Ughh...
You know a review isn't going to be favorable when it starts with
a sound effect groan. Let me say this right off the mark: Max
Steel is intended for immature audiences only. Of course, the
kiddies who are glued to the CG TV show every week, will probably
soil themselves on the way to picking this one up at the store.
Unfortunately, they'll soil themselves even more when they realize
how rancid this game is. Treyarch who pulled off some amazing
work with Tony Hawk 1 & 2 on the DC, seem to be perfectly
capable of enhancing other development teams jewels (Neversoft
originally developed Tony), but they fall flat on their butts
with this haphazard effort. Max Steel is Fighting Force 2, with
prettier light sourced weapons. In fact, the best thing about
this game was the cool looking weapons. Too bad you couldn't actually
hit the broad side of a barn with one of them. I have found that,
and funny as this may seem, pretty sparkly weapons are useless
when you can't aim. And Max Steel can't aim at all.
"Mattel
probably cares less about Max Steel than I do, and that's
just downright sad."
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The
idea of infiltrating a secret area filled with enemies is par
for the course video game fodder, so you can't fault Max Steel
for paying attention to tried and true plot devices. However,
it's the unbearable repetition of said task that will drive you
over the edge. This game is all about moving from one room to
the next, killing enemies with your kicks and punches, because
aiming a weapon is a chancy endeavor. Most of the puzzle elements
(cough..) are of the "find the colored code key variety"
to unlock the door. "Kick, punch, it's all in the mind, Open
the door, with the key you find!" Thanks Master Chop Chop...
The
game actually looks decent enough, runs at a decent frame rate
and the environments actually look quite nice. Except that you'll
soon discover that, like the gameplay, the environments are recycled
throughout the entire game. This turns the entire game play experience
into "Ground Hog Day" with Max Steel. Enough already.
If
you are a real Max Steel fan, then you might get something out
of this. Max Steel is all about selling toys, not selling you
an experience. Remember in the good old days (way before my time)
when cartoons and TV shows were made because they were cool ideas
and not because they could be slapped onto a back pack or underwear?
Max Steel is as cold and unfeeling as The Power Rangers, Power
Puff Girls and whatever other marketing creations are out on toy
store shelves right now. Think of it this way, when Spiderman
goes through a slump in popularity for a few years, does Marvel
Comics dump him in favor of Internet Man? No. But when Max Steel
drops off in a few months, Mattel will be calling emergency meetings
with their R & D teams, trying to come up with something new
and cool....like Internet Man! Mark my words. Mattel probably
cares less about Max Steel than I do, and that's just downright
sad.
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