Kim Possible 2: Drakken’s Demise
Score: 88% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Disney Interactive Developer: Disney Interactive Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Platformer (2D)
Graphics & Sound: Kim Possible 2: Drakken’s Demise lets you control the crime fighting cheerleader once again -- and this time, Drakken is going down. The graphics of Kim Possible 2 resemble its predecessor almost exactly. The characters are all large and easily recognizable, making the game seem to come straight from the TV show. Each level is huge, unfortunately, which means that the background images and objects throughout the level get repeated quite a lot. Though it takes a while before this repetitiveness sets in, it does eventually hit you. The music and sound effects are fair. The music has an electronic feel that almost seems to be reminiscent of the classic arcade games, while the sound effects were varied enough to keep from forcing me to turn down the volume.
Gameplay: In Kim Possible 2: Drakken’s Demise, Kim will travel throughout many locations from the series. You will be able to fight bad guys from the Bueno Nacho to the French Alps. And Kim won’t have to do it alone either. In several levels, you will need to pilot Rufus (a naked mole rat) through tunnels and pipes. Though you can’t die in this mode, you do have a time limit, and taking hits or falling down bottomless pits will eat up valuable seconds. Kim will also have various gadgets at her disposal. She starts off with the grapple gun and the glue lipstick. But each time you get past an episode, you will unlock a new gadget. Kim can also pick up Collector Cards in her quest to take down the various villains from her show. There are more than 30 of these cards scattered throughout the game; each one representing a different character from the “Kim Possible” TV series. There is also a brief Training Mode and Global Justice Sim. The Training Mode shows you how to perform the basic moves that Kim will have to do regularly like jumping and grappling. Global Justice Sim allows you to replay any of the levels that you have already passed.
Difficulty: Kim Possible 2: Drakken’s Demise isn’t a tough game. Most of the time you will be swinging from flag poles or your grapple gun while throwing out a few kicks and punches in order to take down your enemies. In general, you shouldn’t have any problem going through the levels. I can see how some of the younger gamers might find aspects of Drakken’s Demise more difficult, because more times then not -- timing is everything. Like a lot of platformers, if you don’t jump at just the right time, or hit the grapple button in the right direction, you won’t get past a few of the more treacherous aspects of each level.
Game Mechanics: Kim Possible 2: Drakken’s Demise has a very simple control scheme that works well with this game. You move Kim around with the D-Pad, punch and kick with the B button, and jump with the A button. You can also cycle through your gadgets with the L button, and activate the gadget with the R button. When you control Rufus, you will have a similar control scheme. You can make the naked mole rat move and jump with the D-Pad and A button respectively, while most of the other actions he performs (climbing on ropes and activating switches) can be done simply by jumping onto the rope or switch. You will have to learn slightly different controls when Kim takes to the air or goes underwater or races around in her rollerblades. But these missions are rare, and the learning curve isn’t too huge. It typically isn’t a problem adjusting to the slight differences in controls. Kim Possible 2 is a nice game that any young gamer (or “Kim Possible” fan) should enjoy. It stays true to the series and is fairly fun.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Law and Order: Justice is Served Get On Da Mic