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Avatar: The Last Airbender -- The Burning Earth
An In Depth Review by Mage_of_Flames

Overview:
This 2nd installment of Avatar covers the second book of the television show. Notable changes from the first game are:
-Much Easier
-Addition of rest areas(inn's basically)
-Only 2 party members at a time. You get no control over this, the game does it for you.
-Toph is your earthbender this time around
-Tweaked combat system
If you haven't played the first Avatar game I can sum all that up by saying that this game is much better than the first due to THQ's minor tweaks. Now on to the review!

Gameplay:
Avatar's game play works like this. Run around. Get in fight. Run around. Talk. Get in fight. and so on and so forth. There are a few platforming elements involved, but not much. This style of gameplay sounds very lame, but trust me when I say the fights are very fun. Most of the time you'll be destroying your opponents because of the game's low difficulty level. Boss' don't have timeframes when you attack them, or anything like that. There's no real gimmicks to fights just you hacking and slashing your way through. Sounds boring but because the game is so short, it doesn't get repetitive.

Gameplay: 7.5/10

Battle System:
Why a whole paragraph on battle? Because I feel that the gameplay section is too broad to cover a good review on the battle system of Avatar. Battles start when you hit an enemy in the overworld area. After a quick animation that blacks the screen your thrown into battle. The battle area is the exact same as the overworld area you are in, a very nice touch in my opinion. In battle you can run around, jump, do 2 hit combos, use bending powers, or use items from the start menu. The game has real time combat. Using items doesn't affect the battle, except your health or bending points. Basically meaning if you have the items to heal you can win every battle. The bending abilitys are very useful, and if used properly can win many battles. No character of yours is much better than the others, they are well balanced so you can use your favorite.

Battle System: 8/10

Graphics:
The graphics in this game are much improved from the first game, and some of the best on the DS. You can no longer use R and L to spin the camera, but the graphics are very pretty anyway. In cutscene's you notice them much better than in gameplay. During the game your eyes will have to adjust to the fact that the background is 3D but all the characters are just 2D sprites! All the sprite work is done very well and it all looks true to the game's characters.

Graphics: 9/10

Story:
If you like the Avatar story you'll like this game's. It's the exact same story, just watered down a little. The watering down isn't really a bad thing, as it fits the game well. The story keeps the game moving and that's about it. Look watch the darn show if you want the story presented properly!

Story 4/10

Length:
Not too long at all. It's a 4-6 hour game. You could pick this up and be done with it before you know it! I'd recommend you find some way to play it. Buying is always and option, but unless your a hardcore Avatar fan then you will probably think you've wasted your cash. The game has some replay value if you feel like smashing through it again, but for the most part it's 4-6 hours of fun, then it's over.

Difficulty:
Wow. This game is amazingly easy! The game throws enough food at you to help you your whole way through. The one time I bought food, I didn't need it. Basically you don't need to buy anything to beat the game. Also with the implementation of rest area's you can get full heal at almost any time! The battles were never challenging, so I'm assuming the enemies stats are much less than yours when you get to them.

Difficulty(1 is lowest, this isn't a rank of how well the difficulty is set it is): 3/10

Side Attractions:
Ah, minigames how we love you! This game has quite a few good minigames that are the most challenging part of the game. These minigames use the touch screen quite often, and are loads of fun! Another side attraction is the ability to collect cabbages throughout the game. I only collected 8 of the 30, netting me a permanent 30 HP bonus to one character. Keep in mind you turn in the cabbages in packets of 5. Right before the end of the game, you have the option to return to any area you've been before. With this you can return to find cabbages you missed. This alone could take a few hours, if your a die-hard must find everything kinda person.

Side Attractions: 9/10

When it's all said and done Avatar is an amazing game that everyone should play. I'd like to thank you for reading my review, but you shouldn't be reading it..go play Avatar!

Final Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/22/07

Game Release: Avatar: The Last Airbender -- The Burning Earth (US, 10/16/07)