For a game aimed at the under
ten set I found that I, a ripe player of 28 years, had difficulty getting through the
first level. It didnt help to have Angelica mocking my shortcomings each time I
failed to launch the spaceship either. Not only does Rugrats in Paris make it nearly
impossible to play but it is also hard on the self-esteem. These are two big
"no-no"s for games aimed at those who are still chewing with their first set of
teeth.The
premise of this game is ripped straight from the movie, which--if you've seen it--I'm sure
you've forgotten by now. The bulk of the game takes place on the rides of Euroraptarland
where you eventually have to save a princess (when are you going to get to save a prince
in one of these games?). Then you're off to Paris to stop a wedding and the potential of
evil step-motherdom.
Rugrats in
Paris is made up of variations on the side scroller and mini-carnival games. The
mini-games were the most entertaining aspects. They don't suffer from the control issues
that the side scroller does (more on that below) and there are enough variations on the
same theme to keep things interesting. In order to get more amusement park tickets you
need shoot passing ninjas, feed hungry monsters, or whack all of the gophers you can.
Unfortunately these games lack any real ability to satisfy. Theyre a nice
diversionnothing more. The cartridge is really built around the side scrolling
sections and that is where the game really disappoints.
The
controls are horrible. There's simply no other word for it. In some instances it is
downright impossible to get through a level without taking serious damage. You do not have
a shoot button, so your only option is to jump up and over the bad guys. The good news is
that most of the bad guys are pretty slow. The bad news is it doesnt make any
difference whatsoever. In the spaceship level there were some enemy robots that I couldn't
jump over without getting hurt, and since there isn't a way to take out the bad guys you
just have to deal with the pain. That's something I just can't live with. Unavoidable pain
and damage is a part of real life--it shouldn't be a part of Rugrats in Paris.
The only
things the game really has going for it are the franchise and the graphics. If youre
a diehard Rugrats fan you wont too be disappointed I imagine. The graphics are
actually pretty nice. Its no mean feat to construct characters on the GBC that
actually look like their cell-drawn counterparts. All of the Rugrats look like Rugrats.
There's a lot to do on this game (as the manual makes explicitly clear)--it's just too
bad that most kids won't get to see it. Those of us who play a lot of Game Boy Color games
have come to expect a new game with virtually every new kid's movie. What we cant
and dont expect is that these games will be any good.