Disney’s Lizzie McGuire 2: Lizzie Diaries
Score: 85% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Disney Interactive Developer: Disney Interactive Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Platformer
Graphics & Sound: Based on the popular Disney Channel TV show, Lizzie McGuire 2: Lizzie Diaries makes for a fun, but ultimately unrewarding experience. The game's graphical style is taken right from the show -- or rather, from the sub-conscience mumblings of Lizzie's cartoon alter-ego. The feel of the game is fun and features bright colors and just enough detail without becoming cluttered. Fans, or parents, who remember the days of the Super Nintendo will find the game very reminiscent of some of the games produced on that system. Animations are nice and go the extra step. Instead of just seeing the locker open and spill its books you see it begin to overflow and then spit out everything. Little things like this really help to sell the cartoon experience. Each of the game's levels have their own look that fits with the scenario and helps to set it apart as its own area. This removes some of the redundancy that seems to crop up in platformers; especially those aimed at younger gamers. Overall, it’s just a fun gaming environment to play through. Sound is one of the game's low points. Only a handful of tunes are present in the game and they tend to be repeated a little too often. The quality of the music is decent and fits with the style of the game, but there is a definite lack of variety. The lack of variety may encourage parents to look into getting their kids a set of headphones or convincing them that the volume switch is broken on their GameBoy since it can get annoying after a couple of hours.
Gameplay: At its heart, Lizzie McGuire 2: Lizzie Diaries is an old school platformer with a few mini-games thrown in to keep things fresh. As the name implies, the game follows Lizzie's diary entries as she recounts her worst day of school, a trip to the beach and a shopping spree. A bulk of the game's action sequences find Lizzie navigating side-scrolling levels and trying to avoid hall monitors, cheerleaders and sand crabs. The levels feel a little like those in the original Super Mario Brothers, where the main challenges involve making certain jumps and timing things just right. In some cases this is a fun challenge, but there are a few tricky jumps -- especially in the beach areas where you have to hit jumps on beach balls just right. I had a few problems navigating these levels before I figured out the trick, but I could imagine younger gamers getting a little frustrated with these areas. In areas where Lizzie isn’t jumping around, she's using a cafeteria tray to defend herself during a food fight or rushing home on her moped. Other levels in the game are unique mini-games that are just as much fun as the side-scrolling parts. Games include a memory game where Lizzie has to repeat the actions of the head cheerleader and a dress up level. Badminton, volleyball matches and a game where Lizzie has to run food out to customers at a restaurant round out the package.
Difficulty: Seasoned gamers will run through the game in about an hour tops. But, for the game's target audience Lizzie McGuire 2: Lizzie Diaries should provide a challenge with a few moments of frustration dispersed in certain sections. One of the big pluses that helps to alleviate some of the more frustrating moments is that Lizzie has infinite tries and the game is very good about setting up "safe spots" before the more challenging areas. Other challenges are set up, but there's little motivation to try for them.
Game Mechanics: Control is responsive and kept simple. Action levels share the same setup, which is a simple one-button to jump set up. Depending on what she's jumping on, Lizzie can perform jumps of various heights. Other mini-games have different set ups, all of which are explained before the level. Instructions also show pictures of the buttons that may help younger gamers who aren't the best of readers figure out what's going on. The only time control issues seemed to crop up were during the badminton and volleyball sections. Sometimes I would press the button in the correct area, only to have Lizzie not hit the ball or try and hit too late. For the most part, the game is fun but it doesn't leave much of a sense of reward after beating levels. There are no unlockable rewards for doing well in levels and there isn't even an ending to the game. Instead, the game ends with the same victory screen as every other level and then goes to the end credits. What is really disappointing is that each level gives players a bonus objective, but there's no reason to try and complete them other than a congratulatory self hi-five. Considering the Lizzie McGuire 2: Lizzie Diaries's target audience, this is a big misstep since there's very little encouragement to try for the bonus wins and it kills the replay value. Younger gamers who love Lizzie McGuire should find something to like about the game. Despite the unrewarding experience, its still a fun little adventure that should occupy kids for a least a little while.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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