The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy review: Not such a grim adventure after all

I've got to say that this really is an odd title. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy is taken from the Cartoon Network, so you'd expect a lame game from the start. The game is styled on the cartoon in every way and captures the characters well. Normally with these types of licences you'd get a platformer, not with this game. Instead they've gone for a fighting game approach, with cartoon humour chucked in.

The gameplay is very similar to Kung Fu Chaos on the Xbox. You choose your character then battle through various enviroments change during the fight. One minute your be fighting in a 3d perspective graveyard, then be lead through a door which changes the view to a side on fighter in the streets, only for the scene to change again to the top of a building. Each arena offers various objects to pick up and use, including different weapons that can be used to comical effect against your opponents.

The graphics are based on the cartoon so they look very 2D and simple. Although this reflects the cartoons it does make the game feel very dated. I prefered watching the cut scenes than looking at the graphics in the game. The sound is fine for this type of game, never gets annoying and adds to the pleasure when kicking an oppponents butt.

The controls are not straight forward, though they should be due to the fact that the limited number of moves feels like your using the same fighting system used in Zelda: TP, press the B button to attack, shake Wii-mote for a bigger attack move. Collecting Orbs gives your character power ups which give you extra butt kicking power, which you use by raising the Nunchuck controller. I feel the control system and lack of moves are what hold this game back from being a good game, if only they allowed more variety and thought about the way they were executed.

This game will appeal to some people no doubt, its like a dumbed down Super Smash Brothers game, manic fast paced fighting where your character is flying all over the screen making use of your enviroment. At the same time the game feels limited by the number of characters available and the moves they can make. The game has a Story mode and a V's mode as is the norm these days, and the game does offer a good challenge which will give you some value for your money.

If this game becomes available for £20 anytime soon before the release of SSBB then its a fun buy to keep you and a few mates amused.

Overall 6/10