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Astro Boy: The Video Game (DS) Status: Stopped playing - Got frustrated I started playing this game on Saturday 18 November, 2017 // I stopped playing this game on: Monday 20 November, 2017
Current opinion of this game
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November 20, 2017 07:18:47 AM
There was an Astro Boy GBA game that I really enjoyed (made by Treasure, of all companies) and so I picked this one up just for fun (and for not a lot of money, which is a common theme with me). When I booted the game up I was surprised that the existing save files on the cart indicated that progress had only been made to the second stage of world 1. Wow, that doesn't seem like too far, I thought - maybe the game had previously been owned by a small child who just didn't like it? My mistake. And I only made it to the 3rd stage before calling it quits. It's been a while since I've played a game that had so many issues in terms of gameplay and controls. It felt old school in a bad way, so - an experience so clunky and awkward that it might have been given a pass 20 years ago because we didn't know any better. But today? (well, ten years ago I guess - the game is that old) The game alternates (AFAIK) between platforming sections and sidescrolling shooting sections. Both are a mess. In the platforming ones, you have to punch your way through enemies - button mask mostly, but there are some that fire little fire balls that damage you. You can't really dodge them. Jumping is also awkward because you can jump up, but you can't jump to move sideways unless you press another button and then Astro sort of fires his jets and goes sideways or a little bit. But, you can't control him, so getting the timing right to land on a moving platform is way more effort than it should be. When you kill an enemy they drop an orb, collect enough orbs and you can activate a special power. I only tried three of the powers: a shield which was useless 'cause I activated it at the wrong time, a health restore, and Astro's butt machineguns which were a waste because he didn't seem to fire at the enemies surrounding me. Ugh.

Astro Boy: The Video Game (DS)