Wii

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender, for younger gamers, is a solid introduction to the action RPG genre, especially if they enjoy the series. Older gamers may be bored of the somewhat repetitive fighting and the very light RPG elements, however.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fun action; role-playing game based on the Nickelodeon animated series. Never becoming too complex, Avatar blends the right amount of kung-fu air-bending action along with story telling and adventuring. If you're a fan of the animated show, I'm sure Avatar: The Last Airbender will be an experience that lives up to the popularity of the show.

Avatar is a game that younger kids will want, but with the faulty execution of the special moves, could upset younger gamers. I was really hoping this would be the title that I have been waiting for so my son and I could adventure together (at the same time), but it was not to be.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is, while not a horrible game, not nearly as good as it could have been. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the show, choose Marvel: Ultimate Alliance instead.

In conclusion, Avatar shows a lot of promise, but falls into a repetitive mash of the same thing over and over. Fans of the series will definitely get their $50 worth here, but others should probably look elsewhere. Then again, if you’re a seasoned Diablo veteran who knows what’s it’s like to swing a weapon a few thousand times during one gameplay experience, then Avatar is a somewhat miniaturized console version for you to play with. Don’t expect any corpses to explode, though.

If you're looking for a game that does more than you're used to, look elsewhere. Fans and gamers seeking something simple in between those big name 4th quarter titles should be content with what they're getting. Solid but nothing spectacular.

Avatar the game should be commended for being a faithful recreation of Avatar the TV show, but as a game by itself there are things that need to be addressed. If the inevitable sequel takes the good parts of the first game, fixes what doesn't work, and adds in multiplayer, it could be really fun. This has some fun it, but not as much as there could have been.

How can it possibly be a kid's game when the first major battle is enough to stop most kids in their tracks? I persevered in the hopes that there would be a payoff that would allow me to make a ‘your hard work is aptly rewarded' point ... but that never comes. The rest of the game is just average stuff ... until you hit the next boss battle.

Avatar: The Last Airbender isn't so much a bad game as it is one that's disappointing because it fails to capitalize on its many interesting concepts. Even though it's geared toward kids, the game is so watered down that even they won't find it challenging. The RPG elements are underdeveloped and the fighting quickly becomes tedious due to its simplicity. The failure to include co-op multiplayer support of any kind doesn't help either. Just being able to play with one friend, much less three, would have made the whole experience more fun. Toss in some unfriendly design choices and lots of backtracking, and you're left with a game that's just not that much fun to play.

With source material of Avatar’s quality, I would have thought it really hard to screw up even a licensed game. However, THQ found a way. While the story and writing are decent, very reminiscent of the show and all that, the game manages to tear away any illusion that you’re “playing the cartoon” with uneven graphics and a bevy of new, soon-to-be-forgotten characters that are key to the story. The gameplay has its moments of fun (such as the mini-games scattered about), but the repetitive nature of the main game and lack of multiplayer really keep the experience from realizing its full potential. As part of the first wave of Nintendo Wii titles the game tried a few interesting things at launch – such as the motion controls – but never with any real proficiency. In the end, much like the Avatar himself, this game is a Jack of All Trades, but master of none. Hopefully the developers of future games in this series prove as willing to learn from mistakes as young Aang is.

Bien que cette adaptation du dessin animé se destine aux plus jeunes joueurs, les développeurs ont eu la bonne idée de ne pas chercher la facilité en s'essayant à une sorte de hack'n slash. Le côté RPG est suffisamment accessible pour ne pas rebuter les enfants, de même que le niveau de difficulté qui permet d'avancer sans trop d'efforts. Dommage que l'action soit aussi approximative et les quêtes aussi conventionnelles, car on s'ennuie un peu trop rapidement.

If you are a fan of the television show or have a child interested in it, you may want to give this a rent. For whatever reason, THQ left out multi-player. With the four playable characters, you would think that they would want you to play with friends instead of stupid computer players. This omission hurts replay value, but the game is still decent fun while it lasts.

The Last Airbender flies to Wii as a direct port of the previous iterations with updated controls. For the most part, the control enhancements are beneficial to the experience. I especially like the challenges where you must use the Wii-mote to draw calligraphy. Meanwhile, I could honestly take or leave the amendments introduced to combat control – specifically, instead of tapping buttons to execute special bending moves, you now hold the B trigger and motion up, down, left or right with the pointer. Sure, it can be more immersive, but it's also a little clunkier than simply mashing a button.

Button-mashing with a few RPG-ish stats thrown in. More of a light breeze than a huge hurricane; don't expect to be blown away by this title.

Okay, so who is this game for? Well, fans of the animated series will like it more than they ought to, but will be secretly disappointed. Gamers looking for a cool action-RPG with some anime style will be let down. The only way we can absolutely recommend this game is if you love Avatar: The Last Airbender as much as you do breathing. Even if you're huge fan of the series, this game is worth a rental at most.