It was easy to get excited for SpongeBob's exclusive PSP debut: The Yellow Avenger. Everything was in place:

2.5D Gameplay

Before game developers understood the art of 3D development, eager programmers took the standard, side-scrolling gameplay we knew and loved and spruced it up with 3D visuals. Not just 3D characters, but also dynamic camera angles that changed position as players navigated each world. This unique style made games like Pandemonium a cult classic, and made the Namco-developed Klonoa the most underrated side-scroller released during the PSone era. 

Cartoon-Level Graphics

Solid artwork that isn't too flashy. The character you play as is always the most important, and The Yellow Avenger doesn't neglect that fact. SpongeBob is a fully-rendered, full-3D model with a cartoon outline that resembles (but is not) a cel-shading effect. His comrades were treated with similar care. SpongeBob has multiple attacks that add some flash to the visuals, as do the high-res comic book stills.

A Potentially Hilarious Story

Just when Mermaidman and Barnacleboy think it's safe to leave the house, in comes a new, unforeseen threat that's sure to ruin their year: the spin cycle. It was laundry day, and while they typically go home with t-shirts emitting that wonderful, fresh-from-the-dryer scent, today was no ordinary day. The duo's arch-nemesis, The Dirty Bubble, is accidentally split into thousands of Little Dirty Bubbles when a little detergent turns out to be BIG trouble. Only SpongeBob can save them from these sinister suds – only he can make these dirty bubbles burst! 

As promising as these features were, the result is somewhat less exciting than SpongeBob's previous adventures. Whereas his PS2 outings have included fast, attack-heavy gameplay that stressed item collection (a la Jak & Daxter), his PSP debut is strictly for kids -- kids with patience, kids who aren't bored by running and jumping in a bland environment.

When I say "bland," I'm not talking about the graphics. There are a few dull backgrounds, but that's secondary. These worlds feel empty. There are enemies to jump on and bubbles to collect, but it's an experience we've had a zillion times before (and in much better forms).

Attacks are more or less limited to jumping on creatures you encounter under the sea, one of which looked like a little old lady. I don't watch the show every week, so maybe there's a joke I'm missing. Who knows. It didn't matter much, because the act of jumping on enemies is a bore. It's clunky and felt a little too much like I was a sponge in water. But if that's the case, shouldn't I be able to float? Shouldn't I be able to swim in every level?

Super powers are available almost immediately, giving hope to gamers like myself who thought he couldn't attack. If only they had filled that void. Instead the powers let you shoot water balls, super strength, super speed, and a couple others. The most interesting of the bunch is the ability to summon sea creatures, who will swim together to form platforms that SpongeBob can walk on. Not the newest idea, but a cool one nonetheless. 

Water balls would've been cool, but they're limited. That's true of all the powers. It's not that I want SpongeBob to be omnipotent -- I'm not looking for imperviousness without a cheat code. Give me a choice between strength or weakness, however, and I choose strength.

Typically I skip the story portion of a game, but SpongeBob is one of the few series whose story I actually enjoyed. It just isn't the same in text form, not when the voice-overs in the previous games were so high in quality (I suppose I'd be saying the opposite if they had sucked).

Without voice-overs, and with bland objectives that aren't overly fun, mission explanations are told through text. Lengthy, uninviting paragraphs that will surely turn off the game's target audience.

Gameplay: 5
Unexciting at best. Levels are broken into sections. Each section is short, and has very little to offer gamers in terms of excitement. Collect bubbles. Activate super power circles (which allow you to get water balls or other super powers and pass through blocked areas). That's problem #1. Problem #2 enters the minute you enter a new location: 10 to 15 seconds of loading. The game loads every chance it gets. Not only does this wear down the battery, it's also guaranteed to wear down the player. At least three of my first 15 minutes with this game were reserved for load times.

That's potentially 12 minutes of loading for every hour of gameplay.

Graphics: 7
It’s the whole package that makes this game look good. Individually I’m not sure how well each element (good-looking characters, high-res stills, decent animations, etc.) would live up. Some of the environments look awesome, while others lack anything amusing to look at. Just a plain background, nothing special. That hurt the overall look of the game, which was generally satisfying to the eyes, despite lacking satisfaction in every other respect.

Sound: 6
SpongeBob-style music, some of which sounds original to this game. Good stuff, but where's the voice track?

Difficulty: Easy
The word “cakewalk” was invented for games like this.

Concept: 3
Repetitive, unexciting 2.5D action. Or lack thereof.

Unlike the other SpongeBob games, The Yellow Avenger does not feature the voice talent of the show. It doesn't feature any voices at all. Therefore the story is told through high-res stills – they look good, but come 'on! This is PSP, the new generation of handheld gaming. It can run full-length movies, music videos, MP3s, etc. Clearly it's fully capable of doing voice. Case in point: we didn't spend $250 to play games that don't take advantage of this amazing technology.

Multiplayer: 5
Mini-games based on the rest of the adventure. Need I say more?

Overall: 5
Kids like to be entertained with cool characters (which this game has), but not much else will keep them coming back. The first SpongeBob game was good enough to be enjoyed by players who had never watched the show before. The Yellow Avenger, however, doesn't even have what it takes to appease the series' most diehard fans. It's not a disaster – just a thrill-less adventure that stars one of the world's most popular cartoon characters.