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IGN Review of Xiaolin Showdown
I'll make this review really simple. This is a Smash Bros…with Xiaolin Showdown characters in Xiaolin Showdown environments. And it's not as good as Nintendo's original game.
Does that tickle your fancy? Does your kid love the Saturday morning cartoon? Do you own all the other merchandize related to Xiaolin Showdown? Are you trying to ease yourself into Chinese culture? (Well OK, skip that one.) If the answer is yes to these questions, buy Xiaolin Showdown. If not, keep playing Smash Bros. It's original and better. However, buying Xiaolin Showdown won't disappoint fans of the series or most gamers in general. It's a decent little brawler.
The game follows the same premise as the show. Four Xiaolin students Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay must protect the Shen Gong Wu, a powerful and ancient set of artifacts that, if captured, will help evil boy genius Jack Spicer rule the world. Spicer concocts all sorts of mechanical devices to thwart his enemies and he is a bit of a ham, even a bit of a caricature of himself. You know, the type of evil genius who likes to monologue? Chase Young, the other evil enemy, shows up to kick your ass too. In short, the story is as thin as a wire, but it's got all your favorite characters. And, you'll be able to play as all four of the good guys plus Chase and Spicer.
Xiaolin Showdown is split into two modes, Adventure and Showdown, and can be played with up to four people on one TV. There is no online support and no need for split-screen because all characters appear on one screen simultaneously. A lot of people are going to like this concept. It's simple, easy, and since it plays like Smash Bros., it's like fun corked in a bottle. Mostly.
Interestingly, your AI buddies in Adventure vie with you for power-ups, items, and coins. This is sort of annoying because they're just AI! Why do they need coins? And since many of the powers-ups and coins spawn in random places, your ability to get one is based on luck; i.e., you being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. If not, your "buddy" AI will grab them first. Another annoyance is when your character targets an enemy and then sticks to him. This little mechanical issue points yourt character to a character and won't let go; it even happens with your friends. Annoying and potentially devastating if you're in a heated fight with three other friends for coin domination.
Showdown enables you to play any levels you've unlocked in Adventure, and pits you against three others in a battle for domination. You'll play three mini-games: "It," "King of the Hill," and "Keep Away." Even against the AI, these games are fun. This is definitely a pure brawler that creates instant chaos onscreen. That's good because Smash Bros. chaos is generally good thing. But on the flip side, you're likely to lose sight of your own character. Also animations will get in way of trying to do something else, like escaping or pulling off other moves. You can also take hits while you're down. Enemy AI will hit you multiple times when you're stunned on your back. Luckily, you can do the same thing.
Spread across 18 levels and 12 arenas, Xiaolin Showdown isn't at a loss for quantity, but the variety of levels is limited and predictable. You will find a decent amount of interactive qualities in amongst the simplistic cel-shaded environments, a good amount of verticality and, like Smash Bros., all sorts of pick-up items and Shen Gong Wu. Once you get into Xiaolin Monks, you'll realize the game is all about powering up and using items and Shen Gong Wu (special powers) in a timely manner. Items include health boosters, protection mojos, shield enhancements, and ability enhancements (increases in damage, speed, jumps, etc.). Shen Gong Wu comprise a wealth of special powers such as super punches, freezing enemies in ice, whirlwinds, firestorms and so on. There are 30 in all.
Beneath the special moves are the basic moves of hitting, kicking, jumping, and combinations of the three. You can string combos together (all using three button combos with the face buttons), and as you pick up power-ups and increase in ranks you'll heighten combo abilities. On the whole, the game mechanics are all simple, generally quick, and easy to pull off. Switching to the right target gets a little rough sometimes, and the use of the right analog to highlight an enemy doesn't necessarily work. It takes too long for such a quick, rapid-fire game. For instance, by the time you've targeted somebody, you've either been hit or another enemy is closer. Also, you can attack your allies, which seems a little counter to the whole co-op thing, even when you're playing against the AI.
In Adventure mode, BottleRocket tried to mix things up with Ying-Yang challenge levels. These are basically the Showdown mini-games based on a timer. While fighting in Adventure mode, a random yin-yang icon will drop anonymously onto the ground. Run into it and transport into the "Ying-Yang universe," i.e. a new arena floating in space. These games are fun, if a little chaotic. But that's the fun part, right?
Xiaolin Showdown is a decent looking game. BottleRocket's use of cel-shading and its graphic approach matches the TV show, which relies more on style than substance. So it works. The four main characters look similar to their TV images, and the game's backgrounds really don't need to show off too much to replicate the cartoon. Visually, it gets the job done without any major hitches, graphic bloopers, or technical issues. The voice acting is respectable and the audio tracks also match the show.
©2006-11-29, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Does that tickle your fancy? Does your kid love the Saturday morning cartoon? Do you own all the other merchandize related to Xiaolin Showdown? Are you trying to ease yourself into Chinese culture? (Well OK, skip that one.) If the answer is yes to these questions, buy Xiaolin Showdown. If not, keep playing Smash Bros. It's original and better. However, buying Xiaolin Showdown won't disappoint fans of the series or most gamers in general. It's a decent little brawler.
The game follows the same premise as the show. Four Xiaolin students Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay must protect the Shen Gong Wu, a powerful and ancient set of artifacts that, if captured, will help evil boy genius Jack Spicer rule the world. Spicer concocts all sorts of mechanical devices to thwart his enemies and he is a bit of a ham, even a bit of a caricature of himself. You know, the type of evil genius who likes to monologue? Chase Young, the other evil enemy, shows up to kick your ass too. In short, the story is as thin as a wire, but it's got all your favorite characters. And, you'll be able to play as all four of the good guys plus Chase and Spicer.
Xiaolin Showdown is split into two modes, Adventure and Showdown, and can be played with up to four people on one TV. There is no online support and no need for split-screen because all characters appear on one screen simultaneously. A lot of people are going to like this concept. It's simple, easy, and since it plays like Smash Bros., it's like fun corked in a bottle. Mostly.
Interestingly, your AI buddies in Adventure vie with you for power-ups, items, and coins. This is sort of annoying because they're just AI! Why do they need coins? And since many of the powers-ups and coins spawn in random places, your ability to get one is based on luck; i.e., you being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. If not, your "buddy" AI will grab them first. Another annoyance is when your character targets an enemy and then sticks to him. This little mechanical issue points yourt character to a character and won't let go; it even happens with your friends. Annoying and potentially devastating if you're in a heated fight with three other friends for coin domination.
Showdown enables you to play any levels you've unlocked in Adventure, and pits you against three others in a battle for domination. You'll play three mini-games: "It," "King of the Hill," and "Keep Away." Even against the AI, these games are fun. This is definitely a pure brawler that creates instant chaos onscreen. That's good because Smash Bros. chaos is generally good thing. But on the flip side, you're likely to lose sight of your own character. Also animations will get in way of trying to do something else, like escaping or pulling off other moves. You can also take hits while you're down. Enemy AI will hit you multiple times when you're stunned on your back. Luckily, you can do the same thing.
Spread across 18 levels and 12 arenas, Xiaolin Showdown isn't at a loss for quantity, but the variety of levels is limited and predictable. You will find a decent amount of interactive qualities in amongst the simplistic cel-shaded environments, a good amount of verticality and, like Smash Bros., all sorts of pick-up items and Shen Gong Wu. Once you get into Xiaolin Monks, you'll realize the game is all about powering up and using items and Shen Gong Wu (special powers) in a timely manner. Items include health boosters, protection mojos, shield enhancements, and ability enhancements (increases in damage, speed, jumps, etc.). Shen Gong Wu comprise a wealth of special powers such as super punches, freezing enemies in ice, whirlwinds, firestorms and so on. There are 30 in all.
Beneath the special moves are the basic moves of hitting, kicking, jumping, and combinations of the three. You can string combos together (all using three button combos with the face buttons), and as you pick up power-ups and increase in ranks you'll heighten combo abilities. On the whole, the game mechanics are all simple, generally quick, and easy to pull off. Switching to the right target gets a little rough sometimes, and the use of the right analog to highlight an enemy doesn't necessarily work. It takes too long for such a quick, rapid-fire game. For instance, by the time you've targeted somebody, you've either been hit or another enemy is closer. Also, you can attack your allies, which seems a little counter to the whole co-op thing, even when you're playing against the AI.
In Adventure mode, BottleRocket tried to mix things up with Ying-Yang challenge levels. These are basically the Showdown mini-games based on a timer. While fighting in Adventure mode, a random yin-yang icon will drop anonymously onto the ground. Run into it and transport into the "Ying-Yang universe," i.e. a new arena floating in space. These games are fun, if a little chaotic. But that's the fun part, right?
Xiaolin Showdown is a decent looking game. BottleRocket's use of cel-shading and its graphic approach matches the TV show, which relies more on style than substance. So it works. The four main characters look similar to their TV images, and the game's backgrounds really don't need to show off too much to replicate the cartoon. Visually, it gets the job done without any major hitches, graphic bloopers, or technical issues. The voice acting is respectable and the audio tracks also match the show.
©2006-11-29, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved