Publisher: THQ
Ages: five and up.
Parental
Advisory:
None
Popular movies continue to inspire video games that are both good and bad. And when a game is based on a popular family film, it's going to make the kids immediately sit up and take notice. THQ's Finding Nemo offers a fairly entertaining adventure that follows the story in the popular Walt Disney and Pixar film. It's not a bad game, but the action and challenge will appeal more to younger kids and casual gamers who love the movie.
The game is set in a 3-D underwater environment that lets players become the characters in the movie, which include Nemo, Marlin and Dory, each with varied abilities. As in the film, the game follows the journeys of two fish - Marlin and his son Nemo. The younger fish is captured and placed into a tank with other tropical fish in a dentist's office. Buoyed by the companionship of a friendly-but-forgetful fish named Dory, the father embarks on a mission to rescue his son - who hatches a few plans of his own to return safely home.
Gameplay mostly involves "swimming" in side-scrolling and front and back swimming levels and accomplishing objectives, which in some cases, unlock fairly fun mini-games. There are rings to swim through; items to move; places to reach; pesky electric fish, crabs, blowfish to avoid; and more.
The controls are easy to learn and use and the graphics are superb and do a great job of recreating the movie and its compelling characters. Even more amazing, the game creates a feeling of underwater current that characters have to swim against. The title also features video from the movie to help tell the story.
In the end, Finding Nemo is great for youngsters and casual gamers who love the film. But serious gamers will find the game too easy going.
6/12/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
