Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction
Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-TractionPlatform: PlayStation
ESRB Rating: Everyone
ASIN: B00005NUIR
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Features:
• Action-combat adventure
• Help the Powerpuff Girls save the world
• Battle evil enemies at MoJo Jojo's lair, the Townsville dump, and Fuzzy's shack
• Use cool moves such as fire laser eyes, tornado spin, and ice breath
• For 1 or 2 players
Product Description: Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup battle some of the evilest villains to ever walk the earth in this game. They need you to help them fight it out in scary arenas such as MoJo JoJo's lair, the Townville city dump and Fuzzy's shack. But never fear, the Girls have got a lot of cool moves from which to choose, including fire laser eyes, tornado spin and a chilling ice-breath move. Interactive battle stages provide the extra weapon just when you need it. Think you're doomed? Story and Simulator modes keep the battle going.
Customer Reviews:
fun...for about a day..., August 2, 2002
Reviewer: Josh from Boston, NY USA
...The game itself is basically a fighting game, although somewhat different from the norm.. It's built around picking up items and throwing them at your opponent. There are also the standard kick/punch and a simple "kick kick punch" combo that can be employed, although they're really only useful for making your opponent drop whatever it is they're going to throw at you since the kick/punch attacks do very little damage themselves. You can also catch some of the things your opponent throws at you, although it's usually nearly impossible to do (as is dodging items since they pretty much lock onto you and nail you even if you try to jump out of the way). The gameplay is also spiced up with chemical-x bottles.. There are normally 3 around at once.. Hit your opponent with something to make them drop one of their bottles.. If you get hit, you drop one... If you manage to collect all 3, you're given the chance to use a super power (which are wildly uneven, from Sedusa's barely damaging slime attack to the Powerpuff Girls' eye lasers that can suck away half of their opponent's life bar)... In the end, the gameplay boils down to a simple matter of "hit the other person with something before they can hit you"..
The graphics, presented in an overhead 3D adventure-type view of the battle arena, are fairly good. The intro movie is excellent. Powerpuff Girls fans will especially enjoy seeing the show's intro in 3D animation.. Overall, things are nice and colorful and do a good job of creating an atmosphere similar to the show.. The sound is also good, although some more soundbytes from the characters or the show would have been nice.
The controls are fairly simple, albeit somewhat sluggish. In fact, my first impression with the game was that it was quite slow. However, as you get into the game a little more, the pace seems to be just about right for the gameplay style... Still, it can be a bit tedious at times...
As for difficulty and longevity.. There are several villains and arenas to unlock by playing through the story mode with each Powerpuff Girl. These can also be unlocked with passwords that can be found online. Normally, the ability to unlock secrets would add to the longevity of the game, but there aren't many villains to defeat, and the game can be finished fairly quickly... I beat this game and unlocked all of the secrets the first night I played it... That's not to say it's easy...it's actually fairly difficult even on "easy" mode, probably to the point that it would frustrate some of the younger fans of the show. However, with so few battles to win, it becomes a matter of persistance rather than skill...fighting each villain over and over until you defeat them. After you beat the game, there's not much point to doing it again. Then it comes down to the simulator mode, a one or two player single battle game that becomes very tedious after about a day. In other words, it's very likely to become one of those games that sits on a shelf indefinitely after playing it for a day or two...
Well, the bottom line is that it's fun for a while. It's definitely not an outstanding game. It IS somewhat violent..but those of you complaining about the violence might want to try watching an actual episode of the cartoon.. If you're a big fan of the Powerpuff Girls, it's probably worth buying just to dust off every once in a while, watch the intro movie, and play a bit.. For anyone else, I'd say it deserves a rental, but you'll find that even the rental period will probably outlast the enjoyment you'll get from the game...
Not What I Was Hoping For, July 31, 2002
Reviewer: Missy from Elizabethtown, PA United States
I'm a totally obsessed Powerpuff Girls fan. I read the comics, buy the DVDs, and have the fashion accessories. So I decided to get this game. There aren't many "girly" games out there for a girl such as myself to buy... and this is one I shouldn't have bought.
The characters in this game move extremely slow. It makes it difficult and frustrating to play this game. I may not be an obsessive gamer, but I am 18 and have the necessary motor skills to play a freaking video game! So obviously there is something wrong with the game. I wish I had read everyone's online reviews before getting this game, because I would not have gotten it if I had. I would recommend getting anything from the Spyro series if you're looking to play a cute, fun game. You can actually get somewhere with those! Also, Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy is a cute game for girls.
bleh., June 19, 2002
Reviewer: blossom
as much as i love the powerpuff girls, this was kinda a disappointment. it HURT my hands to play this game since the characters moved so slowly! i did enjoy the narrative commentary and the CGi movies, though. there isn't any real replay value i could find, and for the sensitives that obviously never seen the show this is a FIGHTING GAME that has VIoLENcE. in short, want a powerpuff game? try the computer one "mojo jojo's pet project" or the one for the GBA "mojo jojo a go-go". stay away from this one unless you're hardcore (like me. ^^;) nut.
a violent disappointment, December 31, 2001
Reviewer: A gamer from Taunton, MA United States
My 4 year old daughter bought this with some of her Christmas money. It went back to the store the following day. The object of the game is to kill off the villians. You pick up furniture and other objects and throw them at the villian. When you hit him, a little puff of red (resembles blood) shows up. The meter that keeps track of the hits, fills up in red (blood red).
In an already increasingly violent society, I feel this game sets the wrong example for our kids. I was extremely disappointed that my normally sweet child was yelling out "I killed him" and other similar phrases. Leave this game at the store.
VERY CUTE!, December 26, 2001
Reviewer: A 10-year old gamer from CHARLESTON,SC USA
I AM A BIG FAN OF PPG!IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD,CLEAN FIGHING GAME,THEN THIS IS IT.THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE.FIRST OF ALL,I THINK THE PLOT OF THE GAME WAS KIND OF DUMB.THE FIGHTING MOVES SHOULD BE A LITTLE FASTER.THE THING I WANNA KNOW IS WHERE IS ALL OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS?THERE WAS A TOTAL LACK IN THE CHARACTERS.PPG RULZ!
the right idea, but mediocre execution, December 19, 2001
Reviewer: christopher romano from Topanga, CA USA
I love the look and feel of THE POWERPUFF GIRLS on TV, and had high hopes for this game. The 3D CG animated opening, which basically copies that of the cartoon, is really fun and enjoyable. That, with the inclusion of all the major PPG villains, made me think I was in for some fun.
The game aspires to be something more than just your average fighting game, with it's use of all three girls and playpen style fighting arena. There are power-ups and props which are crucial to fighting, along with some special moves and character taunts. But with all that, plus reasonable PS1 graphics, the game is still a bit sluggish on the controls and quickly repetitive.
I wish this game has faster controls, more varied gameplay, and a more involved use of the cartoon's sound fx for both the game and the interface.
It could have been much cuter, I think.