Review: Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogies Revenge (Xbox)
Brian Costelloe, Australia
16/01/2006 2:52 AM
Being a huge Tim Burton fan since seeing Nightmare Before Christmas for the first time back in the late 90’s (in between sessions on the Dreamcast) I was always suspecting that this movie would perhaps translate into a game one day. The fact that Jack Skeleton pops up in Kingdom Hearts (which will also be spawning a sequel soon coincidentally) further confirmed my hunch that the powers that be will see the marketing potential of the boney pumpkin king. Sure enough a recent visit to the video game store put good to my suspicions and so I just had to get my hands on this one as mortal curiosity got the better of me.
You basically pick up where the movie left off as Jack Skeleton wonders off for a spell. His dissapearance worries the already nervous mayor who, in an act of desperation, sets boobie traps all over Halloweentown to make Halloween celebrations evermore deadlier then before! Also the Pumkin King’s absense get’s Oogies faithful junior henchman, Lock, Shock and Barrel performing a rescue mission as they sew Oogie back together again. Now Oogie is running rampant again and Jack finds Halloweentown on it’s head!
So how does Capcom tie Jack into a game? Actually they throw in a gimmick to give Jack more of a fighting chance against a whole B-Grade horror movie worth of enemies. Introducing the Soul Robber. Dr.Frinkelstein has chipped in and conjured up this new weapon (which looks suspiciously like snot) which Jack keeps stuck to his wrist handy to unleash on his hapless enemies. Various moves are utilised to inflict damage on enemies as you move through a 3D beat ‘em up style environment. However there are two other costumes that change Jack’s actions. You have Pumpkin King mode where you wreak havoc via fire bombs and flame throwers. Or go for Santa Jack mode for a cold change with Cold Front attacks or hurl presents at your foes. But you may only change costumes once you earn the right to do so.
In between the process of wondering about the beautifully illustrated 3D levels looking for the next level you have to face of against the Boss’s in the game. In Oogies Revenge these battles are done via Dance Offs. You have to hit the enemies to gain Soul Notes. Fill the gauge with enough of these and you go into a Parappa the Rappa type mode where you have to hit the right buttons in time with the music to inflict PAIN. Not exactly innovative stuff but considering this is a game based on a musical it must be taken for granted. Speaking of the music it has to be mentioned that the score in this game features most of the original cast of the movie. This is a major selling point of the game as it’s the music that most grabbed a lot of fans of the movie if not the glorious visuals of the stop start animation it contained (and took three years to finish!). However the music maybe the same but the words have been altered to match the story line of the game. You’ll find yourself wanting to off your bosses quickly as the songs repeat themselves during these Dance Off battles and can grate after a short while.
Fact: In the soundtrack of the original movie the narrator of the story is none other then Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame. However he never actually featured in the film itself. Also Jack Skeleton made his first appearance in Beetlejuice (1988)! |
All the memorable characters from the movie are here in one form or another. And they do re-kindle the love of the movie I have as you get to see new dialogue and animation. But even with the smooth, beautiful landscapes and wonderfully animated characters you can’t help but feel it all seems a bit contrived. It doesn’t flow naturally as a video game. A common problem with movie translation is that there is no real story to necessitate the need for a game. Sure the action is there. The characters are there. Loads of weapon attacks and power ups to grab. But no real grabbing game action to set this one apart from most of the stuff hitting the shelves at the moment.
Tis but a shame that this game is nothing more than Jack himself… a vegetable. You’ll find yourself hurting through the actual game parts where you actually DO SOMETHING just to see more of the cinematics on offer and to unlock new music tracks. Worthy of a looking but don’t think this will fly off the shelves on anything more than sentimental value alone.
Verdict |
Medieval is more worthy of a play than this. Not overly bad. Just not overly good either! |
Pros: Faithfully reproduces the cast of the movie into a animated 3D world. Original voice talents here. |
Cons: Gameplay involves button bashing. No real drive to want to complete the game. |
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