Reviews// Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space

Blinx 2, without the backing of any fans who really give a damn, has attempted to jump into that third category without a sufficient run-up. Instead of developing the time-sweeping concept further and making a proper attempt at boosting the repute of the Blinx name, Artoon has instead latched on a separate section. The Tom Tom levels are probably more enjoyable than the Time-Sweeper levels, but the two don’t really complement each other properly. It often feels like two different (although startlingly similar) games instead of a cohesive whole. Bolting two Barrat homes together doesn’t make a manor house, and Blinx 2’s porcine additions don’t make it a great game.

Forwarding time by a year or so, and looking back at the future, we can confidently say that Xbox hasn’t done particularly well for platformers. The likes of the original Blinx and Voodoo Vince would happily be forgotten by most, and although the Princes of Persia have offered excellent opportunity for relatively erudite platforming, it’s not quite the same as having some cuddly little mascot bounding around, spreading a contagiously innocent joy in its wake. And that placed even more pressure on Blinx 2 to come up with the goods; and makes the shortcomings all the more noticeable. For PS2 and Gamecube owners, this is barely worth glancing at, but as an Xbox exclusive title for exclusively Xbox gamers, it should find itself quite at home as genre leader. But bearing in mind the lack of competition, that’s not necessarily saying very much.

With a little more thought, Blinx 2 could have put itself on the map, but with a significant number of distinctly more impressive games doing a similar thing better elsewhere, we’ve been left somewhat unmoved. The idea’s a good one, and although a little more enthusiasm would have done plenty to invigorate the characters and storyline, all the ingredients are in order. But unfortunately, under closer examination, it’s turned out to compose a formula for chronic tedium that will likely turn your brain to a mushy pulp. We’ve been waiting a long time to see a ground-breaking platform game that would unleash the full power of the Xbox, and it’s beginning to look as if that day may never come. This could have been it, but it isn’t. It’s too easy, too shallow and, as a consequence, isn’t a great deal of fun to play.

SPOnG Rating: C-

Halfwits and children would love it, but the bulk of SPOnG’s Xbox owning readers would do well to leave this alone. If the need for a platform game is too intense, and can’t be sated by Metal Slug 3 or Prince of Persia’s sort-of-platform game offerings, then give it a whirl; but don’t expect anything of the standard you might expect of this genre on any other machine.