Amazing Island

"Finally a game I can keep on coming back to. Amazing."

Amazing Island… ahh, where to begin.

I first heard of this game and I wasn't too into it. I mean, creating monsters sounds fun and all, but I never thought it would be that fun. The only thing I have to complain about right now is how much memory it takes up. I had to buy two memory cards to satisfy my needs.

Gameplay: Well I'll separate this into two categories.

Games: 6/10

Well the main game is so-so. There isn't too much variety in the mini-games. Hell, they could have just made the game part of this game just a side game in another game (I wonder how many times I can say game in the same sentence…). Sure, it's fun at first to play them, but just pressing the A button over and over again for many of the mini-games could definitely get boring, unless you're one for high scores.

One of the good things about the games is that you get more parts that you can use for your monsters you create.

Monster Creation: 10/10

This is probably the best part of the game. No, definitely the best part of the game. You draw shapes of the monster you want to create for the head, legs, arms, body, and whatever else the frame you chose consists of. Then, you inflate the shapes to the perfect width and depth to your liking, and make it come alive. You can then chose pre-set skins, and paint whatever you want on it.

Once you finally do that, you can add accessories you win from games; there are a lot of accessories… Add eyes, fire, whatever you want. The only thing is that it limits you to how many accessories you can add to your creation. That's a bad part, but it still works out well.

Visuals: 8/10

Sure. It's pretty old graphics, better than Nintendo 64 could do, but still pretty low quality. They match the game well though. Although creating a scary monster is hard with such cartoony graphics, everything matches the game well.

The games take place in a variety of settings, giving a fresh feeling to each game, even if it's almost exactly the same.

Sound: 7/10

Meh. I've heard better, but at least they didn't ruin it with horrible voice acting. The monsters can sound good, with a variety of voices you can give them ranging from a horse, to a little kid, to a robot and all else in between.

Replay: 10/10

Possibly one of the only games that kept me going back to it. The monster creating creates unlimited replay ability. Even if you don't get hardcore gamer on it, you can still casually go back to it and create a monster or two. Make sure you have enough memory, for each monster takes a greater amount of memory than one would expect. On a 59 memory card, you could probably only hold about 8 or 9 monsters.

Not the greatest game, but a great choice for almost anyone. It's probably at a very low price right now, so it's probably worth picking up for such a low price and high replay ability. If you're a high score fanatic, this is a great game for you too. Most people will get at least a little enjoyment out of this game.

Overall, I give it an 8/10. The games aren't too great, but the monster creation makes up for it big time.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/05