Amazing Island [GC]

You can also head into Moboo shops to purchase additional equipment and accessories. While the exact number of accessories (think claws, wings and horns) will remain hidden for this review, rest assured there are quite a few. As was stated earlier, accessories actually change the abilities of a given monster, so you'll need to scour shops often. The shop system could use some work, however, as buying stuff is hit or miss on most occasions. Some accessories have obvious effects (wings increase flight capabilities, for example) while the effects of others are only clear after you strap them on use them into battle. And even then, you'll need to play an event a few times before you notice a difference. Shops also contain potions that temporarily increase a monster's stamina, speed, etc just before starting an event. Potions don't cost much, so you can always count on a temporary boost in abilities at the beginning of a mini-game.

Sadly, whatever thrills Amazing Island conjured in the earliest stages of the game evaporate just as soon as you pit your monsters in battle. The addictiveness of monster creation gives way to mindless finger twitching in 30 mini-games. They may differ in setting, but most of the mini-games play out exactly the same way: hit the "A" button very fast and you'll probably win. Admittedly, the first five or so events deliver some amusement, but it's nothing riveting. And it's certainly not fun enough to build an entire game around the experience. Like at a carnival: you may want to play some of the games, and some of them may be fun, but you're not going to spend more than a few minutes (not to mention dollars) playing them. Everyone loves mini-games, but the formula doesn't work a when a game requires you to play them for hours. The place of a mini-game is inside a larger event; it's not meant to be the event itself.

Sega tried to inject a little life in Amazing Island by supplying different kinds of mini-games, but each feels only slightly more involved than the finger twitching madness of the others. One such event has you matching two rows of statues by swapping their heads around. It starts simple enough, with only three statues in need of matching. With every round completed, the game ushers more statues and configures the pieces in such a way that running back and forth trying to match them turns into a real challenge. Another such mini-game sees your monster plummeting to the earth while shooting down enemies. Both these examples entertained while they lasted, but the enjoyment may be from the lack of thumb-twitching and not from the mini-game's actual fun factor. Most other events just modify the incessant "A" tapping of the earlier events by throwing in timed sequences. Most employ a gauge that you'll need to keep a close eye on. These small variations do little to spice the game. It's possible to complete these sequences by just staring at the corner of the screen and tapping buttons when the gauge tells you so.

Sound in Amazing Island fits the simplistic tone of the game. None of it feels genuinely involving or memorable. Then again, how memorable does a mini-game soundtrack really need to be? Most of it sounds like a flurry of chirpy synth beats. In retrospect, it sounds like the perfect accompaniment to the game's frenetic gameplay. And the graphics, while equally simple, look pleasant and fit the general mood of the game. Textures look bland and some of the areas are decidedly low-res, but the design of the characters and of the game world looks good. Some of the special effects, especially during monster creation and during the aquatic mini-games, look especialy nice.

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