|
 |
The Final Say!
|
Gameplay
8.0 | Graphics
7.2 | Sound
7.5 | Value
8.5 |
Scaler
- reviewed
by Andrew B
Review Date: December 2004
Review Score 8.5/10
Distributed By: Take2 Interactive
| | |
Scaler is the latest kid's arcade platformer by Take2 Interactive
that puts young gamers into the role of Bobby Jenkins, a wise
cracking 12-year old boy who has accidentally stumbled upon his
next door neighbours evil plot to destroy the world. To make
things worse, his nefarious next door neighbour plans to use a
mutant lizard army to achieve his diabolical plan and when Bobby
Jenkins investigates, he is unwittingly zapped by a bizarre bolt
of energy that allows him to transformer into his alter ego
Scaler.
Although Scaler is aimed at the younger generation, I'm sure older
arcade fans will also get a kick out of this cute and addictive
title. Although the storyline sounds like a Saturday morning
cartoon series, it is really quite enjoyable and match that with
some tongue-in-cheek cutscenes and you have one ripping title.
The hero of the title is Scaler, a blue lizard who can virtually
perform a variety of feats such as jumping, running, sticking,
flying, swimming, fighting and of course solving a variety of
children aimed puzzles. The story starts when Bobby Jenkins (aka
Scaler) finds himself transported to a strange psychedelic world
that is almost reminiscent of a Beatles tribute band on acid.
Not only must Scaler stop his diabolical next door neighbour but
he must also defeat a plethora of deadly enemies from fire
breathing lizards to huge giant bosses that protect this strange
realm.
The beauty of Scaler is that the gamer isn't just forced to use
Scaler's basic powers because as you progress through the game,
you also learn a variety of new manoeuvres. This is achieved by
finding golden energy orbs that can then be used to purchases a
variety of upgrades for your character.
The gameplay of Scaler is quite straightforward and involves the
player performing a variety of mini-missions to help progress
through the storyline such as rescuing lizard eggs or finding
bizarre items. As previously mentioned, Scaler can perform a
variety of actions from jumps to runs but his main defence are
his combat abilities.
Scaler dispatchs his foes by using his claws or his tongue and
what really makes this title interesting is that your sticky
lizard can also run up walls or on ceilings that also allows for
some great combat moves. It should also be noted that Scaler can
also morph into a variety of different "mutant" lizards which
ensures that the gameplay doesn't become too stagnant and match
that with some cool swimming and flying levels and you have a
match made in gaming heaven. Although my favourite ability of
Scalers is his super stealth mode that allows Scaler to blend in
with his environments which is an important part of the game,
especially for levels later on.
|
