Bakugan has spawned several video games in the past and I am proud to say that I own them all. I did not review the first game as it was before I started reviewing games, but it was great. The second game had a very solid battle style, but I deducted points since it was so short. Finally, we have this one. The gameplay is completely different from the previous installments, which could definitely pose a problem. Was the game fun anyway? I suppose that it’s time for us to find out!

You play as an original character who looks very similar to the guy from the first game. I like to think that it’s the same guy, but that would present some plot problems. Nonetheless, he becomes a pretty good character by the end of the game, but never becomes as exciting as the hero of the first game. The main character uses Drago and the game starts you off with a bang! Dan has challenged you to a brawl and he’s using Maxus Drago, the ultimate Bakugan monster. Things go haywire and the main character is sent to an alternate dimension!

The characters have the same personalities, but they seem to be a lot weaker. Dan has no idea who Maxus Drago is and he just uses the standard version. The Vexos have been attacking the planet and they’ve kidnapped/taken control of nearly every monster. Drago escapes and the main character uses him to fight the villains. Will one monster be enough to stop everyone else?

The other characters aren’t able to help in this battle since the Vexos have created a way to make them unable to brawl. Dan and friends can only watch as the main character takes on legions of villains by himself. Will the main character be able to defeat them all, or is it a lost cause already?

The actual story mode is pretty short and you’ll probably finish it in under 4 hours. This game definitely wasn’t created for its length, but that’s a small downer. I won’t be taking major points off for that since the content that’s in the game is really fun. The actual story mode never drags on and while the graphics aren’t the greatest, the character designs are good. The villains are fairly uninteresting although Spectra isn’t bad. At least he had a cool design to back him up.

Let’s get into the gameplay, which is the meat of the game. The gameplay is definitely similar to the classic DBZ BT series, but with giant monsters. You’re in complete 3D environments and you knock the opponents out with solid combos and energy blasts. One critical part of the battle is the blocking factor. You can usually block in a fighting game, but Bakugan takes it to the next level. You can block just about any attack and quickly start your counter.

Why do we care? Well, this really means that you’ve got to stay alert at all times. When two fighters are taking random swings at each other, there can be many different block/counters in a single barrage. Your reflexes need to be in top shape to handle this. The concept was definitely risky, but I’d say that it payed off. It makes the battles a little more exciting. Each Kaiju monster gets two cards to help him out during the fight. Usually, you’ll have some sort of energy blast and a large combo, or a barrier. Once you’ve built up enough energy, you can go ahead and use the card. They aren’t a huge factor, but they can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

The game has many positives, but replay value may be an issue. The gameplay is awesome so you’ll always have fun through multiplayer, but if you’re playing by yourself, then it may get old. The A.I. isn’t especially difficult and there really isn’t anything to do once you’ve gotten all of the items in Story Mode. You’ll eventually come to the point where there’s really no reason to play. Replay Value may hurt the game a little, but multiplayer is the important part.

I definitely have a soft spot for the Bakugan franchise. With this game out of the way, I only have one game in the series that I need to play. The first three games were very good so the fourth will have big shoes to fill. Considering that it’s a Bakugan game, I doubt that it will present much of a problem. The soundtrack for this game is pretty good and while it’s not up to par with the first one, it’s definitely good enough. I’d highly recommend buying this one as soon as you can. It may not last you as long as a Final Fantasy game, but it’s just so fun that you need to play it. Such a great experience just can’t be missed when the price isn’t even so high. I enjoyed the game so much that I even went and got the Platinum!

Overall 8/10

Family Game Night is a pretty fun franchise since you can just jump in and start playing the games. You don’t need to worry about entering really hard levels or wondering where you are up to in the plot. That being said, there aren’t a lot of minigames to choose from, which means that the game won’t have as much replay value as other games that focus on recreational activities. I’ll talk about each of the games and then we’ll see how the game stacks up.

First, let’s talk about Connect 4 Basketball! The game is pretty fun, but the aiming can be difficult to master. One problem is that the balls are launched pretty quickly, which means that many players may just fire 4 balls into the same spot as quickly as they can. It’ll become more of a speed battle than a battle of wits at that point. I guess that would be where the tricky aiming would come into play. It’s a decently fun game, but it’s not something that will hold your interest for a very long time. That being said, it is my second favorite game in the video game.

Next up, we have Sorry! Sliders. This one is my least favorite from the batch. I’ve never been a fan of the game, (I do like the Sorry! game though) and it takes a lot longer to finish a round than the others. The controls are simple enough and the computers usually won’t do so well, but this game is meant to be a multiplayer experience anyway. Still, I would recommend skipping this minigame.

Another game on the list is Yahtzee! Bowling. I’m not a huge fan of this minigame either. The actual card part is fun since it’s essentially Poker. Poker is one of the best card games and the rules are simple, but effective. The bowling is really unnecessary and doesn’t really add anything to the game. It just ends up slowing everything down and making the minigame less enjoyable. The game is all right, but relies heavily on luck and that doesn’t really translate well into a video game.

We also have Bop It! Boptagon. This one is easily one of the best minigames and I’d say that it may have the second most replay value. It’s essentially “Simon Says” as you follow the commands that are on the screen. This one does take concentration as the sudden lights can make you pick something that you weren’t planning on picking. Your reflexes actually work against you in this game which is a nice change of pace. If you are buying this video game, I would assume that this minigame is the main reason for your purchase.

Finally, we have Scrabble Flash. This game is my personal favorite out of the bunch. Picking out the words hidden among the letters can actually be pretty challenging. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart and it takes a good vocabulary. Some of the words may seem obvious, but others can be extremely difficult to pick out. This game never really gets old and has a great level of replay value.

Those are all of the minigames that are in Family Game Night. You can challenge the Game Show, but it’s basically just a mode that lets you play all five of the minigames. You should do it for the PS3 trophies, but there’s not much of a point to play it otherwise. The animation for the game is sub par at best and I would say that there are many Nintendo 64 games that show more heart. The mascot can be extremely annoying and is essentially a Mario that went wrong.

This definitely wouldn’t be the highest game on my list to recommend, but if you want to check it out…by all means. It’s certainly not the worst game that you could get and it’s much better than Family Game Night 3. This can be a fun little game to play with your friends or to use as a way to relax. That being said, if you want to play a real Party game, check out Mario Party 4!!

Overall 6/10