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Bratz: The Movie

Score: 80%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Blitz Games
Media: Cartridge/1
Players: 1
Genre: Adventure/ Puzzle

Graphics & Sound:

Bratz: The Movie for the GameBoy Advance is actually a fun little time-killer. The graphics aren't of the melt your face variety, but they are fair for the Game Boy Advance. The four main characters almost look (and move) like the dolls they portray, and the color schemes for the game work really well for younger girls. The graphics are pretty pixalicious, but it really doesn't take away from the gameplay at all. It's almost comical the way the characters move, but again it doesn't take away from the game. The characters kind of walk like possessed puppets; they keep their arms pinned to their sides and their little feet go at eight miles an hour.

The music in Bratz: The Movie is another story. It is so repetitive after a while! I swear they loop the same ten beats and label it "music." Every song is looped in the same manner with a different set of about ten different beats... and it is really noticeable when you've been playing for more than five minutes. I turned my music down and just ignored it after a while so it wouldn't grate on my nerves.

I guess I was rather disappointed over the music in the game. After all, the whole point of the movie, and the characters being at the school, is to further their musical talent! There weren't many sound effects in the game either, but it honestly didn't call for very many. The few sound effects that did grace the game did a good job, however.


Gameplay:

Gameplay for Bratz: The Movie ranges from brain-expanding to platform-throwing. The story for Bratz: The Movie involves the four Bratz: Cloie, Sasha, Yasmin, and Jade. They all end up at training academy for the summer to buff up on their skills and improve their band. The actual story isn't that compelling or original, but it would appeal to the younger crowd (those of us that aren't jaded by knowing every plot ever dreamed up).

You start out reading the dialogue between the four characters and their two male companions (Koby and Eitan) while they are standing in a lobby. The text is huge and easy to read, and there aren't any large words that would confuse those of us with a less than stellar vocabulary. You keep up with who is speaking by the icon in the left corner of the text box, and by the name of the character preceding the actual text.

After a touching pep talk, you get down to business... which is a lot of wandering around a horrible map in order to find your first mini-game. The game is basically a bunch of cute mini-games that you can play infinitely after unlocking it. The games range from matching cards (a memory game), to a sort of Dance Dance Revolution knock off, in which you press the corresponding buttons when the notes fall down the screen.


Difficulty:

Bratz: The Movie isn't a difficult game at all, and can be beaten in one setting, if you're really bored. There is no difficulty setting, but the longer you play a certain mini-game... the harder it gets, and they can get pretty annoying. The downside is, however, that by the time you've played the game until it starts becoming challenging, you are already completely sick of the game and it's obnoxious music.

The most annoying part is that you must beat a mini-game to move on in the game. If you lose the game, you are given a chance to start over, but you do not know what score you must reach until the game considers you for a passing grade. At one point, I turned the power off on my Nintendo DS about five times because the mini-game kept claiming that I failed, and I didn't know what score I had to reach not to fail. Also, the mini-game wanted me to balance on one foot while doing tricks for this redhead in order to get her to like me. I suddenly had a huge dislike for redheads... and I am one!

Overall, the game never gets too tough, but you can get to a more difficult level of each game if you are willing to play for far too long than is any fun. At least the learning curve doesn't slap you in the face, though.


Game Mechanics:

Bratz: The Movie isn't complicated to play at all, really. The controls are mega simple and easy to understand and implement. When walking around the compound, you use the D-pad to walk around and hold down on the (B) button to "dash." Each of the mini-games have different controls, but none of them (with the exception of the balancing game) are overly complicated. Most of the time, you use the D-pad for control and the (A) button is the action button. On occasion, you only use the D-pad (for the sewing game, for example), or, as with the balancing game, you use all the buttons including the D-pad.

There is no saving in Bratz: The Movie, but they do give you a six digit code that you can enter in at the start-up of a game to get to the point where you left off. This... is annoying. The code is entered in through the up and down arrows on the D-pad, and cycles through the alphabet twice (capitalized and lower case), numbers 0-9, and some random symbols. If you mess the code up, you have to backspace to the point you made your mistake and consequently delete every entry you've made... this is also annoying. Memorizing the code, or finding a pen to write it down is also so obnoxious.

For a twenty-five-year-old, Bratz: The Movie might not be the most exciting game in the world, but if you are stuck in a college class or a doctor's office, it is a good way to pass the time. The music and the map are the biggest downfalls of the game, but aren't enough to destroy the more entertaining aspects. Definitely rentable if you've got pre-teens in your house.


-Phate Kills, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ashley Field

Sony PlayStation Portable SOCOM: Tactical Strike Microsoft Xbox 360 Beautiful Katamari

 
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