Official Website
Platform: PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Nintendo DS, GameBoy Advance, PC

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1 - 2

At this point, I've played THQ's new game, The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, on three different platforms, and in the world of portables, the game ahs been unimpressive. The home console version of the game is a completely different story though. You have much more power to play around with when it comes to the PlayStation 2, the GameCube, or even the Xbox than what the Nintendo DS or GBA will allow for. After playing the other versions, I can say that the PS2 version is quite an experience.

The game itself is set after the ending of Pixar's film, but for a family of superheroes, danger is never far away. From beneath the Earth, the evil Underminer emerges with a very simple plan; to rule the world. The Incredibles now must put a stop to this menace, but they won't be working together. Mr. Incredible pairs up with Frozone to find the Underminer's secret base and put a stop to his robot hordes while the rest of the family protects the city. With these two heroes combined power, the Underminer's days are certainly going to be numbered.

Rise of the Underminer on the PS2 is . . . well, incredible. You will have control of both Mr. Incredible and Frozone together at once (or you can team up with a friend) and this can make for some great gameplay. Both heroes of course have their own powers. When you're playing as Mr. Incredible you will have strength on your side while Frozone is the perfect companion on a hot summers day with his ability to freeze anything. Some things remain constant with both heroes, and that would be the ability to jump and punch, but they have other, unique skills. Square and circle together will result in Mr. Incredible unleashing his ground slam or in Frozone's case, an ice slide. Circle alone will either freeze enemies or pick up items, and that does include any foes that you've frozen.

By using the D-pad, you can switch back and forth between characters, and this does become an essential part of the gameplay if you're going at this one solo. There are times you definitely want to be in control of Mr. Incredible and others where Frozone is essential. You can also instruct your partner in how to behave. You can have them act aggressively and attack any enemies on the screen, you can have them guard and simply stay in one stop, they can defend you, or you can simply have them follow. By using the right analog, you can dodge attacks or even "dodge" right into robots to cause more damage.

You'll fight a number of different robots as you journey deeper into the Underminer's realm, and defeating them will earn you both health and experience points. Experience can be used to increase your abilities. You can improve your health and all of your specific attacks. There are also enemies that will have a glowing orange sphere above them. These are special moves and by collecting them and then press either L or R1, your character will destroy most enemies within range. For Mr. Incredible, his attack will be a destructive ground punch while Frozone causes a shower of deadly ice to rain down.

You will also find bonus items in stages that will open artwork for the game and each stage has objectives. They are the same and you will need to score a certain amount of destruction points and complete the stage undefeated. If you don't succeed the first time, you can always go back and try again later, and finishing these challenges will open other portions of the game. This is one aspect of the game where, if you've been playing solo, may not be bad to go back in with a friend. The computer AI is decent, but there are times when I had to question exactly what the computer was thinking. The gameplay is straight forward; if you're not bashing robots your trying to solve a minor puzzle to progress further into the game, and that's really about the size of it.

Rise of the Underminer looks very comparable to The Incredibles film, though there are hardware limitations of course. Some of the visual effects are outstanding though. Frozone's freezing ability looks amazing, and you'll see enemies begin to slowly change until they solidify into a block of ice. Mr. Incredible simply could have punches the ground with no fanfare, but you'll see the ground around his fist crack and the game has a number of very well done light effects. These include subtle things like light changes to glows in various areas. The voice work is stupendous, and the two characters will chatter back and forth during the games stages, though there are times when it gets a little repetitive. There are also a number of cut scenes that tell the story further, and these are all done to replicate the animation from the movie.

If there was a single thing I would complain about with Rise of the Underminer, it's that it is a little too short. It only took a few hours of playing before I found that I was at the end of the game, but these were some great hours, and that's important. I'm sure however that the game was designed for younger fans. There are adults that enjoy it as well, but this is a case where they may have a good time playing with their children. I've never seen The Incredibles, but after playing the game, I'm rather intrigued. It's great that THQ and Pixar can take a license like this and go beyond the film to create something just as entertaining.

-mike-