Customer Reviews

Scooby-Doo Unmasked

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This scooby doo game is very fun even for an 11 year old. In this mystery, the monsters are not even criminals! There're high-tech robots controlled by a human villan. This game has a down side. It's short. There are only three major levels. The only thing you do after beating the level is to go back for items, then the area becomes easy for you. Overall I would rent the game.

Ever since I was a young kid, I've loved Scooby Doo, and Scooby Doo Unmasked looked like a decent game, but it just wasn't that entertaining. Yes it's an okay game but it could have been a lot better, but I'll get into that later in my review. First of all, the story has a decent premise, Fred is visiting his cousin Jed (not a very creative name, but...who cares) at the Monstrous Fright and Magic factory, but once he and the gang get there, they find that Jed has gone missing. Jed has been blamed to have stolen a secret formula called Mubber (a formula that helps create realistic life-like monsters) so it's up to Scooby Doo and the rest to solve the mystery. You control Scooby Doo through three major areas, but before you enter the first of the three, you begin searching for clues at the Monstrous Fright and Magic factory. I liked the way the game started off, you don't have to fight many enemies and this level helps you get familiar with the controls. They aren't too complicated and they're very easy to master. There are also many items to collect, one of the most frequent is Scooby Snacks, and if you collect a hundred you earn a Scooby Medal (a life) back. To earn more and more Scooby Medals as the game progresses you need to collect recipe ingredients, and if you collect enough you earn an additional medal. You also need to collect Mubber, clues and trap pieces, I personally really like searching for these items, it makes it challenging. I also like the involvement of the other characters, when you find a clue you need to go find Velma and she will examine them, and when you collect enough recipe ingredients you can visit Shaggy and his porta-kitchen to earn another Scooby medal. And you can also talk with Daphne, and Fred and they'll offer tips occasionally.

After you exit the Monstrous Fright and Magic factory you enter the first of three major worlds, your first adventure is in a "Shuddery Showdown in Chinatown." For me Chinatown really became dull, the music did not fit a Scooby Doo game very well and it was very confusing, after I got the hang of things though, it was okay. Whether climbing on tree tops, going through a fortune cookie factory, or crawling through sewers it just wasn't...fun, there was no incentive to continue the game for me. Although I did like the fact that if you collect enough Mubber, you can change into Scooby coustumes. There are machines in specific locations that transform Scooby, and there are three costumes and each one matches the specific location your in. I personally think Scooby's ninja costume made Chinatown tolerable. Now, after the first world I enjoyed the game much more, your next stop in the mystery is in the "Haunted Rockin' Roller Coaster" theme park, you first start out exploring a "haunted house" which I didn't particularly like, but then you travel through a circus and I loved flying through the big top as Scooby is wearing his bat costume. And there also is a very fun area where you slide down a huge megaton waterslide. But my favorite location is in the "Harum Scare'em Museum." You search through a prehistoric museum exhibit, and you also search for Fred and Daphne in an underwater exhibit, and a medieval exhibit. I especially love Scooby's Robin Hood costume.

Now I definitely have some complaints with this game, first of all the landscapes look unimpressive and bland, it doesn't have a Scooby Doo feel to it, like in the haunted house for example, it could have been darker toned to have looked creepier and more shadows could have been added, the designs just don't catch your eye. I did like the look of the museum though, if the areas looked more like this it would have made it more enjoyable. And some particular Scooby voice segments just sound awful, especially when he is in his ninja Scooby costume. I also personally didn't like the added laugh track for the game, (when you're talking to Shaggy sometimes there will be an occasional laugh track) and they laugh for no apparent reason, but this is only a minor complaint. Also, the music sometimes doesn't match the mood of a specific level so it gets annoying, sometimes I'd mute the volume because it would start giving me a headache. Another big annoyance is when I left Chinatown and arrived at the haunted theme park I had missed some items, I was at first relieved that you could replay the previous levels but even if you collect the item from that level it still won't count it! I don't know if this is just a problem with my copy of the game but I'd still recommend you to collect all the items before entering a new world.

So to sum things up, I have mixed feelings about this game. I enjoyed certain aspects of the game but there were so many annoying problems. Now if you want an inexpensive game that's sort of enjoyable I'd recommend it, but if you're an older and more experienced gamer this isn't a great game to buy.

I bought this as a Xmas present for my 9 year old son. It came in plenty of time for Xmas, it was in great shape, and it plays beautifully - but because it had no cover art, I gave it to my son early. The little sticker on the box said "No cover art as advertised" but I didn't notice that particular caveat when I clicked the buy button - so I think the seller should have MADE THAT FACT A LITTLE EASIER TO SEE. Oh well, maybe we've started a new tradition - the Thanksgiving present. *shrug*

This Scooby game is not as good as Mystery Mayhem was but I think it might be better that Night of 100 Frights. Kinda in the middle. I rented it and I'll probably buy it when I can. I just hope the next Scooby game is more like Mystery Mayhem was.