HorrorTober 4 - Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase (PS1 - Quick Review)
Ruh-Roh! Scooby and the gang are stuck in it again! This time, a villain calling himself the Phantom Virus has caught their attention, claiming to be a computer virus that's targeting video games. As Shaggy and Scooby, you must defeat his villainous viruses and ultimately the Phantom Virus himself to restore peace. Strap in for this one, because it might just be the scariest HorrorTober stop yet! Let's see what was good and bad about this one, and if it's worth it.
The Good
- Strong Nostalgia. Come on, we all grew up with some version of Scooby-Doo, so getting to play a game with them is pretty sweet. Sadly, other than Scooby and Shaggy, the rest of the gang doesn't make a huge appearance in the game, but they're all still there guiding you over the radio, and the voices fall right into place as the game was released based on the same movie. And your driving point in each level? Collecting Scooby Snax of course!
- Excellent Platforming. It's not perfect, but it's still very well done. Both characters come with a double jump to get you to higher/farther places, and it's extremely useful. The level designs themselves are really well done, and navigating your way through them is a lot of fun, jumping across gaps and moving platforms. There's even a prehistoric level with a bit of a Pitfall feel where you have to cross bodies of water by jumping on crocodile backs.
The Bad
- Too Simple Combat. Every enemy, no matter how big, goes down by taking one single pie to the face. And the bosses only take three. It's typical cartoon-fashion but still, a bit more of a challenge from the enemies would have been nice. And it doesn't help combined with...
- Horrible Aiming System. You aim your pie pieces by holding down □, then using the D-Pad to move the aiming reticle around. Only, you can't aim up or down, only around in a circle. When thrown, the pie pieces arc, so you'll sometimes end up throwing them completely over the enemy you're aimed at.
- (Also) Horrible Camera Angle. The majority of the time, the camera is fixed directly behind you. At times, it shifts to a side-scroll angle, and both of these are really fun. What's annoying is the points in this game when it shifts to this awkward angle that is somewhere between the two. The D-Pad controls are always relative to the screen, so Up always goes "in" to the TV, Down comes "out" of the TV, etc. So when it's in the in-between camera angle, positioning yourself during jumps can be pretty difficult.
Is it Worth it? / Horror Level
The combat sucks, the camera can be annoying, but in the end this one's actually worth it, and it's all thanks to the platforming. Going through the levels themselves is a lot of fun, and it isn't limited to strictly running and jumping. There's a couple of levels that involve Shaggy riding a skateboard or racing a penguin in a sled through a snowy racetrack (sound familiar to anybody?). And while the game doesn't reach insane difficulty levels, each world you visit will step up the challenge from the previous one. So if you enjoy platforming games, definitely consider this one. Otherwise, it's safe to pass up. You can find this one loose or in case for around $7 or less.
As for the horror, we all know that this one isn't really scary, but just like I mentioned in my recent Let's Play video for Goosebumps, HorrorLand, it's a nice nostalgic throwback to something that was sort of scary when us 90's kids were growing up. And hey, if you're a gamer parent too, your kids might love this game as well.
The Good
- Strong Nostalgia. Come on, we all grew up with some version of Scooby-Doo, so getting to play a game with them is pretty sweet. Sadly, other than Scooby and Shaggy, the rest of the gang doesn't make a huge appearance in the game, but they're all still there guiding you over the radio, and the voices fall right into place as the game was released based on the same movie. And your driving point in each level? Collecting Scooby Snax of course!
- Excellent Platforming. It's not perfect, but it's still very well done. Both characters come with a double jump to get you to higher/farther places, and it's extremely useful. The level designs themselves are really well done, and navigating your way through them is a lot of fun, jumping across gaps and moving platforms. There's even a prehistoric level with a bit of a Pitfall feel where you have to cross bodies of water by jumping on crocodile backs.
The Bad
- Too Simple Combat. Every enemy, no matter how big, goes down by taking one single pie to the face. And the bosses only take three. It's typical cartoon-fashion but still, a bit more of a challenge from the enemies would have been nice. And it doesn't help combined with...
- Horrible Aiming System. You aim your pie pieces by holding down □, then using the D-Pad to move the aiming reticle around. Only, you can't aim up or down, only around in a circle. When thrown, the pie pieces arc, so you'll sometimes end up throwing them completely over the enemy you're aimed at.
- (Also) Horrible Camera Angle. The majority of the time, the camera is fixed directly behind you. At times, it shifts to a side-scroll angle, and both of these are really fun. What's annoying is the points in this game when it shifts to this awkward angle that is somewhere between the two. The D-Pad controls are always relative to the screen, so Up always goes "in" to the TV, Down comes "out" of the TV, etc. So when it's in the in-between camera angle, positioning yourself during jumps can be pretty difficult.
Is it Worth it? / Horror Level
The combat sucks, the camera can be annoying, but in the end this one's actually worth it, and it's all thanks to the platforming. Going through the levels themselves is a lot of fun, and it isn't limited to strictly running and jumping. There's a couple of levels that involve Shaggy riding a skateboard or racing a penguin in a sled through a snowy racetrack (sound familiar to anybody?). And while the game doesn't reach insane difficulty levels, each world you visit will step up the challenge from the previous one. So if you enjoy platforming games, definitely consider this one. Otherwise, it's safe to pass up. You can find this one loose or in case for around $7 or less.
As for the horror, we all know that this one isn't really scary, but just like I mentioned in my recent Let's Play video for Goosebumps, HorrorLand, it's a nice nostalgic throwback to something that was sort of scary when us 90's kids were growing up. And hey, if you're a gamer parent too, your kids might love this game as well.
