SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

"One of the best platform games I've seen for a while..."

Everyone knows that licensed TV show platform games can be a real work of crud. But! With games like SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, there can be those surprisingly good games. I've played almost every licensed game from Fairly Oddparents, to Mucha Lucha(shudder), but this one tops almost them all!
Graphics : Well, I gotta hand it to ya THQ, you did a darn fine job on creating a semi-3D, Donkey Kong-ish, graphics engine. Seeing a 3D Spongebob breathing in place with no seams in the sprite, is breathtaking. You got Squidward, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Plankton, Sandy, and many more, all in pixel-perfect sprites! There was one gripe I have though and thats the simplistic background. Keep up the good work! Rating:9/10

Sounds : Wow. Just. Wow. Never thought I'd hear the the SpongeBob theme song sound so good on the GBA. The SFX and level music are fantastic. You got catchy new theme songs for each level and some that just wont get out of you're head! And the SFX are pretty good, the occasional wolf whistle when you get a pair of underwear, the scream when you run into a robot. In shorter terms, the SFX are terrific. Great Job! Rating: 10/10

Gameplay : I like simple games. Especially one that have each button do one thing. ONE THING! Not have A do 20 different things and B do 100 things. Just one. Thats it. THQ keeps it simple and has you blowing bubbles with B and jumping with A. As easy as that. Oh and there's a password system, but it's only 4 characters. Sorry save file lovers! Rating: 10/10

Replay : If you like games that give you extra things to get, than you will play this game much longer than you think. There are these special pictures you can get that you only can get by beating bonus levels. These bonus levels can be riding the invisible boatmobile, or riding you'r one-wheel(more like pattle) bike. Some of the pictures are animated pics, and some are still-pics. In the end, it gives you something to do. Rating: 8/10

I'm very glad to say that this game was really enjoyable. I am not some 10 year old who pleasures Nickelodeon games, or some any-game lovin' freak, but I'm a true speaker that tells, well, the truth. Buy this game. Maybe if you're a teen but that's about the age limit. You wont be sorry.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/18/04