Nicktoons Unite!

"A Hideous Game"

I've never really been a fan of multi-player games, and now I know why. Nicktoons Unite proved to be a trivial game, hurting itself in many ways through slipshod controls, repugnant level design, and tasteless graphics. Bearing in mind the reality that most Nick games have been of respectable quality as of late, this was almost a surprise; key word however, almost.

While some may choose to believe that NU has its bright spots, upon close examination everything proves to be rather appalling. The solitary object that this title was meant to trust in fell apart, leaving it to pick up the remains with little to nothing in terms of support. Multiplayer, although intuitive at first, wound up being nothing more than a simple button masher that provided little, if any, lasting worth.

Despite the fact that initially this game boasted in its four-character variety, even this proved to be nothing more than a distraction. Whereas a game such as FF: CC branched out in distinctiveness when it came to character development, NU chooses to pursue a dreadfully stringent path, almost as if each character is a replica of another. And while in the developers's argument each character does encompass their own skill set, this too happens to be yet another shallow endeavor.

Leading the charge of this lunacy happened to be the game play, something so terrible that even little babies would cry. Go one place, ram a button, mash some enemies; it honestly was horrendous. Even with the aid of multiplayer, something that the majority of games would kill to have, this game still botched.

Perhaps it all started from the means of which the game was laid, revealing that there was little exertion to begin with. It's palpable, because even the enemy assortment was lackluster, placing game play in the category of hit the same enemy five hundred times until you reach the next area. Combined with the severe deficiency of added variety, not a lone part of the game play was fun.

Continuing down the line of horrendousness come the graphics, something that should have been a good deal better than the rest. Nick has proved to us in the past that it has the ability consistently to realize its potential when it comes to this, so why couldn't they do it in this? However we may try to explain it, we can't. Boring, shoddy visuals were all that abounded in this title, further proving my earlier point that this game was rushed.

Rushing through the procedure of building a solid graphical scheme also cost them much fluidity when it came to the actual frame rate, resulting in a jerky experience that lags frequently. Since it did lag as greatly as it did, a game that was struggling already fell face down. Problems in variety and character difference became apparent rather swiftly due to this, forcing me to think if they in reality decided to fool around with the game in the first place.

The music is no different, sporting a rather superfluous track that does absolutely nothing for the game itself. It's moderately bland essentially, giving the player absolutely no reason whatsoever to keep the volume off when the game is in session. To no surprise, it simply fell in line with everything else that was wrong with this game.

Although failing to bring a pleasant melody to the ear of the player injured this game tremendously, it was the repetition of those bland tracks that drove the nail in the coffin. The same tune that is heard at the beginning of the area will still be heard at the end, often times inducing a very sad experience. At the very least, it would have been expected for them to work on its synergy.

With all of its problems, NU winds up being a rather hideous multiplayer game that holds true to absolutely nothing when it comes to quality. Deprived controls, severe lag issues, and a rather poor experience overall make Nicktoons Unite a title to definitely stay away from. If you still do wish to purchase this title, it can generally be found for fewer than ten US dollars. Strongly recommending against it though is my solemn advice.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/07