PlayStation 2

Astro Boy

Its’ true what they say; everything old is new again although some might say that AstroBoy was never old having been on TV somewhere in the world continuously since 1963 and was rehashed into a new series in the 1980’s but Astro sure looks new again. The cut scenes are very true to the animation that is familiar and the computer graphics are sharp and colourful. Without a doubt this would be a great game for young players and when the kids have gone to bed the older gamers might want to play as well and indulge in a few of those guilty pleasures I mentioned earlier to spice it up a bit.

Overall the game is short, repetitive and linear. It relies heavily on formula although playing as Astro Boy holds just the right amount of novelty to last through most of the game. The last few levels that take place in space can really drag you out from repetition. In any case you probably wouldn't want to play this game for more than 10 hours. Mini-games and collector cards don't really add much replay since performing or collecting them have virtually no impact on the main game. Technically the game is darn good. There are no major bugs to report. Even at 30 fps the animation is smooth. Hell, it's even better than the original cartoon. The voiceacting is decent and the music is uplifting and dynamic. Whatever you do, don't purchase Astro Boy. It makes a great rental since you can finish it in a day or two without having a nervous breakdown.

Nonostante una realizzazione tecnica di buon livello ed una giocabilità dotata di grandissime potenzialità, Astro Boy riamane nel novero di quei prodotti giustamente definiti for fans only a causa di una longevità praticamente inesistente e alla quasi totale mancanza di incentivi a rigiocare il tutto.

Os criadores de "Astro Boy" poderiam dizer que a simplicidade do game é resultado de seu foco no público infantil. Mas esse argumento não responde aos problemas de câmera e momentos frustrantes no controle do vôo do menino biônico. A marca merecia mais do que parece ser um game feito às pressas e sem nenhum carinho.

Astro Boy unfortunately doesn’t do Tezuka Osamu’s creation much justice at all. The plot and engine behind the game are solid; however they haven’t been stretched out to their full potential, leaving the gamer asking for more. Astro Boy is best reserved for the fans after a quick blast, or the younger audiences.

After much waiting, the original kid robot has landed on the PlayStation 2. Developer Sonic Team's Astro Boy puts players in the 3D sci-fi world of manga legend Osamu Tezuka. The game allows Astro Boy to revel in his old-school glory, while incorporating the visual style of the newer animated TV series.

Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy was one of the originators of Japanese animation -- the originator, in fact. In a flash, the mechanical scamp quickly became one of Japan's most recognizable characters and the "mascot" for the Tezuka universe. With a recent revival on TV both in Japan and America, it's only fitting to get some new games to go alongside, and Sega's the one giving us to them, starting with Sonic Team's PS2 Astro Boy outing.

Astro Boy is a classic Japanese superhero who?s blasting onto American TV via the Cartoon Network. The world famous animator, Osamu Tezuka, created Astro 50 years ago. Astro Boy?s fans are legion. He?s got a bunch of cool powers, too, including an Arm Cannon, X-Ray Vision, and his famous 1,000,000 Horsepower Strength. He deserves a stronger game.

Yes, it is cool to unlock Astro’s various powers. He’s a great little character for a video game. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a "game" built around him here. It’s just a long series of boss battles interspersed with dull cutscenes and pointless flying around. It’s like they didn’t want to bother to build levels, so they just came up with some battles and left it at that. Sorry, but that’s not good enough, and it’s pretty pathetic that this console version gets completely overshadowed by its GBA counterpart.

Slower than a speeding bullet but more powerful than 1,000,000 horses, Astro Boy is a little-known superhero from the land of the rising sun. His big eyes, round nose and emphasized hairline are hardly the ingredients for a robot super child. Encounter this guy in the air and you'll wish he looked meaner. Then you wouldn't have to feel silly when he blasts you out of the sky.

Astro Boy kann aufgrund der (extremen) Schwächen im Level-Design und der überwiegend langweiligen Kämpfe leider nicht überzeugen. Durch die stimmige Grafik und den guten Soundtrack gelangt zwar etwas Atmosphäre ins Spiel; diese vermag es aber nicht, das Spiel vor einer unterdurchschnittlichen Bewertung zu retten. Für Fans von Astro Boy mag es eine Überlegung wert sein (auch wegen der –virtuellen- Sammelkarten), jedoch sollten diese bedenken, dass sie ein Vollpreis-Spiel erwerben, welches in etwa 6 Stunden durchgespielt ist.

Astro Boy is a robot child designed by Dr. Tenma, a brilliant engineer who builds Astro to replace his own dead son. Though you might expect the result to be a Monkey's Paw-style cautionary tale in which the robotic surrogate becomes a monster, Astro sort of surprisingly ends up being better than the original kid. Not only is he "brave, gentle, and wise," but he also has rocket feet and a cannon built into his arm. Wearing nothing but big red boots and a tight-fitting pair of black underpants, he flies around a futuristic megalopolis called Metro City fighting injustice and generally trying to convince everyone that humans and robots can live together in peace.

There are games you love. There are games you hate. Then there are the games that just sit there, waiting for the scales to tip in either direction. Astro Boy would've been better as a straightforward genre game; instead, it's neither a full-fledged actioner nor an exploratory adventure game. It feels like a pasted together hybrid that never jells. Astro Boy is not really offensive, though, and may be appropriate for younger players who may not be able to handle the challenge of a more complex setup. But even for those with a great appreciation for the shirtless young robot, Astro Boy is a rental at most.

Help! Metro City is under attack from evil robots! Actually, let's start this review over again. Help! Astro Boy is stuck in a horrible PS2 game and the only way to erase it from your mind is to never play it again! That's more like it. Sonic Team's Astro Boy includes beloved characters from the Tezuka universe, tons of missions, and it gives you access to the boy wonder and all of his cool abilities. However, all of this is overshadowed by awkward controls, yucky graphics, slow down, and too much loading. It's a mess that's beyond repair, and it only serves to mar not only the cool Astro Boy license, but his awesome Game Boy adventure as well. If you're a PS2 owner looking for some adventure, don't stop here! This Metro City's a dump!

Although the game is extremely linear, you can make a few detours to complete some sidequests. Many of these quests require specific powers, so you won't be able to complete several of them until late in the game. Sure, the idea of multiple sidequests sounds like a good idea, but these challenges are more annoying than entertaining. An extremely slow and obnoxious Rock-Paper-Scissors type game where you play against a flailing person against an empty, black background? A thirty question quiz where the questions appear on the screen so slowly that the robotic technology featured in the game will actually exist by the time you've answered them all? That's not fun.

Astro Boy, the red-booted, nearly naked artificial child, also found himself inexplicably endowed with a variety of heavy weaponry and advanced technology. Now he can fight to protect the city, or at least initially fight so that he can later talk things into submission. When your son dies and you create a robot replacement, why not put him in jeopardy?

Overall, Astro Boy is a huge disappointment, and even more so because it comes from Sega’s flagship development team, as opposed to being yet another rushed-out licensed title. This game easily lacks more depth than any game that I have played in the past year, if not longer. While normally I would complain about the fact that a game is only four hours long with no replay value whatsoever afterward, for Astro Boy that is its one saving grace, because you’ll be able to finish with it quickly and then move on to another game that is more worthy of your precious gaming hours. In short, avoid Astro Boy at all costs; even $5 for a rental is too much for a game that is over almost before it has begun and fights you every step of the way between the opening sequence and the end.

On pourrait presque parler de véritable sabotage pour un studio que l'on croit encore, sans doute naïvement, prestigieux. Un système de jeu ennuyant, une difficulté inexistante, une liberté que l'on doit imaginer et une durée de vie ridicule; voilà tout le bien que l'on puisse dire du nouveau frisbee créé par Sega.

It's unlikely many people will play this PlayStation 2 version of Astro Boy, and that's exactly how it should be. But maybe, in the end, our 21st-century Dante would have taken pity on the game's makers. After all, there's no actual malice here, just an awful lot of laziness and cynicism as well as lack of regard for the source material. Condemning Sonic Team to rot in hell seems, well, just a bit too medieval, however tempting the idea might seem to those who've had to sit through this game. A simple warning on the packaging might suffice to alert people to the game's shoddy nature, and maybe, as with Dante's vision of Hell, we could go for the classic option. So, if you're thinking of buying the PlayStation 2 version of Astro Boy, there's one thing you need to consider. Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.