Ben 10: Protector of Earth (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

Children's TV has certainly changed since I stopped watching it. Before, it was all about the likes of Thundercats and the original Transformer cartoons yet nowadays it does seem that many of the shows have been dumbed down and can be patronising to the viewer. However, these TV shows never made a true jump into the gaming market unlike their modern day counterparts which are getting picked up by developers at the drop of a hat. One of these is the increasingly popular Ben 10 series which continues the action oriented viewing of yesteryear in a more modern style. And Protector of Earth represents its first foray into the gaming world, hoping to entertain fans of the show who have become accustomed to the action of the TV show.

Gameplay

Ben 10: Protector of Earth places you in control of series' lead Ben Tennyson and the mysterious Omnitrix watch that he has gained possession of. For fans of the show, you'll know what the Omnitrix does but for those that don't the Omnitrix allows Ben to shape shift into one of 5 different forms, each of which has a specialised power. In essence, your average kid is instantly transformed into this powerful superhero who has an answer to just about anything that the bad guys can throw at him. The game provides some back story for those unfamiliar to the series yet knowing it isn't completely necessary to enjoy the overall game. Gameplay takes the form of a side scrolling brawler, for the most part, with you moving Ben or one of his many forms through a level up to a point where you'll have to defeat a series of spawning enemies before you can continue on. This staging of events within the games many levels, which span many famous landmarks within the United States, would initially seem to disrupt the flow but by doing it this way, the developers have ensured that you always know what you have to do at a given moment and also means you can enjoy one of the best parts of the game which is the fighting.

There aren't many side scrolling fighters on the Wii but Ben 10 manages to bring the basics set out in other titles and does them incredibly well. It's easily accessible for the target audience, which is obvious for the kids who are fans of the show, but also provides enough depth for older gamers thanks to the various forms Ben can take on. For example, at the beginning of the game you will only have access to two forms: Heatblast, who is a fire based fighter with the ability to both shoot fire from a distance and surf over gaps on a platform of fire, and Fourarms, who is your typical heavy character capable of moving and lifting heavy objects, and utilising these two distinct powers will be key to progressing through the fighting and the platform elements which the game also provides. As you push through the game's many levels, you'll unlock the remaining 3 forms, these being XLR8, Cannonball and Wildvine, each of which adds another element to both the fighting and the platform possibilities. But, not only do you have to be strategic with your form choice for progression but you also have to manage a constantly depleting power bar that is tied to these forms. When it runs out, you return to your standard Ben form and have to wait for it to recharge so a watchful eye must be kept on that, thus taking the game to another level instead of making it easy to just stay as one of your mutant forms. This becomes increasingly important as new enemies are introduced or in the massive boss battles that you'll have to fight through where the wrong strategy means you'll have to start over again.

And while the main game can be played in its entirety in single player mode, the development team have provided a seamless drop-in, drop-out co-op mode so that two players can play through it all simultaneously. It's incredibly quick and easy to jump into the action if someone else is already playing and harks back to the old arcade days where it was simple there. Overall, the gameplay is pretty with only a couple of odd choices, mainly in the platforming department, that cause the game to falter slightly.

Controls

Controlling the game, you'll use both the Wii-mote and the Nunchuk, with all attacks and movement handled by button presses. There is the ability to use gestures for attacks but you'll quickly opt for use of the simpler button pressing interface. And all in all, it works well with your character having both heavy and light attacks that can be mixed together to create combos and you'll unlock new combos for the fighting forms as you progress through the game so there is always a new technique to learn. The camera is completely controlled by the game and while it does well to keep up in fights, not having the ability to move it in soem of the platform sections means that judging jumps can be difficult.

Graphics

The show's trademark style is recreated here as best as possible. Having been co-developed for the Playstation 2, the Wii version doesn't pull any special punches and looks virtually identical to that version, which can be seen in the occasional blocky and low resolution texture. Saying that, the game is presented well with the cel-shaded style put to good use and all character models and environments look good, with there being a good amount of variety in both the enemies and the locations within which you'll fight them. There is also a considerable amount of destructible scenery which is a nice touch and acts as another hark back to older side scrolling fighters.

Sound

Voice-overs for the game's characters are provided by those who provided their voices for the show. As a result, the game becomes more inviting for those who are fans as they'll instantly be able to recognise and endear to the characters. And the voice work is done to the same high standard as the show which shows the collaborative effort between the game's developers and those who make the show. Music wise, it's very apt and follows the action as it should.

Final comments

As a first attempt at bringing the show to different medium, Ben 10: Protector of Earth is a very good attempt, doing many things correctly. The side scrolling fighting is top notch and has a good amount of depth to it, providing those with fond memories of playing through similar titles in arcades with some great gameplay while also being instantly accessible for those who are younger. The presentation of the game is done to a high standard as well, with only a few drawbacks. You'd be remise for thinking that a license like this wouldn't be able to create a good gameplay experience but credit must go to the developers who have shown that by keeping things simple yet entertaining, you can get a great game. Definitely one for fans but for those who aren't, it's still worth a go.

Pro: Old school, combo based fighting at its best, presentation is done to a high standard
Con: Some small presentation drawbacks, platforming elements aren't spectacular, some camera issues
Final score: 6.5

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