I’ll give the designers their due, however, the levels are rather well designed and feature plenty of nice touches and details.
Blinx is a beautiful game that really takes advantage of the Xbox’s hardware. A lot of the levels take place in the midst of villages, some filled with canals and others filled with picturesque storefronts. You’ll notice excellent lighting effects, surfaces that feature some nice reflections and some of the beautiful water that we’ve come to expect from our Xbox games. Blinx himself is quite well designed; some excellent fur-effects have been used to give the impression that he really is a furry little being. His animations flow together quite well and the game does an excellent job of showcasing them. I really enjoyed the entire visual package and I’m sure that the highly stylized graphics will be pleasing to your eyes as well. There are some pre-rendered sequences to help advance the plot and those too are very well done. Kudos for developing an excellent game world and populating it with fun and imaginative designs.
Blinx also fares quite well in the audio department. Most of the music is just excellent, featuring tracks that are best described as a blend of J-Pop and Disney. Kid-friendly tunes blare through your speakers as you progress through each of the game’s levels and it really helps add to the energetic atmosphere. The end result is catchy and upbeat. You’ll want to turn it up, especially if you have a nice system. Even the voice acting is above par although I’m not sure what par is as far as talking cats go. The game takes full advantage of 5.1 and although the extra channels aren’t necessary for a game of this genre, it’s still nice to turn around and hear the sound pan from your front speakers over to your rear speakers. There are numerous creeks filled with running water in the game and the sound of running water moving through the speakers really leads to some excellent effects.
As you progress through the game you’ll collect cash that be used to upgrade your hardware and even upgrade your design. Money is earned by having trash in your possession at the end of a level or by collecting cash around the levels. You’ll be able to purchase new vacuums that are capable of sucking up trash at a higher rate as well as ones that hold more items. If you’re not content with Blinx’s style then you’ll be able to purchase new outfits to change his appearance to your liking. Not much customization is available but it’s still pretty nice for Artoon to give the gamer the option of doing so.
After getting my hands on this puppy at E3 I was heavily anticipating the day that I would get to play it in the comfort of my own living room. While most of the initial luster has worn off, I’m still pleased by what I have experienced. There’s a lot of repetition here and I’m afraid that it will fail to capture the short attention spans of today’s kids. There is an awful lot to like here and if you’re in the market for a great 3D Xbox platformer, then this is probably your best option.
Blinx is an above average platformer that succeeds by introducing something new and refreshing to the genre. The time controls are pretty fun to use and it really adds something new and different to what would otherwise be a rather stale game. If you have kids and you want to get them something that is fun and devoid of violence then you should give this game some serious consideration. Likewise, if you’re like me and you have a girlfriend who is amused by bright and shiny objects and has a serious love affair with cats then this is a definite must-buy. Cats are total chick magnets, trust me on this one.
Time travel got you down? Gaming Nexus recommends you pick up Prima Games' excellent strategy guide to get you back in the game.
B
A game with a unique gimmick but it’s just that, a gimmick. The idea of controlling time is excellent but it’s just not was well executed as it could have been. A fun game that is full of “must-buy†potential that basically simmers down to “possible-rental†material.
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