a lot better than you'd think.
Graphics- 10
Some of the best graphics I have seen in a wii game. the animals all look fantastic and so do the environments. and the humans, of course.
Story - 8
the story is nice but there isn't much of it, which wouldn't have been such a problem if it wasn't for the fact that my games magazine had promised me a brilliant storyline.
Sound- 10
there isn't much music but then there shouldn't be, really. the sound effects are excellent, though. all the bug noises are spot-on and so are the lizard noises and not least of all the sinister death rattle of the rattlesnake, a key antagonist in the game. on top of this, the voice acting from Dennis Hopper and Billy Bob Thornton is sublime.
Innovation- 9
obviously the whole idea is very innovative and the combat is too, but the general gameplay is nothing new: get to end of stage, beating up any enemies that get in your way. however, the story is totally unique, so that's why innovation gets a 9 from me.
Longetivity- 8
the game on easy lasted me pretty much exactly 5 hours, but that's not the end of the story. there's still the normal and hard difficulties to complete the game on, and normal mode does provide a decent increase in difficulty, especially in Horned Lizard fights with the Tarantula, which were pips in Easy. I don't know about hard yet because I haven't finished the game on normal! oh, and on top of that there's also all the grubs and leaf crickets to collect. all together, I reckon it'll last you twenty or so hours.
Characters- 10
yes, I gave characters their own section. why? because they're TOTALLY AWESOME!!! as if playing as a scorpion and tarantula wasn't enough (both are great, but I prefer playing as the scorpion since it has more combos and is better in a fight) there's also the villains to consider: the rattlesnake, which the Tarantula fights twice, and all-round nasty git Struggs, a greedy american gas station-owner who appears as the final boss and is extremely hard to beat.
Overall, I'd say that this is a fantastic game that definetly deserves your attention unless you're afraid of bugs, lizards or snakes or you are under the age of 12. it's been rated 12+ for a very good reason! (sorry to sound like some kind of rambling old man, but I seriously believe that only people 12 and above should play this game)