VIDEO GAME 'Incredibles' loses bid to be great movie game

The charm of the popular movie fails to carry over.
By JOHN GAUDIOSI
WASHINGTON POST
The Incredibles, THQ/Heavy Iron Studios
For all the creativity Pixar's movies have shown, too many of the video games created to cash in on them have fallen into the same Hollywood licensing trap, consisting of regurgitated story lines and lackluster game play. The Incredibles continues this losing streak; it would be more aptly called The Mediocres.
This game allows you to take control of the four members of the Barr family: the burly Mr. Incredible, whose brute strength plows through enemies; his wife, "Elastigirl," who can stretch and swing like Spider-Man; daughter Violet, who can turn invisible; and son Dash, who can run like the Flash. You spend most of the time as Mr. Incredible, but individual levels put you in charge of each of the other family members.
The results look, well, incredible, but that's about it. Control issues are the biggest problem. The need to time specific moves precisely (for example, Mr. Incredible's roll) and poor design (Violet's too-brief invisibility) will probably frustrate the younger gamers this title aims for. Some of its puzzles are too difficult -- they're not challenging, they're just badly designed. But in other areas, the action is too simple and repetitive.
The Incredibles does throw in about 15 minutes of movie footage and unlockable extras from the film, such as trailers and concept art, but the game itself offers just seven hours of attempted entertainment, a bit longer if the poor controls and convoluted puzzles slow you down.
Details: Win 98 or newer/Mac OS X 10.2.6 or newer, $30; PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, $40.