Scooby Doo!: Mystery Mayhem

If you're a Scooby Doo fan or are just looking for a fun game to pass the time with, Scooby Doo: Mystery Mayhem should definitely be on your list!

A surprisingly good game that at times does sparkle and makes you often think about what is going on. There are points which will frustrate all but the most determined gamer but there is a decent amount of life in game. A fine effort.

If you're a huge Scooby fan, you'll want this in your collection. Otherwise, if you've got kidlets at home, give this one a rental before shelling out 40 bones. You've always got the option of the 20 dollar, slightly superior Night of 100 Frights.

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem isn’t going to set the mature mind ablaze with advanced control sets and Ninja Gaiden-like difficulty levels, it’s not intended to do so. What Mystery Mayhem brings to the kiddie table is an easy to pick up and play title with a great translation of the licensed characters from the Saturday morning cartoon world. If your kid is still checking out G-rated movies and is only allowed to dabble in the Everyone titles, then Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem is worth a serious look. This title could have gotten my complete blessing with a few minor tweaks, with the most important being a co-op mode. Single player mode only notwithstanding, Mystery Mayhem is easily worth its weight in Scooby Snacks.

First and foremost, Scooby Doo! Mystery Mayhem is a game directed at kids; that said, if you’re a big enough kid at heart you’ll most probably find it entertaining for at least a few hours. I’m still amazed at how well the developers have captured the spirit of the cartoon’s characters, stories and surroundings, with regard to both how they look and feel; it’s just a shame that the game was rushed out to coincide with the Scooby Doo 2, as the visuals and controls could have been tweaked a little more. A solid game, which the younger crowd should love; look out Inspector Rex! Scooby Doo’s back in town!

Aside from a few personal problems with the style of this game, I really have very few complaints about it. Any Scooby-Doo fan would do well to at least rent this game, as would all the fans of Luigi's Mansion who are clamoring for a sequel.

It's a quirky twist and makes for an okay, if lightweight, action game. It doesn't look all that spectacular and the action does get samey, but it's by far the coolest Scooby game yet. That's not saying a lot though...

Aside from a few personal problems with the style of this game, I really have very few complaints about it. Any Scooby-Doo fan would do well to at least rent this game, as would all the fans of Luigi's Mansion who are clamoring for a sequel.

It's a quirky twist and makes for an okay, if lightweight, action game. It doesn't look all that spectacular and the action does get samey, but it's by far the coolest Scooby game yet. That's not saying a lot though...

It's a quirky twist and makes for an okay, if lightweight, action game. It doesn't look all that spectacular and the action does get samey, but it's by far the coolest Scooby game yet. That's not saying a lot though...

What Scooby Doo! Mystery Mayhem excels in though (in every department) is how the game faithfully recreates the experience of the original cartoon. If awards were given in this catagory alone then A2M would scoop quite a few. Anyone who knows anything about the cartoon will certainly find the experience familiar and will certainly enjoy the five stories on offer. And it’s because of this that it’s certainly worth a rental to fans but in the end doesn’t deliver anywhere near enough gameplay to warrant a full price purchase. With the licence now secured by THQ, if they deliver superior gameplay for the next encounter then the Scooby Doo licence has a pretty rosy future. Only time will tell (and a review next week) if THQ can pull it off with Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed.

I enjoyed playing Scooby-Doo: Mystery Mayhem for the first thirty minutes or so, but my enjoyment quickly turned into boredom as I restarted at a certain save point over and over again, due to my "scare" power meter running out every time a ghost ran over me after escaping from my attempted Tome catching. The mini-games were fun enough, but in and of themselves weren't enough to raise this game from the crowd.

From the opening of the game with the original theme song to the voices, the mood and humor of Scooby-Doo is captured pretty well here. It is, however, a game that doesn’t know its audience. It is too hard for kids, but too slow and repetitive for adults. Still, it’s gotta be better than seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze try to look and sound like Fred and Daphne on the big screen.

Mystery Mayhem scores points for being a complete departure from its predecessor, providing adventure gameplay with a survival/horror feel instead of run-of-the-mill platforming. However, the cumbersome controls and repetitive, simple gameplay keep the game from being very compelling or much fun.

When you break it down, Scooby Doo MM is a great game for the original fans of the series. Not only is the game easy to pick up so the casual person can learn in no time, but it’s also like you’re getting a bunch of new episodes without actually having to watch them on the cartoon channel. The game feels and sounds just like the old TV shows! Common video games fans, however, won’t be as impressed. If you hate games where you are always fetching items and backtracking locations over and over again then you won’t like this title either. All you have to do is take away the Scooby Doo license and then Mystery Mayhem here becomes nothing more then a mundane adventure game.

Twenty years ago I could have called Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem one of the best, if not the best game in existence. Its function to resurrect a favorite oldie into something that looks, feels, and sounds very much like it did back then has now become a plain and mediocre action title. Of course, you can't have everything you want, and Mystery Mayhem is only around now because of the appearance of the movie that's based on the cartoon. Without the movie, THQ probably figures that a Scooby-Doo game won't Doo too well. Hence, the game's production values don't matter as much as well (as the game's target audience, kids, won't care a whole lot). But, were a developer to come along and dedicate their heart and soul into making the best Scooby-Doo experience you could ever hope for, I bet you more game players, fans or not, would notice. I know I would.

A game that certainly recreates the authentic look and sound of classic Scooby Doo, that suffers from not knowing what it wants to be. It has the potential to be a really great game franchise for the developer, the building blocks have all been laid, but the gameplay and execution this time around, keep it from succeeding. Die-hard fans might want to play through it, but everyone else should approach with Scooby and Shaggy like caution.

Scooby Doo: Mystery Mayhem isn't a game that was designed with dedicated gamers in mind - instead, the game is suited more to younger children or older people not familiar with videogames who still enjoy Scooby Doo paraphernalia, as one can see from the simplistic game mechanics and forgiving level design. Mystery Mayhem may not be the best Scooby Doo title to date, but it most certainly holds its own by providing a videogame incarnation that stays very true to the series.

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem is a great example of how developers should be making games with big name licenses. Rather than plug the characters into a stock platform or adventure game, which is usually what happens with licensed games, developer A2M instead sought out to make Mystery Mayhem as much like the TV show as possible.

There are all of five levels in Mystery Mayhem, which can be breezed through in an afternoon, and it's hard to imagine wanting to play through the game multiple times. Ardent adult Scooby-Doo fans would probably have their nostalgia best served by some Scooby-Doo DVDs, which are prominently advertised in the back of the game's manual, along with Scooby-Doo action figures and Scooby-Doo cereal. Parents whose kids have Scooby-Doo hot on the brain from the movie can safely rent this one, or not, without worry of missing much.

There are all of five levels in Mystery Mayhem, which can be breezed through in an afternoon, and it's hard to imagine wanting to play through the game multiple times. Ardent adult Scooby-Doo fans would probably have their nostalgia best served by some Scooby-Doo DVDs, which are prominently advertised in the back of the game's manual, along with Scooby-Doo action figures and Scooby-Doo cereal. Parents whose kids have Scooby-Doo hot on the brain from the movie can safely rent this one, or not, without worry of missing much.

There are all of five levels in Mystery Mayhem, which can be breezed through in an afternoon, and it's hard to imagine wanting to play through the game multiple times. Ardent adult Scooby-Doo fans would probably have their nostalgia best served by some Scooby-Doo DVDs, which are prominently advertised in the back of the game's manual, along with Scooby-Doo action figures and Scooby-Doo cereal. Parents whose kids have Scooby-Doo hot on the brain from the movie can safely rent this one, or not, without worry of missing much.

Mystery Mayhem offers little reward and challenge is non-existent. Scooby-Doo is another victim of dumbing down games for kids. Just because it's for a younger audience doesn't mean you have to take away all control and make the game incredibly boring, easy, and repetitive. Scooby-Doo Mystery Mayhem is suitable as a rental for young kids or avid fans of the series, but will offer little enjoyment to anyone else.

Mystery Mayhem offers little reward and challenge is non-existent. Scooby-Doo is another victim of dumbing down games for kids. Just because it's for a younger audience doesn't mean you have to take away all control and make the game incredibly boring, easy, and repetitive. Scooby-Doo Mystery Mayhem is suitable as a rental for young kids or avid fans of the series, but will offer little enjoyment to anyone else.

Mystery Mayhem offers little reward and challenge is non-existent. Scooby-Doo is another victim of dumbing down games for kids. Just because it's for a younger audience doesn't mean you have to take away all control and make the game incredibly boring, easy, and repetitive. Scooby-Doo Mystery Mayhem is suitable as a rental for young kids or avid fans of the series, but will offer little enjoyment to anyone else.

The problem with this game isn't the same one that most cartoon-licensed product struggle with. Instead of stripping away all that is witty and/or interesting about the source material, this Scooby Doo game is everything that an episode is: by the numbers mystery solving, wacky locations, and even a laugh track. The big problem is that the license just isn't great source material for a game too bland from most players' tastes.

The problem with this game isn't the same one that most cartoon-licensed product struggle with. Instead of stripping away all that is witty and/or interesting about the source material, this Scooby Doo game is everything that an episode is: by the numbers mystery solving, wacky locations, and even a laugh track. The big problem is that the license just isn't great source material for a game too bland from most players' tastes.

The problem with this game isn't the same one that most cartoon-licensed product struggle with. Instead of stripping away all that is witty and/or interesting about the source material, this Scooby Doo game is everything that an episode is: by the numbers mystery solving, wacky locations, and even a laugh track. The big problem is that the license just isn't great source material for a game too bland from most players' tastes.

Avec un gameplay d'une fadeur extrême (oui je sais que ça peut sembler paradoxal comme idée mais je fais ce que je veux) et un humour qui non seulement tombe à plat mais finit même par exaspérer, ce nouveau Scooby-Doo n'a pas grand-chose pour lui. Vu son petit prix, on y pensera éventuellement pour de jeunes joueurs pas trop difficiles. Mais bon, c'est pas parce qu'on est petit qu'on peut jouer comme les grands.

Avec un gameplay d'une fadeur extrême (oui je sais que ça peut sembler paradoxal comme idée mais je fais ce que je veux) et un humour qui non seulement tombe à plat mais finit même par exaspérer, ce nouveau Scooby-Doo n'a pas grand-chose pour lui. Vu son petit prix, on y pensera éventuellement pour de jeunes joueurs pas trop difficiles. Mais bon, c'est pas parce qu'on est petit qu'on peut jouer comme les grands.

Avec un gameplay d'une fadeur extrême (oui je sais que ça peut sembler paradoxal comme idée mais je fais ce que je veux) et un humour qui non seulement tombe à plat mais finit même par exaspérer, ce nouveau Scooby-Doo n'a pas grand-chose pour lui. Vu son petit prix, on y pensera éventuellement pour de jeunes joueurs pas trop difficiles. Mais bon, c'est pas parce qu'on est petit qu'on peut jouer comme les grands.

Un jeu grand public très classique, assez répétitif mais visuellement pas trop mal fichu, qui fera certainement mouche auprès des très jeunes joueurs auxquels il est destiné.

Un jeu grand public très classique, assez répétitif mais visuellement pas trop mal fichu, qui fera certainement mouche auprès des très jeunes joueurs auxquels il est destiné.

Scooby-Doobie-Doo, where are you? In a crappy video game, that's where. Honestly, I just don't know where to start with this title, as it lacks of any compelling features make it a bit difficult to write about.

Scooby-Doobie-Doo, where are you? In a crappy video game, that's where. Honestly, I just don't know where to start with this title, as it lacks of any compelling features make it a bit difficult to write about.

On terms of gameplay, design, and execution, Mystery Mayhem is as uninspired a game as you’re likely to play this year. As you complete the seemingly endless series of dreary switch puzzles and fetch quests, not once will you be entertained. During my playtime, my emotions always registered somewhere between mildly annoyed and just plain bored.

There isn?t much to the combat, just like there isn?t much to the rest of the game. If you?re an adult ? or over the age of eight, really ? Mystery Mayhem won?t provide enough to keep you interested. Now I don?t want to say that all kids only like really simple, easy games, but I?m sure there are many youngsters who find most mainstream games too hard, and complex. In any case, all those who don?t still wear Superman Underoos (or would it be better to say, those who shouldn?t) would be strongly advised to stay away from this game. Also, big fans of the show might be able look past its many flaws for its wonderful presentation. But unless your mommy tucks you into your Scooby-Doo bed sheets at night, you probably won?t be entirely satisfied.