When the Megamind movie ends our story begins. Just as Megamind has become our new Mega Hero, a sudden crime wave hits the city. The Doom Syndicate & their Doom Goons have emerged and are looking to take over. Only Megamind and his arsenal of gadgets can stop them...

Megamind: Ultimate Showdown is a game based around the universe created in Dreamworks's Megamind movie. This is a game aimed at the younger gamer, something I've taken this into consideration when reviewing it.

For seasoned gamers there's probably an afternoon's fun to be had here at most (not really worth the £40 price tag), however, for the younger gamer this may prove to be a little more challenging and a whole lot of fun if you're a fan of the movie.

In the main story mode you progress through the various levels in order to get to the final boss (there are three in total) before you face down against your ultimate enemy in the final level. As you go you can unlock mini games (the only ones I found fun was the one where you are inside a clear ball and have to roll around the maze like levels and the one where you have to climb up tall buildings avoiding the objects people drop out of windows - the other games were just a little too unpolished.

The graphics work well in the main game, although the enemies you come up against are limited to two different varieties per level - which gets a little repetitive a little too quickly. Likewise, the level designs look too similar and you'll feel, on occasion, that you're going around in circles. There are no really difficult puzzles to tackle (what there are are very straightforward), so it's just a case of working your way through each level.

As far as bugs are concerned. I didn't really spot many that were actually all that major. The game did crash once - while I was examining the bits of the machine I had collected it wouldn't allow me to go back to the main room, so I had to restart the console. Also there's no way to change the default controls. I'm one of those weirdos who likes to flip the up and down control for camera angles and aiming... While this wasn't a huge problem with the majority of the game (as you'll hardly need to move the camera) it's essential to be able to control your aim in the final level.

For seasoned gamers this will be a bit of a disappointment, but for the younger gamer who loves the movie... well, this will provide hours of fun.

7

Darren Rea