Better then "The Continuing Adventures" on GBA, and possibly even the original games as well.
Although this latest F.N. game does appear to be a better, it in someway did so to tell the truth despite that it could have been even better for as what reviewers from different Game Companies stated in the original movie games.
Now As for this new Nintendo DS game, I purchased Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue a few days ago on the first day of its initial release to many retail stores across the country. I thought this new game would contain a completely new theme to it but as I began to see how the game was displayed and also started to play it, I soon noticed that it was showing some related things that were in the GBA sequel game “Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures”. I believe this also accounts to the game being developed by the same game-developing company that the GBA Sequel was developed by as well.
By this I knew that it was more of a repeat to the last one because as I continued playing the game, the main game objectives are primarily the same. You have to help each of the Tank Gang members escape into the ocean by rolling their baggys from a garden area, to the busy streets of Sydney, Australia avoiding oncoming traffic from both directions, and then through the harbor area in order to land yourself straight into the ocean where you are then guided by either Nemo, Marlin, or Dory to help the Tank Gang members make their way towards the Reef away from land by you playing 3 mini-games in order to lead all of them there.
Despite that the same theme from "The Continuing Adventures" was basically used again in this new game, I found that the game play and obstacles contained in many of the mini-games and escape attempts were somewhat more fun and little bit more challenging (and thankfully less repetitive as well) which adds better value, especially as I got closer to finishing up the last of the games with the remaining Tank Gang members still needing to be rescued and lead towards the reef such as the character Gill and even the free mini-game play that you can also do with the three main characters Nemo, Marlin, and Dory. This also accounts for the necessary use of the Touch Stylus which gives you better control of things and the characters in many of the games that you play in each of the Tank Gang member escape adventures. Although now in most of the mini-games you play in every tang gang members escape adventure, you are mainly that character for most of the way. But at in a few games, you will be able to use the guide who was one of the three main characters of the movie. And if you haven't played the sequel game on GBA, don't worry cause every mini-game you play always displays a tutorial screen before you start it.
(And there is one mini-game that requires you to draw different characters by their body outline on the touch screen in a set amount of time. Although it should be easy to do since you are just tracing)
Some other new abilities of game play would also be the use of the Built-in Mic on your DS system. You can use the panel microphone to give short bursts of speed to the tank gang member inside the baggie you are attempting to lead into the ocean before the mini-games, make enemies move off your screen or distracting them while you are following another character or swimming through a hazardous place in a side-scrolling game, and also other mini-games that have some kind of aid for you to use in order to get through it. The only problem about using the microphone when necessary is that you are told to blow into it in order to make the above stated advantages work. I feel that this was a pretty large missed opportunity in the game because wouldn’t it be easier to tell our fish characters some sort of command in vocal language rather then just having to blow all over your DS just to get something to work? For me, I just make some kind of weird or funny sound instead of blowing. But for many others, blowing on the DS would require a lot of us gamers to clean the system basically every week in order to keep all our spit (or breathe odor) away from the system.
Now the Graphics on the game were much better then they were in the last game on GBA (Obviously because the game was produced on the DS). But I also find that seemingly enough, the Developer company must have took at the least, some effort and work/time to make the individuals quite appealing in ways that you can relate to in the original major videogame platform game graphics (The character Dory looks funny-looking if you ask me). And some colorful 2-D graphics were also added into the mix. But what kind of irritates me is that active objects such as the characters, when they are harmed, they flash but they do not in any form appear hurt in some parts of the game. And Although the 3-D color shadings in the game were not as bright as they were in the GBA sequel, they were more detailed to say the most relating to the graphic detailing of many of the DS games already out there.
The music and sounds in the game also have better quality and less repetitiveness just like the game objectives do as well (also another improvement to the latest F.N. game). But the same music is played in some of the mini-games over again but not compared to as much as the GBA game did. Although still, some of the music played is used from The Continuing Adventures, onto this game. And that’s the thing that adds some negativity to the music and also partly the sound as well. But at the least, you can hear the music better then you could on the previous one.
Some of the game sounds were also made in from the previous game too. But since repetitiveness is lower and quality is higher, I can’t complain much about it since the sounds on this game, and in the levels were used more sensibly now then they were previously.
But other then that, for any other things that adds replay to the game and/or isn’t mini-game related, a new mode was added into the game where you can find it on the menu selection screen called “Interactive Reef”. This addition to the game by what I found was a little amusing. What you can do there is you can be able to create your own ocean or aquarium setting by using different types of backgrounds, underwater objects that you see in the game such as corals, and also add characters into the setting by inviting them to swim around in your own creation. You attain the objects and backgrounds by earning tokens in the escape/mini –games you play by completing them and playing them again to earn more tokens depending on the amount of score points you get in the games. For being able to invite characters, you must complete each of the character escape adventures in the world map including the bonus mini-games that are in Dory, Nemo, and Marlin s’ selections as well in order to get them in too.
Multi-Player is also in the game but is definitely NOT Wi-Fi supported. There you can be able to host or join a game your friend creates. Unfortunately you can only play in 3 levels that you see in single-player mode which doesn’t give much value to this feature. And usually the better character in the game would be if your 1st player. But other then that, not a whole lot you can do there.
And then the last thing that is common in many games is the options. In the options menu you can do a sound test of all the music in the game, adjust the microphone sensitivity to blowing or sound with 4 levels, see the credits of the game, and even erase your current saved game data if you want.
Overall, I believe this game would be a better buy then the rest of the Finding Nemo games out already. This would interest many people who still like Finding Nemo and the characters (which would include me also cause I like the individual Dory very much), and also like to play video games as well.
But I still do not think this game is going to interest bigger gamers any much more then did the original games did. This quite depends on what age group THQ was trying to aim the game towards (which would be kids more then likely). However, there could be at the most a few things that would interest some of the bigger gamers especially those who are action or adventuress type. But other than that, it really wouldn’t be enough to get many gamers’ full attention.
THQ as of right now, needs to understand that there are also more older kids, young adults, and even some adults (if you ask me) that like Finding Nemo or the characters as well and not just the little kids out there because it was an animated "cartoon" movie.
I question if a 6 or 7 year old kid would know how to handle a Nintendo DS including with the stylus and etc.
But if THQ would take in acknowledge of any of this I’ve just said right now, then I believe these F.N. games would have been much, much better then they are now since the release of the movie in theaters in mid 2003.
My biggest advice out of everything I’ve stated in the review is if you truly like Finding Nemo and play video games and got a DS; buy it to see it even more clearly.
But if you’re a real hardcore gamer and in some way this game interests you, go rent the game first or borrow it from a friend you know who has the game in their possession and most likely likes Finding Nemo, before dropping it out or wanting to own it to yourself as well.