Neopets: Petpet Adventures-- The Wand of Wishing

Neopets. Just what in the world is a Neopet? Honestly I'm not an expert on the Neopet craze. I know there are different types of Neopets and a large variety of merchandise available to buy. Besides those two points I'm not what you call an expect on everything that is Neopets. When the opportunity to review a Neopets game for the PSP came about I thought "Why not?" Thankfully my limited knowledge of Neopets didn't prevent me from enjoying Neopets Petpet Adventures for the PSP.

The story of the Wand of Wishing revolves around you playing the role of a Petpet, recovering the Wand of Wishing and saving the gypsy Megan from the evil Archos. You can select from one of four different Petpets: a Doglefox, a Mazzew, a Krawk, and a Meowclops. Each Petpet has their own unique skill sets with various magic abilities and levels of strength. The game then starts off with a short CG sequence to setup the game's story that involves Megan finding the legendary Wand of Wishing only to have it taken from her by one of Archos's Werhounds. Your Petpet takes off in hopes of recapturing the wand and is transported to the world of Petaria.

The game begins in Petaria with a short tutorial on how to control your Petpet (that can be skipped if wanted). The game is an action RPG in which all of the combat is in real time and with statistic building elements found in a role-playing game (RPG). But this game doesn't give you experience points like a normal RPG, instead you have to complete training to raise your stats in the game. Usually in each city there is a trainer that will allow you to pay an entrance fee to fight against a computer-controlled enemy or against another player (via wireless). If you win these battles you then earn a point that you can spend on training to raise a specific stat. You can also find items that can raise specific statistics located in some of the stages. The majority of the game is completing smaller quests in order to advance the storyline to move on to the next part of the game. There are a large amount of side quests that you can complete (if you wish) that can earn you special items.

The menu system in the game is rather standard with a few unique tricks used for combat. There is the inventory system that has several sub levels included within it. You have the weapon/armor inventory, items inventory and magic inventory screens that you have to scroll through in order to equip items in the game. There is a belt inventory screen where you can select various items to place in your belt to use during the game. Actually the belt is the only way to use an item in the game which makes it a little inconvenient to use an item. You have to go into the inventory system, place an item in your belt inventory, then go out of the inventory screens and then press the triangle button to use the item. Luckily you can have more than one item in your belt inventory at one time, you start off with three and will add more spots as you progress in the game. Press the left or right on the direction pad will allow you to move through the belt items you placed in your belt inventory. Besides the inventory options in the menu system you have the statistics screen, a journal log (to keep track of the quests you've accepted) and a map of the stage you're on.

The quests you can accept in the game range from simple to time consuming. The majority of the time consuming quests are the main quests that you must complete in order to finish a level. When I say finish a level I should add that I consider each area in Neopets to be a level. Some of the levels are broken up into different sections or areas that you can explore but you're limited in how much exploring you can perform in the game. For example, you spend the majority of the game trying to recover the Wand of Wishing but you're not out actually traveling from city to city or finding secret dungeons during your quest for the Wand. The game progresses in a linear manner with you having almost no option for stepping outside of the game's boundaries. The game keeps it really simple for you, either you finish the stage/area you're on or you don't progress in the game. The storyline will not unfold any other way. This unfortunately limits the storyline into being forgettable since there is hardly any surprises that can happen during the game. For example, once you get close to the Werhound holding the Wand, he escapes and you move on to the next level. Repeat for several stages and you get my point.

The combat in the game is a good mixture of melee and distance (archery and magic) combat except for one problem, the computer AI. The control of my Petpet was solid and responsive during combat. The game allows you to attack with a melee weapon, fire off magic spells and block attacks all by single button presses. Having the ability to use magic spells allowed me to weaken stronger enemies from a distance and then go in for the final blow with a melee attack. But I spent a bunch of time running around trying to avoid getting hit because the computer's AI seemed to have perfect aim all the time. I would notice that an enemy's arrow would tend to float towards me at any direction. Even if I was running the opposite direction of the arrow I would still get hit almost every time. Even my attacks via magic or arrows would tend to float towards an enemy. This would make combat extremely difficult at times because if you ran into more than one enemy archer or magic user at a time it would never turn out to my advantage. I had to repeat certain parts of the game countless times in hopes of finding the perfect spot to hide and attack.

The graphics in the game were a pleasant surprise for this game with great looking textures and effects. All of the stages had their own unique, individual look ranging from farms, waterfalls, dungeons, castles and other areas. Each stage had small effects that would make the level stand out such as reflections, ripples in water and shadows. I didn't expect this much attention to detail for graphics since this is a licensed game that will find it's audience regardless of it's presentation. Now I must comment that the graphics for the characters in the game were bland and plain looking when compared to the detail in the rest of the game. The characters in the game would never change their appearance regardless of the situation happening in the game. My character, a Doglefox, always had a smile on his face at all times. This isn't a huge issue but when you compare the graphic detail between the stages and characters the differences are very apparent.

Now I must note that even with the issues I've mentioned in this review Neopets Petpet Adventures is still a good action-RPG game for the PSP. I found myself wanting to keep playing because I wanted to find more items, upgrade my character and make it to the next stage. If you're expecting a action RPG masterpiece, such as a Zelda game, then you will be disappointed. But if you're looking for something different for the PSP or just something different than the standard fantasy theme games that star orc's and wizards then give Neopets a try. No game is perfect (regardless of how many perfect scores I read in magazines) and it's all about personal preferences. If you're a Neopet fan and a PSP owners then make sure to check out this game.

Gameplay: 7.4
As an action-RPG the game does what it can to overcome some shortcomings. The combat is good but the computer AI is at times perfect in combat which is an issue. The linear way in which the game plays out hurts the game when compared to other RPG games out for the PSP right now.

Graphics: 8.0
If it wasn't for the plain character models in the game and a slowdown problem when more than two characters are on the screen at a time this would be an excellent looking PSP game.

Sound: 8.0
The game includes some great background music. All of the music sets the atmosphere of the game and is nothing I would categorize as childish. Besides the opening CG sequence there is no voice acting in the game. All of the characters in the game grunt when they speak.

Difficulty: Medium
If it wasn't for the crazy AI during combat then the game would probably be a breeze. Be prepared to die repeatedly and play the same parts over and over again. Make sure you raise the stats of your character by training.

Concept: 7.5
Neopets Petpet Adventures is another standard but enjoyable action RPG game for the PSP. It's not the best action-RPG game on the market but it's still playable.

Multiplayer: N/A
I did not have the opportunity to test the multiplayer features of the game. The game allows you to fight other players during the training sections via wireless WiFi combat. All of the battles are one-on-one fights with the best two-out-of-three rounds.

Overall: 7.7
The game had great potential to shine as a great example of PSP gaming but a few hiccups along the way hold it down slightly. Neopet fans probably do not want to miss out on this game. PSP owners wanting to play every RPG that comes out will probably find more than enough to keep them busy.