2 stars (What's this? What's this? A true Nightmare of a prequel) - The film 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' caused me to look at the world in a different way. I'd never seen anything like it (and, despite 'the Corpse Bride's' best efforts, I still haven't). The film came out in the days when Capcom was still cranking out their first-rate Disney games. I held my breath and hoped that they would make a 'Nightmare' game...something like their 'Disney's Aladdin' which, though lacking the hand-drawn animation of the Sega version, took you faithfully through every scene in the film and then some. But the years rolled by with no 'Nightmare' game in sight. I decided it was probably for the best, as a video game would probably never do the landmark film justice. Well, the game has finally come, albeit nearly fifteen years late. And I, still a rabid 'Nightmare Before Christmas' fan, am sorry to say that the wait has not been worth it. The game feels just as old as the movie. When I first saw the early screen shots of the game, I thought, "Oooh. That's not very pretty. It actually looks...terrible." This is one of those cases where judging the game by its graphics actually works. The whole thing is a mediocre mess that you hope will aim higher but never does. Instead of going for a Mario-esque style adventure or something along the lines of the aforementioned Capcom 'Aladdin', what we have here is sort of a 'Castleroid' prequel to the film. The game takes place years before the events in the film and tells the story of how Jack first met Oogie Boogie and Sally. Sounds promising. I can just see the developers now: "Castlevania is kind of a Halloween-themed game. Let's make it like Castlevania!" Too bad the execution is so poor. Armed with a can of frog's breath ("Frog's breath will overpower any odor"), you hop, climb, and shoot your way through an expansive world map that you'll cover many times over as you aquire new abilities that open the way to... Buena Vista Games :: tim :: burton-s :: nightmare :: before :: christmas :: the :: pumpkin :: king :: buena :: vista :: games :: games :: video :: games :: timburton-snightmarebeforechristmas-thepumpkinking 11 oct :: Tim Burton-s Nightmare Before Christmas- The Pumpkin King
4 stars (Soul Robber!) - If you are a fan of the movie, then this game is for you. The storyline sticks to the movie and you'll see all of the main characters pop up at one point or another. Gameplay is fun and can be challenging at times with a mixture of fighting and puzzle solving. The game is straightforward and flows smoothly from one scenario to the next. There are a few flaws in the game though, that really detract from the gameplay overall. The music, also (for the most part) from the movie, can be a bit repetitive as can the character comments. The camera is fixed so you are not able to look around, which can be a bit frustrating at times, especially when the scenery is blocking the action. You can agitate enemies to gain bonus points by slapping the soul robber (the main weapon) to the ground, this is a huge flaw because the camera zooms in on Jack and you can't see anything around him, which usually leads to a swipe or two from an enemy. Use of the soul robber also ilicits an announcement of "Soul Robber!" EVERY SINGLE TIME you use it, which is just stupid if you ask me and quite irritating. Also, the soul robber could have some more combo attacks since it is the weapon of choice throughout the game. The other character costumes, which come with other powers are used primarily for specific tasks and the soul robber can't be used with either alternate character form so you're stuck flame throwing (until your red souls quickly run out) or tossing presents and screeching "Merry Christmas" at everyone, which also has limited effect. The graphics are good but can be grainy in spots. The voice work is excellent, with most of the original cast from the movie lending a hand. Being familiar with the original movie pays off with some trivia games thrown into the puzzle mix. Overall, it is a good game that seems well thought out and true to the original movie. 5 stars (hi again) - im the one who wrote the we will see oogie fall review and you just ... Disney Interactive :: the :: nightmare :: before :: christmas :: oogie-s :: revenge :: disney :: interactive :: games :: video :: games :: thenightmarebeforechristmas-oogie-srevenge 11 october :: 200 :: The Nightmare Before Christmas- Oogie-s Revenge
Barcode Software/ nightmare trial 
