Nicktoons Unite!

Back in 2005, kids everywhere were ecstatic to hear that their favourite Nickelodeon characters (namely Spongebob, Jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom and Timmy Turner) would be teaming up in their very own video game. Managing to spawn three separate sequels, Nicktoons Unite! was a smash hit, combining the very best of Nickelodeon’s biggest cartoon shows.

Cartoon Hijinks

The premise of Nicktoons Unite is simple: combine the most popular Nicktoon characters together for the most ambitious crossover the network had ever seen.

The story is also fairly basic, which helps younger players keep track of what’s going on through the main campaign. To summarise: each of the series’ main villains have joined forces to take down their respective heroes and wreak havoc across the multiverse. Using Jimmy Neutron’s Universal Portal Machine, which lets the characters travel to other worlds.

Other than the basic story, there isn’t much to grab onto for players who are a bit older. That said, the core gameplay is more than entertaining enough to keep you interested throughout the game’s total runtime.

Fantastic Four

The gameplay of Nicktoons Unite! focuses on each of the four heroes being on screen at the same time. Players will traverse levels based on the Nicktoon shows, swapping between characters to use their unique abilities. For example, Danny Phantom can be used to pass through glass by using his Ghostly Wail ability. Similarly, Timmy Turner can freeze water by using his Freeze Glove.

Switching between characters is smooth and easy to do, which helps to maintain the fast paced action of the game’s combat, and keeps things easier for younger players.

For added fun, between 1-3 friends can join the game using extra game controllers, with each player taking the role of one of the members of the Nicktoons gang.

Of course, one of the biggest draws to Nicktoons Unite! Is the Nicktoons themselves. While some of the characters make the jump from 2D to 3D well (apart from Jimmy Neutron, who is already a 3D animated character), some don’t quite match up to their cartoon counterparts. Spongebob and Timmy Turner specifically look fairly good, but Danny Phantom’s character model leaves quite a lot to be desired.

Many cutscenes feature full voice acting not only from the main cast, but supporting characters from all four series as well. This is a great treat for fans of Nickelodeon's most famous shows, and really makes the crossover feel like the big event that it was. That said, some cutscenes mysteriously lack voice acting, and the sound design overall is quite poor, with lacklustre sound effects and repetitive music.

Slapstick Combat

Throughout most of Nicktoons Unite!, players will be blasting, punching and crashing their way through hordes of evil robots and villainous minions. The combat is fairly basic, but for a game aimed at children, it gets the job done. Most encounters can be easily resolved with a bit of button mashing, so players expecting a bit of depth may be disappointed.

PROS

• Fun, enjoyable Nicktoons crossover
• Great for younger gamers
• Support for up to 4 players

CONS

• Combat is simple
• The different platform versions vary in quality drastically
• Sound design is poor