Megamind: Ultimate Showdown is a friendly action title that doesn't offend – and can be simple fun.
Megamind: Ultimate Showdown takes place after the film ends. As Megamind is preparing a speech for Metro City, a crime wave descends upon Metro City. The perpetrator of the attack is an organization known as the Doom Syndicate, with members of the group also breaking into Megamind's lair and stealing his prized possessions, such as his B.I.N.K.E.Y and more important of all – his DNA tracking device. He must now traverse several levels to obtain B.I.N.K.E.Y and find all of the components of his tracking device before a showdown with Blue Tighten. The story keeps the gameplay going, and is simple enough for young players to be introduced into the game world. Megamind's companion, Minion, is always on hand to give advice to the player, helping them where to go and what to do next.
The game begins in Megamind's Lair. This is where you can view the board for Megamind's objectives. This shows which mission to activate next and where it is located. It's a very simple display, so there is no complexity for younger players. In the Lair, you can also view Megamind's weapons and upgrades (which I will come to soon), as well as Loot items (found throughout various of the levels) and view the credits. It's a nice addition to the game, and it acts as the game's hub world. You can also collect Blue Ion Nano-Kinetic Energy in the Lair (as well as levels – one of the main tasks of each level).
As I said, each level contains this blue energy which gives Megamind points to spend on upgrades for his weapons. There are three weapons in total: the Hydrate and De-Hydrate gun which fires blue lasers and can also shrink objects to access areas. There is the Tesla Glove which fires electric pulses and is required to activate particular panels. The other weapon is the Blow Glove which fires a vacuum of air that sends enemies flying. It is also needed for specific panels. The majority of the game involves Megamind solving puzzles. For example, the earlier Construction Site levels have Megamind traversing the stage collecting canisters to place into objects to activate switches to subsequently open gates and doors. Later levels involve placing weights on planks to jump to a ledge, or activate switches with different gloves to open gates and doorways. There are also Sewer levels that involve jumping from crate to crate while avoiding the hazardous water below. Younger players will love these small challenges, but they are repetitive. This is because there are more than one or two of these tasks within a single level. Yes, they are simple, but at least they keep younger minds thinking. As stated, there are a nice variety of environments in the game ranging from museums to sewers and down town highways. These levels are also easy to navigate, so children won't run into any complications while playing.
The control scheme is very simple. Megamind attacks with the square/X button and picks up items and pressing switches with the circle/B button. X/A button is used for jumping and that is that. It doesn't any easier than that, and is a useful scheme for young players. There is also a simple respawn system that places the players right back into the game without any load screens or menus. Only a handful of B.I.N.K.E.Y is sacrificed, but not much. It would take something to lose all of the energy and seeing a game over screen – even that is somewhat impossible.
The voice acting is serviceable. Minion's voice carries over from the film, and the voices of Megamind sounds very good and it's also cool to hear Keith David as Psycho-Delic over a solid soundtrack. The environments look nice and the art direction is suitably animated. Characters look good, the lighting is decent and animations are good. Overall, it looks and sounds good, except for some framerate drops and occasional muffled weapon sounds. There are a few different enemy types too, depending on the level. The Down Town and Construction Site levels contain builders – Doom Syndicate Goons – who throw bricks and cement mix at the players. The bigger enemies who carry cement mixers, takes more damage and are slightly more challenging. Sewer levels contain musician enemies – The Funky Fumes – who fire purple musical fumes at Megamind. And the highway levels contain Food enemies – The Flash Goons, Busboys and cooks and chefs – who fire bolognese and desserts at Megamind. This enemy variety is limited but appreciated, and children will have fun fighting them.
Some of the jumps required to pass crates on hazardous sewage can be annoying at times. Because Megamind's jump is so sensitive, it is easy to fall into the water time and time again. In fact, it's easy to fall from anywhere that has a ledge. I'm not if children will think of this as a major problem, but it's worth noting in case of the issue becoming a complexity.
When Megamind completes levels, he earns components for the DNA Tracking Device. Once built, the machine will help him discover the location of Blue Tighten. Before that, he must fight a few bosses who stand in his way. The first boss, Psycho-Delic, is an enemy who fights Megamind at the Funky Disco. The second boss, Hot Flash, battles the player outside of a diner, and the third and final boss is Blue Tighten himself. The boss fights are a nice change of pace from the usual enemies. They are easy and have a rather repetitive wave of enemies coming from each side in the levels, but they are enjoyable enough.
Unforunately, Megamind follows the animated movie tie-in trend of a really short story mode. Megamind only lasts three hours. It took another 20 minutes collecting enough B.I.N.K.E.Y to purchase all the weapon upgrades. Younger players may want to play through again their new powerful weapons, but there's not much else. There are mini-games that are unlocked by completing certain levels. They are small challenges like destroying an area within a time limit or a race within a time limit. They are nice little distractions that children will definitely appreciated.
Megamind: Ultimate Showdown is "ultimately" too short and simple for the initiated, but younger players will enjoy what's on offer here. A serviceable story mode with enough character will provide a simple but fun 3 hours for those chasing trophies.
SUMMARY
Presentation 6.0 - Simple and accessible. Kids will like the story and characters.
Graphics 6.5 - Above average lighting and environments. A charming art style.
Audio 6.0 - Decent enough voice acting and music.
Gameplay 6.5 - Simple and inoffensive, and kids will love the platforming.
Replayability 2.0 - 3 hours, and an extra 30 minutes for upgrades, and thats it.
Overall - 6.5/10