A very easy Action game that is linear and short, but has wonderful charm..
User Rating: 5.8 | Grabbed by the Ghoulies XBOX
Being the first game from Rare since their acquisition, Microsoft have churned out a title in preperation for the American Holiday, Halloween. This is Grabbed by the Ghoulies (great name, hey?), in a nutshell. It has been designed purposefully to deliver the kind of younger and straightforward platforming the developers are renowned for, and initially, it looks promising. The cute Scooby Doo inspired artwork and story/ comic book feel (shown via the cutscenes), which are animated well, through cutouts and page turns - gives Grabbed by the Ghoulies a unique flavour. This continues through it's sound and even the storyline. Interchanging the main character with the Scooby Doo team and you would have Hanna Barbera in fits - it's that closely modelled. This isn't a bad thing however, it works in the game's favour, breathing some life into a stale genre. Cooper is the main protagonist, and he and his girlfriend are caught in a large rainstorm when they happen upon the Mansion you will then be spending the rest of the game trying to escape from. Early on, your girlfriend is kidnapped, and Cooper must overcome his wits and fear and dive into the depths of this truly freaky Haunted Mansion in order to save his love. It's a classic story, done several times before, though it's presentation saves it. Unfortunately, however, it's gameplay doesn't. This is one of the most tedious games you will ever have the misfortune of playing. If you were a newcomer to gaming (and this would appear to be an appropriate title to try out for newcomers) - you may just be put off gaming forever, due to the utter repetitiveness. Essentially, as Cooper, you move from room to room, clearing objectives. From the outset, these are simple, such as clearing the room from the monsters that infest it, or clearing the room in a timed challenge, or more. It's an easy enough idea, and it would work in short plays, but a game totally focussing on this style of play will find you repeating all the same moves you did in the room before. And the one before that as well. Combat is remarkably easy, as are the controls. Using the left thumbstick to move Cooper around, you use the right to attack in whichever direction you happen to hit at. Utilising the A Button will allow you to grab any item and use it as a weapon, and the B Button will have you drop the weapon. This makes combat way too easy, as just holding it in one direction will suffice for all your attacking needs. Enemy AI is a little on the daff side as well, and won't put up that great a fight. The real challenge comes from completing the objectives of the rooms, which can impose specific requirements in order to pass them - which gradually get harder. Still, this is all very repetitive. Ocassionally, however, there is a quick puzzle mode which requires you to press a sequence of buttons to stop Cooper's heart from racing, as he is no hero and can get the frights on ocassion. And just about any kind of demented enemy will try to take him on - there is some truly strange kinds you will fight, and how you fight them. Cooper will be taking on enemies ranging from possessed chairs to demonic doors, hell bent on smashing him to little Cooper pieces. It's all very tongue in cheek, and somewhat fun, at least for a while. But tedium crops in far too often - you will continue playing only to continue playing - you don't feel compelled. Coupled with the backtracking, and a hard to read map which is rendered useless by the fact there is only one door to ever exit per room, and you feel cheapened. Grabbed By The Ghoulies sound, along with it's graphics, is what you will take most out of this title. It is suitably superb, although there is no voice acting. Instead, all characters speak in gibberish, with subtitles spelling out their thoughts. There is meaning behind their voicing though, you can tell when a character is upset or hurt. The music takes centre stage on Audio though, featuring a cute and catchy main theme and great ambient music - put to good use in order to give youngsters a little thrill and a scare. Sound effects are also really good, with the scraping of furniture and the sound of objects getting thrown about. You'll be doing a fair bit of that in your game time, so its good to note that Rare have got that point right. However, the graphics and sound can't detract from many of the game's woes - especially in its gameplay. This can only be recommended as a rental, and I wouldn't offer it to anyone above 10 either, as they will get the most out of this title which could have been so much more. In a word, disappointing. 
