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

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1 - 2

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer is a rather simple and short game that picks up right after the movie and first game leave off, with the Underminer vowing to wreak havoc and all that rubbish that bad guys generally go on vowing about.

In this sequel, multi player co-op action is given much more emphasis. Indeed, even if one plays the game alone, you will have to switch between the two characters, Mr. Incredible and Frozone, from time to time to complete objectives and finish levels. Each of the characters has their own unique abilities- Incredible can pick up heavy doors, while Frozone can make an ice bridge, ect. When one character looses all his health, you automatically switch to the other character. There are a few places where this character switching can become pretty hectic; Use Frozone to freeze incoming missiles, switch to Mr. Incredible and pick one up to throw at the robot launching the missiles, switch back in time to get an ice bridge built while not getting hit by another wave of missiles. For a veteran gamer like me, it takes a few tries to get the knack of doing all this rapidly, but once down it is fairly routine. It makes me wonder, however, if the younger or casual gamer will be able to get a hold of these kinds of techniques without becoming overly frustrated. The game really does seem geared toward a two player experience, and younger gamers might not be able to adjust to the gameplay of constantly switching rapidly back and forth. The plus side is, of course, that it offers a bit more to keep veterans engaged for a while longer, whereas they might otherwise pass the game off as too simplistic.

The rest of the controls are relatively straight forward- you have your attack button, which functions just like the attacks us old guys remember from games like Final Fight- that is, you just keep mashing it over and over again, throwing down on the waves of enemies that approach. Those who enjoy a bit of the old school beat em up action will probably get a few miles out of this game, as that is primarily what the action involves. There are some platform elements as well, though they really serve mostly to break up the action, and don’t in themselves present much challenge. Pulling the left and right triggers together initiates a special move, which does much more damage, and you can roll or slide dodge as well.
The puzzle elements of the game consist mainly of standing in a spot marked on the screen, and holding the Y button until an action is performed automatically, like opening a door or pushing over a column, or in the case of Frozone, freezing things so Incredible can smash them. There is not a lot of brain power involved, but as stated, this is supposed to be a kid’s game.

One new feature is the upgrade system. By defeating enemies, you earn points, and when you have enough points, you can go to the upgrade screen and raise the levels of various attributes of the characters, such as health, punch power, and super moves. The amount you can upgrade is fairly limited, but it is a rather short game, so that really doesn’t detract too much. It's not a full on RPG, after all.
The game looks pretty good on the Xbox, running at a 480p resolution. The animations are smooth and cool to watch, although there is not a whole lot to look at after a while, as the actions are pretty routine. Background animation is also well done, and everything keeps pretty much in line with the movie.

There is only one major niggle against the game, and that is that there is no camera control whatsoever. In some games that would be the kiss of death; in this one, it ends up only being a mild annoyance. That is because the game is very, very linear. There is absolutely no path choice at all. The tracks are fairly wide, and at times this can lead to enemies being behind you out of sight, but overall, it doesn’t hurt the experienced gamer much. Again, though, I wonder how a youngster would handle it.

Speaking of those enemies, there is a ton of em. The lesser baddies can fill the screen to what might seem like overwhelming numbers at times, but in fact, they are so easy to knock around that even when swarming, they present only a moderate challenge. Most of the time, you will be constantly mashing the attack button and wading through them in true superhero fashion. Harder enemies might attack two or three at a time, but still, the challenge level is nominal.

Using the D pad will allow you to give certain basic commands to the character you are not playing, such as be more aggressive or follow closely. In theory, this is good; in practice, your other character will dodge pretty decently, but won't really fight effectively alone to keep himself from getting knocked out time after time. This is another area where constant switching of characters is a must.

For younger players who are fans of The Incredibles, this game is certainly recommended. Parents should be aware, though, that they might have to sit down and play with the kids from time to time to help them through the more challenging multiplayer aspects of the game, but this is not a bad thing at all. For the older or more experienced player, it is hard to recommend the game as anything but a rental. You’ll beat it in a few hours, but if you have a fondness for the old beat em ups, it will be worth your time.

-Ed-