In the world of animation, girl power rules. Joining the ranks of ‘Dora The Explorer’, ‘Kim Possible’, ‘Totally Spies’ is the latest heroine: ‘Atomic Betty’. An out of this world personality, the best thing about ‘Atomic Betty’ is that she and the series are Canadian.
The catchy theme song rocks solid too!
Hailing from Moose Jaw Heights, Saskatchewan, Betty has two lives. On Earth, she is the quick-witted and thoughtful schoolgirl. In the far reaches of outer space though, she is known as the galactic hero and adventurer, Atomic Betty. With her faithful pals Sparky and the know-it-all robot X-5, Betty serves the Galactic Guardian and Planet Protectors Battalion and is feared by dastardly villains everywhere including her arch-nemesis Maximus I.Q.
Unable to be contained on the small screen, Betty is now making a foray into the gaming world in her first Game Boy Advance release by Namco. Keeping the Made-In-Canada theme going, the title was developed by two Canuck companies: Breakthrough New Media and Big Blue Bubble. Betty isn't the star of the game though. Players must also control her intergalactic friends Sparky and X-5 as well as her grounded Earth chums Paloma and Noah to complete the assorted assignments. Betty's buds are distinctly unique with each having their own special abilities.
Betty needs all the help she can get too as she is facing two threats. Still chasing down his dream of being inducted into the Cosmic Hall of Villainy for Villainous Villains, Maximus I.Q. is wrecking havoc across the universe. On Betty's home turf, mega brat Penelope will stop at nothing to make sure that Betty doesn't finish her homework and misses the basketball finals. And you thought your days were rough, eh?
Atomic Betty is a side-scroller with a difference. Using the blueprints map menu, you direct Betty and her friends through tasks that must be successfully accomplished before she can move onto the next level of play. The chores range from hacking enemy computers and helping Betty find her homework assignments to piloting her spaceship (the Hyper Galactic Star Cruiser) through a meteor shower.
Atomic Betty is all about teamwork. To finish the undertakings, you must continuously switch between the characters as the obstacles require everyone's cooperation and assistance to finish. Sometimes Betty needs to kung fu robots in X-5's path. Sometimes Paloma and Noah need to stand on or operate weighted switches to open doors or activate elevators for Betty to use.
To aid in vanquishing the extraterrestrial baddies, Betty has an arsenal of weapons and powers at her beck and call. She's got an Ali-nebula K.O. to bat away energy balls, a Tarpinean Rope to zip line across impassable areas, an Aquian Bubblefier to incapacitate enemies and what would a true, blue Canadian hero be without a Super Hockey Stick to high-stick foes in the kisser? She shoots. She scores.
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Atomic Betty and her pals leap into action. |
Compelling puzzles and conundrums aside, the real focal point of 'Atomic Betty' are the startling graphics. Much like the animated series, the game has a wonderful blend of visual styles that range from the spooling techno-coloured background of a dream sequence to the simple but effective sketchpad technique used in a basketball mini-game. The novel approach is a rarity in the world of GBA gaming that is populated with repetitious side-scrollers that cut corners in the creativity department.
Much like the distinctive homegrown television series, Atomic Betty's sophomore GBA venture is screwball, carefree fun at its very best and a tribute to how far the Canadian gaming industry has come in such a short period of time. The "toughest chick in the alien world" deserves nothing less.
WHAM! Rating: |
7.5 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E (Everyone) |
Official Web Site: |
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