"An Unsung Hero of Multiplayer Gaming"

Whenever you go to a gaming party, and there's a Gamecube involved, at some point or another games like Super Smash Brothers Melee will inevitably get put in (if the party isn't already solely focused on such a game). I personally think that this is one of the greatest tragedies in gaming, first of all because I think SSBM has been overplayed to the point where it is now very boring and frustrating, but also because there are so many amazing and fresh multiplayer games out there which are much more worthy of our time.

Cel Damage on Gamecube is one of those games.

The story of the game is that it is a cartoon show, with each play session being an individual episode of the cartoon. But that isn't really reflected in the game much. A few [funny] audio lines and the [extremely funny] intro and finale movies for all the basic characters are about the extent of that.

There are 10 characters in all (6 basic and 4 “boss” characters which appear depending on which theme of stage you're playing in). Each match will be between 7 characters – the basic characters and one “boss” character (provided no players are using a boss character from a different theme). The player can also turn off AI opponents if they want to calm things down a little bit. Each character is very original and they all have quite hilarious personalities, which makes it a shame that there aren't more of them.

The game itself is essentially vehicular combat – cars and trucks racing around blasting, hacking, sawing, knocking, etc. each other to bits. And without a doubt, it does this exceptionally well.

There are 12 stages split up 3 each among 4 themes – western, jungle, Transylvania and space. Some of the stages are clearly better than others, but they are all really well designed, with each one sporting a unique selection of environmental traps and dangers, which keep things interesting. Even better is that these traps are often player-activated, meaning another method of racking up a few essential points. Again, it's a shame there aren't more themes and stages, because the developers have done an excellent job with the material already here, and I would have loved to know what they could have done with various other themes.

Anyway, each of these stages can be played in one of three modes: Smack Attack, Flag Rally and Gate Relay.

Smack Attack is essentially your basic deathmatch, except instead of only getting points for kills, you get points for every time you hit an enemy, even with the most basic of attacks. When a player's vehicle is destroyed, they will respawn a few seconds later, keeping things hectic.

Of course, you won't want to run around with just your primary attack (only earns 1 point per hit – the standard target for points to earn is 500), and there is a very large selection of weapons which can be found throughout each map. Each time a weapon is taken, a random new one will spawn in the same place a few seconds later, so there is never a shortage of weapons to be found – you can usually get one within a few seconds of spawning.

There are a lot of weapons in the game, ranging from punching gloves to chainsaws to helicopters and back again. Each one is unique in its use and how many points it will earn the player. For example, a spring weapon will earn the player 7 points if they land near an opponent and knock them back, but the same weapon will earn the player 50 points if they land directly on top of an opponent. Given the large range of items, and the fact that you may not always have the item you want available to you, players will have to master each if they want to truly succeed.

On top of this, each character has a unique special weapon which only they can use (unless the player puts in a huge chunk of time in unlocking it for general use). These play a large part in defining the individual characters (although obviously other things such as speed, manoeuvrability, etc. also play a large role) and it is just as important for the player to master these as any other weapon.

Unfortunately, there are some items which are more “cheap” than others – one in particular (a character's special) – is a nuclear explosive which can destroy all vehicles within a fairly large radius, and each kill earning the player a fair chunk of points. To top it off, if the player is hit while carrying the weapon, it will be set off. This is very unfortunate, because even just this one weapon can completely ruin the game experience if you're playing with the wrong people.

Moving on, Flag Rally is essentially a game of capture the flag. Only you have to capture 4 flags, and it's a free-for-all. As far as I know, this variation of the mode is unique to this game, and as it is a ton of fun to play, that is a serious bonus. One of the best things here is that each flag (more will spawn the longer the match goes on) has its own AI, and will run around the environment, dodge players, and jump with fright when a player approaches among other things. The flags are also susceptible to some of the weapons players will use, so you have to be careful or you may end up destroying the thing you're trying to collect.

Once you have all 4, you then have to make your way to a specific point on the map, usually somewhat difficult to get to; it will just about always feature some sort of environmental trap along the route to it which will rob you of your flags. A very nice touch indeed.

Weapons still play a large part because you will have to use them to knock flags off opponents (or destroy the opponent to knock all their flags off). I was also impressed by how the value of each weapon changes in this mode. Some of the best weapons in Smack Attack are rendered pretty much useless in this mode because they don't help you collect flags at all. On the other hand, some of the worst items will come in as top picks here. Example: a vacuum cleaner which, when you suck an opponent up, will instantly give you all the flags they have collected. Nice, eh?

Lastly, Gate Relay is the race mode of the game (it's a vehicle game, what did you expect?). Players must race their way between two gates located at opposite ends of the map. Pass through one gate, then race to the other, then back again, and so on until a player reaches the number of passes required to win (default being 20). Although some of the vehicles are decidedly slower than others, this isn't a problem because of the all-important items. By destroying your opponents, you will give yourself a few seconds to catch up or get ahead – but be careful, because they'll be trying to destroy you too.

This mode too is extremely fun, especially when you do things such as using boxing gloves to knock an opponent who's going in the opposite direction as you all the way back to the gate you were headed for, but which he just passed through (essentially knocking him back half a lap). This is even more fun when you're doing it to the guy sitting next to you. You can expect people to get rowdy.

And, once again, each weapon and stage seems to have its own unique characteristics for this mode. Features of weapons and stages which you hardly noticed before now become extremely apparent because they're costing you precious seconds. It's all done so well, it's difficult not to like.

Now, before I go on praising the game, I should mention some of the things it doesn't do so well. As I already mentioned, the game could have used more characters and stages. There is no single-player / story mode, which is very disappointing, as the potential for one is certainly there. There are no custom / event battles. Also, there is no time trial option for any of the modes, which is somewhat confusing, because it would have been very easy (as far as I understand) to add one and it would have made a great addition to the game.

So basically all you have is a game for multiplayer purposes only. But once again, it does this very well.

One of the best things about the game is just how accessible it is. It only requires 3 buttons to play (plus control stick); gas, brake, and weapon. In other words, one button for each button-pressing finger. Of course, new players may want to tone the computer's AI down a few levels, or else turn computer opponents off altogether, or else they will get mauled.

Alternatively, the amount of weapons and the skill and strategy required to master each, along with the high difficulty level provide for a game that will surely satisfy any hardcore multiplayer gamer.

Of course, I still haven't said (written?) a word about the graphics. Well, let me tell you right now that they are absolutely stunning. As the title of the game implies, it is a cel shaded game, and this style certainly compliments the action (I'm actually not sure if I would want to play this game if it wasn't cel shaded). But it doesn't stop there. Each of the vehicles and weapons has been wonderfully animated and designed, and each stage theme also has its own unique graphical style. As another plus, the bouncy and absolutely stunning physics engine compliments the cartoon design of the game.

There is often so much happening on screen, with bombs going off (fully 3D smoke by the way – not many games from that generation can make that claim), cars get sliced to bits (literally) and pieces of the environment blowing up that it's hard to believe the engine is holding up. But it always does. I've put a significant amount of time into this game, and not once have I seen the frame rate suffer.

A nice thing the developers did to show off these graphics is to freeze the action and swivel the camera around the victor at the end of each match. Given the bouncy physics, spectacular effects and meticulous detail (mmm… adjectives) these finishing shots are always excellent. Might not seem like much, but it's a great touch. In fact, it has happened several times that I'll be sitting around, doing homework, that kind of thing, and my brother would suddenly call me downstairs to show me yet another spectacular finish to a match in this game. I've done the same thing to him multiple times. It's wonderful.

As for the audio, it's good. There's music throughout, and though not exactly great on its own (it is video game music) it compliments the action nicely. I would have liked some of the sound effects to have a little bit more substance to them, but again, it compliments the action, and at times is very good.

The really good stuff here is the voice acting. All 10 of the characters are voiced excellently. As you're playing the game, you'll hear various characters deliver taunts and jibes at each other. What's even better is that you can make your character say something too, by simply pressing a button (although they will automatically at other times). The lines they deliver are funny and memorable. By reciting some of them, I've managed to convince a few people to buy the game, they're that good.

Like I said, you can make your character deliver a line on command (only one at a time though, to keep things from getting cluttered). On top of this, you can also honk your vehicle's horn at any time you want (stringing honks together with some characters gives a foghorn-like sound). These are great touches, because they allow you to add to the audio mayhem as well as the gameplay mayhem. It helps to make things even more hectic.

One final note is that the game's programming is very solid. You won't encounter very many glitches in this game (at least not in my experience anyways). I realise that most reviews don't really touch on this, but recent frustrations with Prince of Persia: Warrior Within lead me to make a point of including it here.

Wrap-Up

Presentation: 7.5/10 --- I like simple menus which present lots of customization options all the same. There isn't exactly much of a story, but the intro and finale movies for each basic character are excellent and very memorable.

Gameplay: 9.5/10 --- Simple yet incredibly refined with lots of room for hardcore gamers to flex their gaming muscle. Lack of event battles and time trials a disappointment.

Audio: 8.5/10 --- Excellent voice acting and the ability to add to the audio mayhem do a lot. I would have liked more from some of the sound effects though.

Graphics: 10/10 --- An amazing physics engine combined with incredible detail and the best use of cel shading I've ever seen all packaged together with no frame rate slowdown make this a graphically amazing game.

Lasting Appeal: 9.0/10 --- It's a multiplayer game! It will last you as long as you and your friends can stay awake. You'll unlock all the basic stuff pretty fast, but unlocking all the special weapons (if you even want to) will take a large chunk of time.

Overall: 9.0/10 (Not an average) --- Cel Damage is an excellent multiplayer game which unfortunately lacks any form of single player. However, with 12 stages, 10 characters, 3 superb game modes and more weapons than I care to count, there's enough here to keep you going for a long time.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/24/07