Nicktoons Battle For Volcano Island

SCORE: 85

The Nintendo DS version of Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island is tailored for the system quite well. Each area is set up in three levels: find three crystals, side scrolling, and a boss battle. The levels where the player is searching for the crystals involves touching the screen to touch certain plants (well I think they are plants), which may or may not have the crystal. Some of those plants send a small tornado which can damage the player. The side scrolling levels involve quite a bit of jumping, swapping characters, and fighting off small groups of enemies. The boss battles are very well thought out, and have some dual screen fascinating patterns. The end boss battle with the evil Mawgu is one of the best on the Nintendo DS. SpongeBob (special skill floats down slowly), Danny Phantom (awesome fighter), and Timmy Turner (can do a double jump) are the playable characters in this version. SpongeBob is shown to be quite a wimp, and afraid of everything but food. Danny Phantom is the main hero of this version of the game, and Timmy Turner is sort of there.

Graphically Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island is very bright and colorful. There is some great details to the different characters, levels, and backgrounds. The style of the artwork is very uplifting. There is some cartoon violence as monsters (who look mean) are taken down by the player.

The music in Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island is decent, that works well with this game. I found myself humming an occasional tune with the game, but not after playing. The sounds are very crisp and clear. I really wish there had been some more sound bytes in this game, but that may be just me. I found no offensive sounds in this game.

The biggest knock against Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island on the Nintendo DS is the replay value. Sadly there is little reason to replay this game. What makes it worse is the length of this game is really short. There are five areas with three before mentioned levels each, bringing the grand total to fifteen levels. The end boss has two forms, so it could be stretched to sixteen levels. Still that is pretty short, and could be beaten in a few days by most gamers. Children may take a bit longer. Only one save is allowed, and only one player at a time. If you can find it for under twenty dollars, and are interested in some really cool boss battles, check this one out.

The controls are quick, responsive, and the design works well. The design of the levels, especially the boss levels, and the mini game are obviously well thought out. The variety in the different levels kept the game fresh, and I had fun playing Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island.

The three heroes are trying to stop an evil from destroying multiple dimensions. Stopping evil from succeeding is a great lesson. The fear of all obstacles from SpongeBob was a little bothersome to me personally. The different skills of the different characters was a nice touch. The cartoon violence may make some pass on this game. I found the violence to be similar to real life violence - meaning over quickly. The searching for items all over levels was a neat part of this game.
- Paul

Graphics: 89%
Sound: 87%
Replay/Extras: 73%
Gameplay: 94%
Family Friendly Factor: 83%
System: Nintendo DS
Publisher: THQ
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence}

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