Danny Phantom Urban Jungle

Now that the Nintendo DS is approaching its two-year anniversary, it's easy to forget that the Game Boy Advance is still the world's best-selling handheld. With countless hits, dozens of SNES ports, and numerous classics built exclusively for the GBA, it's no wonder the system has captivated so many players.

The Nintendo DS has taken its place in the hearts of most hardcore gamers. But just as the PSone received hit games after PlayStation 2 was released, third-parties are not ready to abandon the handheld leader.

THQ's latest is another baby born from their long-standing relationship with Nickelodeon: Danny Phantom Urban Jungle.

The title is almost misleading. While you could say that the world Mr. Phantom explores is an "urban jungle," the game itself is like a side-scrolling space shooter. Picture R-Type with a superhero in place of a spaceship, and super powers in place of weapon upgrades and attachments, and you get Urban Jungle.

Danny flies through the entire adventure, except for one lightgun-style level that I'll get into later. His maneuverability is only limited by debris and enemy encounters, neither of which should not make direct contact with Danny. Touching an enemy is usually the same as getting hit with a weak attack. The damage is small, but still worth avoiding. Then there are enemies who try to fly right into Danny – you really need to avoid those. They can deplete a full health meter quicker than Bounty picks up stains.

The controls are great. I hate to say that the flying aspect is easy because there are a few challenges ahead. Like any "space shooter," you'll have to avoid large laser blasts, giant laser balls, and tiny laser blasts that flood the screen until you have nowhere to run. Despite all that, the controls are fast, responsive, and work great. Players of all ages will start enjoying themselves as soon as the game begins. That's not too common, especially for a game that has tutorials.

Flying is handled with the D-pad. Press and hold the A button for rapid-fire. Press it twice and hold to charge your powers; release and a more powerful blast will be unleashed.

Urban Jungle's tutorials explain how Danny's super powers work. Up to three powers can be selected before each level and sub-level begins. They include much of what your enemy has and a whole lot more. Smack pesky enemies with giant, metallic hands. Reel ghosts in with what appears to be a fishing rod (if not, it certainly works like one). Blast several enemies in a row by using one big, consistent beam. Or obliterate every enemy in the room (including bosses!) with one enormous blast.

Those are just four of the 12 powers you'll acquire, and they don't include the standard weapons/powers you'll collect during each level. The standard powers function as weapon upgrades. Again, think of R-Type. You're floating through space and a small canister appears. You fly over it, doubling your weapon’s potency. Now you can fire two simultaneous blasts instead of one. That's the same concept Danny Phantom uses. He'll fly over these upgrades and double (and triple) his powers.

Toward the end of the game you'll encounter a side-scrolling level taken from a lightgun game perspective. If you remember the SNES or Genesis version of T2: The Arcade Game, you'll know what I'm talking about. If not, replace the lightgun with a D-pad. Make it slower, and have fewer enemies and a cartoon environment. These levels are brief, and though they are not as exciting as the rest of the game, they are a fairly cool change of pace. They're somewhat challenging, having Danny chase enemies with his crosshairs. It's not violent – the game is 100% kid-safe. But it has the quality of games that are not.

Urban Jungle's only downfall is its length. The game is very short, with roughly a dozen levels to complete. That's an average number, but the time it takes to complete each of them is not. If you're rushing, and if you've played these kinds of games before, you could beat the game in less than 60 minutes. That's an awfully short experience for the price of a video game. Granted, this one's a lot cheaper – and a lot more polished – than the majority of what's on the market. But as much as you might love this game, if you're the kind of person who must have a lengthy experience first, and worries about replay value second (as I did as a kid), Urban Jungle is not for you.

However, if you want a great space shooter with a lot of replay value. If you want great controls and excitement, fun levels and challenges, and good boss battles. And if you want a game that properly honors the Danny Phantom name, Urban Jungle should be the first GBA game you add to your Christmas wish list.

Gameplay: 7.6
Side-scrolling space shooter-style gameplay meets Danny Phantom’s universe. Command Danny as he floats through every level, blasting enemies with his super powers. Brief tutorials explain how to use his powers, but you won’t need ’em unless you’ve never touched a game before. That’s highly unlikely if you own a GBA. The free-roaming setup (push the D-pad anywhere to fly in that direction) is nice and open. Response times are great, allowing skilled players to weave in and out of various enemy attacks.

Graphics: 7.0
Good-looking characters, backgrounds and animations. Lots of colorful effects and big bosses that fill the GBA’s tiny screen.

Sound: 6.9
Not bad for GBA. The sound quality isn’t overly high, but the music is catchy and appropriate. It’s also a little repetitive.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Compared to actual space shooters, Urban Jungle is a bit of a cakewalk. The Boss Battle mode is more challenging, and switching to the Hard difficulty setting can make your quest more difficult. But you won’t be overwhelmed or held back for weeks like you probably were the first time you played R-Type, Einhander (Square’s old PSone shooter), or other similar games.

Concept: 7.0
Urban Jungle’s gameplay ideas come out great, but the idea behind them is as old as the side-scrolling space shooter.

Overall: 7.6
Big boss battles, endless attacks, frequent bonus opportunities, tons of power-ups – Urban Jungle is all thrills and excitement. Its short length caters to high replay value, but don’t think you’re crazy for wishing it were longer. You’re not alone.