Dan and his friends lives were forever changed when mysterious cards fell from the sky. Creating a game from the cards where powerful creatures known as Bakugan battle, it wasn’t long before they discovered that their hobby was much more than just a simple pastime. Using special game cards Bakugan battle masters roll spheres onto the cards, which activate and transform into Bakugan “battle brawling” action figures...

Bakugan: Battle Brawlers is the first video game based on the Bakugan toys, card game and anime show.

You start as an untrained Bakugan Brawler and the object of the game is to battle your way upwards to join the very best Bakugan players. The game play is fairly straightforward. You throw Bakugan cards onto the battlefield, and then try to carefully shoot your Bakugan balls onto the cards to unleash their monstrous powers. If you get two of your Bakugans onto a card then you can keep that card. But if you and your opponent land on the same card then both Bakugans transform into gigantic creatures and fight to the finish.

There's a handy (and essential for those not familiar with the card game) tutorial which quickly guides you through the basics from choosing your cards to hurling your Bakugan balls on to them and attacking your opponent.

Throughout this game you can collect up to 40 Bakugan and hundreds of cards, some of which have never been seen before. You can also sort your decks to ensure that you have the best chance of winning against your opponents.

There are a lot of similarities between this franchise and the world of Pokémon, from collectable alien creatures, to the Bakugan balls (which are very similar to the Poké balls). But the game play is very different.

The graphics are large, bright and colourful and any fan of the anime series will be instantly at home. There are 24 action packed levels with 8 battlefield environments and 6 unique arenas.

While this game will undoubtedly be embraced by Bakugan fans, other gamers may find the game play a little on the repetitive side. It's probably worth renting before you buy.

7

Nick Smithson