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Young fans of the cartoon have something to look forward to. Scooby-Doo! Unmasked doesn’t try to change the rules of platforming in any way. The game is satisfied with meeting the requirements and trying to successful in doing so. Young fans of the series will find a lot to like in the game since it is so faithful to its source material though.
As I mentioned above, Scooby-Doo! Unmasked is very faithful to its source material. The game begins very much like the cartoon with game-engine cinematics replacing the video from the cartoon. In the game, you’ll meet Winslow Stanton who owns Monstrous Fright and Magic, a company that makes monsters for theme parks. The Mystery Inc. crew finds out that some Monstrous Fright and Magic monsters were going haywire at some amusements parks. To make the plot more interesting, we then learn that Jed, Freddy’s cousin, is missing and is the number one suspect. Mystery Inc. sets out to clear the name of their friend and discover who is really behind this. The dialogue is full of jokes and fits the spirit of the cartoon very well. It is told through scenes using the in-engine graphics.
The actual gameplay is far less inspired, particularly for older games. You’ll play as Scooby Doo and exhaust his many abilities including rolling, killing and pouncing. The combat in the game is pretty simple as you’ll usually be taking down braindead enemies. There are bosses at the end of levels that are a bit more complicated but are still relatively simple. Nonetheless, the game has a decent variety including hitting switches, going across ladders, jumping between platforms and swinging from ropes. There are a few puzzles in there although they are all very elementary.
The game is available on PlayStation 2, Xbox and Gamecube. They are pretty much identical, thought he Xbox version of the game includes a trailer for the DVD release of What's New Scooby-Doo Monster Matinee.
The game’s visuals are again faithful to the source material. The different characters are instantly recognizable thanks to the cel shaded look of the game. The animation is very good too as all characters move very fluidly around. The levels are actually pretty big, though the cel shading prevents them from being too detailed. Overall, the visual style should be instantly memorable to fans of the series.
The game’s audio is pretty solid. The voice acting comes from the cast of the cartoon, so fans of the series will hear some familiar voices in the game. You’ll hear celebrities like Mindy Cohn (as Velma), Frank Welker (as Fred), and Adam West (as Winslow Stanton).
The game’s soundtrack has that typical upbeat music found in so many kid-marketed games. Though it is slightly repetitive and a bit annoying after a while, it does fit the game well.
Scooby-Doo! Unmasked will definitely please younger fans of the cartoon. Older players will be able to get through the game in an hour or two, hardly worth the money for the game. Younger players should take considerably longer and will probably enjoying the presentation. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Oct 22, 2005
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