Being
a Generation X-er, I can remember my early childhood in the 80s, watching
Astroboy and other cool cartoons on the telly.
It was a great show created by Osamu Tezuka and introduced me to the
world of Manga (not that I knew what that term meant back then). And now two decades later, Astroboy has flown
back into our hearts and onto the PS2.
This
game is based on the newer Astroboy cartoon rather than the retro, classic ones
of the eighties, which is a bit of a shame, but hey what can you do? The story of Astroboy starts off with him
being created by Dr Tenma, a mad scientist (unsurprisingly), but Astro is
raised by the eccentric Dr O’Shay. Astro
is small but isn’t afraid to stand up to evil and is pure of heart with a
strong sense of justice (not many heroes like that nowadays…). He has the most advanced electronic brain
ever created and even though he is a super robot, he was created with a human
soul.
The
game starts with the opening scenes that are depicted from the actual intro scenes
of the cartoon. The cut-scenes are also
from the cartoon, so it feels like you’re actually watching an episode of
Astroboy. There’s a cartoony feel to the
game (obviously) and it’s made by the same team that gave us Sonic the
Hedgehog, so you kinda know what to expect.
The game is also aimed at the younger gamer, but it can be enjoyed by
all.
As
Tobio (Astroboy), you don’t get all your special powers immediately, but rather
gradually over the course of the game.
These 7 unique abilities are Rocket Feet, Supersonic Hearing,
100000-Horsepower Strength, Arm Cannon, X-ray Vision, Power of Analyzation and
Digibeams (fire laser from Astro’s finger).
Unfortunately, the ability to fire a machine gun from Astro’s backside
isn’t included. Maybe that’s not PC
these days…
Watching
Astro take off with his rocket feet is a joy to watch, and flying around the
futuristic Metro City is way cool. The
main story of the cartoon (and thus the game) is that Astro must protect Metro
City and its inhabitants from all the other rogue robots. These are the big boss battles that Astro
must win to proceed onto the next ones.
Apart from using Astro’s powers, he can use items within the environment
to fight, eg. Using streetlight poles as a bat, picking up and throwing taxis.
The
big bosses are all familiar from the cartoon – Atlas, Magnamite, Acheron, the
Blue Knight, Denkou, etc… After a boss
is defeated, Astro’s health and power gauge increases. As Astro flies through the city, he will
encounter various, minor flying robots which you can fight to help you improve
your aerial combat skills.
As
you play, the top left-hand corner of the screen shows Astro’s gauge: Health
and Force (using his special abilities).
The big boss’s health meter is at the bottom of the screen. The Triangle button lets him use his Arm
Cannon; Circle button unleashes the Digibeams, Square button is the actions key
and X button lets him jump/hover.
Pressing L2/R2 rotates the camera, with R1 giving X-ray Vision and L1
locks onto specific targets. The
top-right corner of the screen is quite helpful and innovative, as it show what
buttons needs to be press for Astro to perform those actions. Also, whenever Astro strays to close to the
boundaries of the map that he can’t past through, there is a cool
forcefield-effect that is kinda mesmerising.
There
are plenty of side-quests for Astro to complete (involving friends and other
citizens) and there is a mission involving collector cards (hidden throughout
the game to reward exploration) for Astro’s little sister, Zoran. This allows the players the freedom to
explore the vast Metro City and also ensures longevity for the game.
The
graphics are good with stylish artwork, good animation, great colour and
movement. The sound effects are quite
good (just hearing Astro’s rocket feet as he whooshes around is very cool) and
the electro music suits the game. As
Astro enters a different part of the city, the music changes and just like in
the cartoon series, every time you hear a certain theme music, you know it’s
time for action.
The
only bad thing about this game is that it being aimed at the younger
generation, it may be too short or easy for the experienced gamer. Also combining flying with fighting may take
a while to master and the targeting system isn’t as effective as it should
be. Loading times is average but saving
the game is nice and quick. There’s no
multiplayer, which is disappointing, as it’d have been awesome to fight
robot-on-robot with a friend.
If
you’re a fan of Astroboy (and who isn’t?!!?) and you’re an impressionable
youngster, then this game is a worthy addition to your collection. It isn’t a classic game by any stretch of the
imagination, but it’s damn fun playing an iconic figure! It’s a wholesome, innocent and enjoyable romp
that is suitable for all generations.
Playing this game is exactly like watching the cartoon, except you get
to be Astro. Let’s rock!
9/10
Sein