Developer: Altron
Publisher: THQ
Genre: Party
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 09 Feb 06

User Rating
6 (2 votes)

Score 10 (Best) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Worst)

Preview

Review

Media

Guide

Secret

(Hide/Show Game Info)

(Skip to Scores)

Overview

In recent years animated films have been just sweeping the world by storm by telling some of the most imaginative, and engaging stories. In fact, in the last few years we have seen some really superb work from the people over at Pixar, who have made such movies as Toy Story and Monsters Inc., and the widely popular and successful Finding Nemo. Well lucky for fans of Finding Nemo, because THQ has teamed up with Altron to bring a game based off the Finding Nemo brand. The game is Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue, and it is now available for the Nintendo DS. But is it worth picking up? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

Going into this review I have to say that I was a bit skeptical as to how well this game was going to be able to do. I say this because games based on animated flicks just do not have the highest tendency of being successful. In fact in my experiences in this sort of games they usually tend to be rushed and very much underdeveloped. But the good news is Escape to the Big Blue does actually change a lot of these conceptions by creating a very innovative and exciting Finding Nemo adventure.

So for those expecting just a typical run-of-the-mill platforming adventure in this game, then guess again. It is obvious to me that the developers have checked out some of the recent success held by other developers with mini game compilations, these developers decided to do the same. And let me tell you it worked out well. Now I could obviously go into all the different mini games but I will save you the time and just kind of breeze through my impressions on the experience so you can get a general idea of what to expect.

First and foremost, this is a game that is aimed at the younger crowd, so do not expect any of the mini games to be all that complex. My experiences in this game were mainly filled with small but fun thrills that I felt were perfect for those of the younger age group. The games themselves don't usually last all that long, but just offer simple puzzles or very simple activities. Some of the games will feel really familiar to games like DDR and many others. There is just under thirty different games to choose from, which for me was just a good amount of variety and an entertaining experience.

For me Finding Nemo was just a good solid Nintendo DS title that could have been better, but still was a really good game nonetheless. For the younger audience I think they are really going to have a good time enjoying all that THQ has prepared for them in the Escape to the Big Blue.

Graphics

Visually I have to say that this is one area of the game that could have been improved on; although that is not to say that the game looks all that bad either. First off, the environments are a bit bland and lack all that much detail. The game's character models are in the same boat with not too much detail and just a so-so appearance. The game is not a horrible looking experience, but it is one that I thought could have been a much better looking one.

Fun Factor

Although I may not be at the core age audience of what this game is aimed towards, I could still appreciate a lot of what this game had to offer, including the transition to a mini game based experience. To me this is a really good idea for the DS, because it allows a fun way to take advantage of the platform's hardware, something that many games have successfully done and Finding Nemo continues that success. If you have a younger child who enjoyed the movies, then I am sure he/she will enjoy this game.

Overall

I have to say I was a bit surprised to see Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue is as successful as it was. And although it didn't do anything we have seen before, it did manage to create an experience that was light hearted, entertaining, and well developed. If you have a younger child with a birthday coming up, I would think of Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue as a very good option.

Gameplay
7.0

Graphics
5.0

Fun Factor
7.0

Overall
7.0

(Back to top)