| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this game is cute and benign, as the show's fans would expect. But it has too much going on to keep younger players focused, and is too tedious for older ones.
Evil Plankton has unleashed a mass of malicious robots on Bikini Bottom (though SpongeBob thinks he inadvertently invited this disaster) in SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: THE BATTLE FOR BIKINI BOTTOM. Now they're wreaking havoc from Goo Lagoon to Jellyfish Fields, and SpongeBob and friends are on a quest to stop them and save the denizens of their underwater home.
Along the way, players collect precious golden spatulas and Patrick's dirty socks, and complete other side missions. Changing among the popular show's three main characters, players swing above the city on Sandy's lasso, use Patrick to toss around a variety of "throw fruit," or turn into SpongeBall to bowl over enemies.
Creative stuff, but the anticipated audience here is unclear. The missions are difficult to complete and simultaneous, and younger players may lose track of what they're trying to accomplish, never mind actually finishing a level. Conversely, more experienced players may tire of the repetitive moves required to complete the almost 100 tasks.
If you just want to see SpongeBob and his friends frolic around Bikini Bottom, there's plenty to soak up. But accomplishing missions requires a level of expertise that may outpace the skills of the show's young fans.
Families can talk about marketing tie-ins and how this game promotes the SpongeBob SquarePants empire.
| Platforms: | PlayStation 2 |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Developer: | THQ |
| Release date: | November 25, 2003 |
| Price: | $39.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E |
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