The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer for PlayStation 2 Reviews & Ratings by IGN

The first Incredibles videogame, based on the blockbuster film of the same name, offered a passable mix of platform action and race elements. In terms of presentation, it did a pretty good job of capturing the look and feel of the movie. It even featured a bunch of clips from the film between levels, offering an incentive of sorts for younger players to plow through it. Unfortunately, the game suffered in a few key areas, namely balancing issues and pacing. It also featured a pair of gnarly boss fights that players, especially younger ones, would find difficult.

The sequel, titled The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, picks up moments after the first game (and the movie) ends. Only this time, it's a far more action-oriented approach with little deviation into other genres. There's a greater emphasis on multiplayer too, with the entire game supporting two-player cooperative play. This actually changes the way the whole experience pans out, which makes Rise of the Underminer feel very different from its predecessor. With the new dynamic, however, also come new problems.

But first, here's how the whole thing works: you can switch between the two main characters on the fly (Mr. Incredible and Frozone) by hitting up on the D-Pad. Each superhero has their unique abilities. Mr. Incredible, for instance, can throw objects at enemies, lift heavy items and smash through obstacles. Frozone, on the other hand, can merely freeze things. And here's the problem: the game relies on the action of two live players so much that playing solo just doesn't offer a compelling experience.

Swapping between characters is fine, and using each character's particular strengths to fight and solve puzzles offers decent fun. Thing is, there's far too much brainless action. Normally, brainless action is fine. But in a game that clearly emphasis multiplayer, whoever plays as Mr. Incredible invariably has most of the fun since Frozone's a total sidekick; a support character. He's just not very fun to play in the long run. You can free enemies and items so Mr. Incredible can smash them, but that's not very fun. And no, Frozone isn't totally helpless, but he's clearly not the tank of the heroic duo.

Playing as Mr. Incredible alleviates the problem a bit, but not too much. Since the action in Rise of the Underminer is very straightforward, you'll spend most your time just smashing one or two buttons. Enemies don't put up much of a fight, even in later stages, and many of them adhere to a handful of simple attack routines. Some launch projectiles while others use melee attacks, but for the most part that's as varied as things get. There's nothing really broken with this system; it actually works fine. But it feels overly simplistic at times and focused squarely on younger gamers. Admittedly, this isn't too bad a thing but it's a major turn off for older gamers.

As for puzzles and obstacles, there's a decent mix as long as you keep in mind that Rise of the Underminer is a kid's game. Most of them only require you to stand on a specific part of the floor and press one or two buttons. Others will have you take control of Frozone and create ice bridges or freeze pillars so Mr. Incredible can smash them. And then there are the few times when a puzzle requires you to switch between the two heroes to unlock and destroy barriers. These puzzles offer some pretty cool animations when executed, but they're not very engaging. Again, like the action, it's something that younger gamers will enjoy. Older gamers, however, not so much.

There is a cool upgrade system that wasn't in the last game, though. By defeating enemies, you'll gain experience points to purchase new abilities or health increases. These upgrades also increase the power of your existing moves and let you carry more "super" moves. It's also cool that you can upgrade your characters at any time, during play or after a mission. It's also cool that points are distributed equally when a kill required the participation of both characters.

It would have been nice to have a huge selection of super moves to choose from, but unfortunately, selection is pretty limited. The game does look decent though, and it sounds decent as well. Fans of the movie will definitely appreciate the look and design of the levels and characters, as well as the voice work opening full-motion video sequence. Music in the game sounds good, but it gets old fast since the game remixes and reuses the same track throughout the adventure. The game runs well also, so character and enemy animations look smooth.

©2005, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved