C Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure

• single-player action.
• six locations.
• near-3D graphics.
• classic characters.
• 20 levels.

Product Description ------------------- Join C as he embarks on a wild adventure as once again he faces off with his arch-nemesis, the evil Dr. Neo Cortex! High above Earth, Cortex has decided to create an evil plan centered on total world domination. Using his latest invention, a massive shrinking ray, Cortex takes and fires at Earth, shrinking the planet and its inhabitants to the size of a grapefruit. Luckily, C's genius kid sister, Coco, is feverishly working on a machine to reverse the effects, but she needs crystals from around the world to power her invention. Only you can help C retrieve the crystals and help return the entire planet to its natural state! The fast-paced running, jumping, sliding, body-slamming bandicoot has his work cut out for him-get cing! .com ---- C Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure marks the first time C has appeared on a handheld system. The game contains 20 levels and features six unique locations that take C from the Mayan jungle to frigid Arctic caverns. Gameplay modes include side-scrolling, 3-D chase levels and aerial dogfight combat sequences. C is once again pitted against his archnemesis, the evil Dr. Neo Cortex. Orbiting high above Earth, Cortex has decided to abandon his fixation on our hero and redirect his evil focus to world domination. Using his latest invention, a massive shrinking ray, Cortex takes and fires at Earth, shrinking the planet to the size of a grapefruit. Luckily, C's brilliant kid sister Coco is feverishly working on a machine to reverse the effects, but she needs crystals from around the world to power her invention. It is up to C to retrieve the crystals and help return the entire planet to its natural state. P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review ------ C Bandicoot was one of the original PlayStation's first--and indeed only--mascots, and though he was never quite as important to Sony as Mario and Sonic have been to Nintendo and Sega, he nevertheless provided PlayStation gamers with some quality platforming fun, as well as a couple of spinoff titles shamelessly "influenced" by Mario spinoffs. Now the lanky orange marsupial's made his way onto Game Boy Advance in an adventure that's suspiciously similar to C 3 and in many ways is superior to his recent PlayStation2 appearance. The gameplay is classic C, mainly involving running, jumping, and spinning through 2-D platform levels, with the odd bit of scuba diving and jetpacking thrown in and occasional toward-the-screen bear-avoiding escapades. There are four sets of five levels each. In order to face each section's boss and collect a swanky power-up, you'll only need to get to the end of each level and collect a pink crystal; but to finish the game completely each level must be completed at least twice, once with all the boxes being collected and once beating a preset speed. There are also hidden bits of certain levels that can only be by collecting colored gems hidden in other levels. As ever, there's no shortage of extra lives to pick up, and there are midlevel checkpoints and protective voodoo s to collect, all of which prevent too much repetition, and you can save onto the cartridge after every level. The graphics and sound are great--C fans will be surprised at how smooth the transition from home console to handheld has been--and the gameplay is as polished and addictive as ever. All this adds up to another worthy hit for C; the GBA is a perfect new home for him. --Rikki Price -- .co.uk See more ( javascript:void(0) )