Monster House
SCORE: 70
Monster House on the Nintendo DS is drastically different from the Gameboy Advance, and home console (Gamecube, Personal Computer, and Gamecube) versions. The Gameboy Advance version was received (here at Family Friendly Gaming) better than expected, and the home console versions were not well at all. Where will the Nintendo DS version fall? Keep reading family, and friends. The story is the same as the other versions. Three neighbor kids (DJ, Chowder, and Jenny) go after a haunted house with their water guns. This game has a lot in common that old ultra violent classic Smash TV. For all ya’ll not familiar with that extremely bloody video game, let the WMG work it for all ya’ll. The bottom screen is used to direct which direction (or partial) direction the player will fire their water gun. The bottom screen also displays a radar (of sorts) so the player can determine where the next threat is coming from. The top screen shows the player, and the room. It is important to note that not all threats (i.e. traps) are not shown on the bottom screen. Each of the three players are playable, and at the start of the level the player decides which child to control.
Graphically Monster House is a mixed bag. A few of the special effects are done nicely (like when the house tries to swallow the player). Sadly though the overwhelming, and the WMG means OVERWHELMING graphics are dark, and drab. Some of the models on the Gameboy Advance version felt better. Monster House seems to also only be able to display so many enemies on the screen at once, and they come at the player in waves. When a good number of enemies are on the screen the game provides an item that can take them out with a quickness.
The sounds are decent, but extremely repetitive. The WMG can not handle so many sounds that repeat time, after time, after time (the picture should be pretty clear). The music did nothing to inspire the WMG, quite the opposite. The breaking of glass and chairs was really sad. The music and sound effects were quite depressing.
If you took the time to play this game, then you did not read the WMG’s review. On top of that, there is really no reason to replay this game. There are different challenging settings, but who wants to put themselves through that kind of torture? The downer nature of this game, offensive material, and repetition will send most people back to the store asking for their money to be returned.
The controls are very quick and responsive. The control design is weird at first, but after an hour or so the WMG figured it out. It actually works quite well once the player adapts. The WMG really wishes this was more fun, but not every game is Cars or LarryBoy.
It is good that the three children
want to do something about evil. Sadly, the lesson they teach other kids
is you can do it yourself without parents or God. Demons are very real,
and the Holy Bible teaches the proper way to deal with them. A water gun
is not something that will work. In fact in the real world, trying
something like that will only get yous hurt in a bad way. But the WMG
can’t be too hard on THQ, for they took the subject matter from the
Hollywood movie, and made a game based on it. Still the WMG does not
recommend this video game.
- Working Man Gamer
Graphics: 68%
Sound: 70%
Replay/Extras: 60%
Gameplay: 83%
Family Friendly Factor: 69%
System: Nintendo DS
Publisher: THQ
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence}
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