2M has delivered Scooby fans a fair amount of variety in level design and theme, and the game is visibly influenced by the classic cartoons. Scooby will travel through everything from a mock China Town to haunted mansions and spooky theme parks, and there are even some interesting breaks in the otherwise conventional platforming. For example, in one stage, Scooby must swim down a raging underground stream while avoiding whirlpools and falling structures. In another, he must pilot a biplane. We would have preferred more of these alternate level types in the game, but nevertheless we're glad the limited selection is place. Unfortunately, there's no similar variety in playable characters. Although Scooby can interact with the gang and each personality has their purpose -- Velma evaluates clues and Shaggy cooks together food, which in turn enhanced the dog's life meter -- none of them are playable, which may disappoint some fans.

The title's main adventure is easily zipped through by skilled players, but should prove a challenging enough romp for younger gamers assuming they don't fall victim to the occasional mechanical stumper.

A2M has done a solid job of recreating the visual presentation of the cartoon series. Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma all look and animate like their cartoon counterparts and some of their personality traits are recreated on-screen. For instance, when Scooby is in idle, he sometimes cowers in fear. The locales are varied and seemingly inspired by the show itself. There's an odd graphic downside to the style, though. For reasons unknown, the game has a contrasted, washed-out look to it -- colors lack richness just as blacks lack depth. We've never had this complaint of a game before so it's difficult to categorize, but nevertheless it exists. Unmasked for the most part runs at a solid framerate, but fluidity is sometimes interrupted in wide-open environments. Unfortunately, no progressive scan or widescreen modes are supported.

©2005, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved