First impressions on... FusionFall

Now, this is a semi-review of FusionFall, the recent Cartoon Network  MMRPG. I call it  "semi" because i haven't paid for the game to fully play it, although I believe that I have played enough to make a solid opinion on the game.

At first, I had doubts on FusionFall, because I thought it was style over substance, and I stayed away from it for a while. But I overcame my fear for it and tried it.
How did I receive the experience? Well, here are my general thoughts on FusionFall...

Story: You are sent by Dexter and his stupid sister Dee Dee into a dystopian Cartoon Network future, where the planet is attacked by creatures from Planet Fuse, and you are now trying to stop them. At the same time, you need to find pieces to rebuild the time machine and send you back in time. The story is OK, I guess, but right now I feel that the story will give some sort of urgency to players, but that's about it.

Gameplay: Well, the gameplay is mediocre at best. First of all, the stats are very simple: Attack vs. one enemy, ATK vs. Multiple enemies, and Defense. Not only are the first 2 a bit confusing to me, but it's difficult to see the difference if you improve on these attributes. Also, pacing is very suspect here. You can  moving along flat terrain for about 5 minutes and it can get really boring (gets even worse if you're lost).

Then the fighting is really mindless. You can't dodge opponent's attacks, so all you do is stand there and shoot  (or slash) your enemies (including bosses) and hope that they die sooner than you. It doesn't feel like fighting, because there are no tactics, strategies or anything. The only gimmick you have are the Nanoes. These are the little versions of CN characters after you beat their fusion counterparts. They do a little bit of effects, like Buttercup can stun opponents, Numbuh 2 can increase your end of fight looting in terms of Taros (currency). But they aren't that important in terms of fighting and gameplay. There's some platforming, and the parts are not difficult.

In fact, this game is actually pretty darn easy. You always have a map to guide you where you need to go, and the process is usually the same. Go to one place, blast Fusion enemies, grab a couple of items, repeat, then fight a Fusion boss, get Nano, repeat. That summarizes the gameplay for FusionFall.

Presentation: At least they did a good job in making the game look good. The environments are varying and clear, so are the character models and the houses and structures. The sound doesn't reflect the urgency of the moment. It's frilicy-frolicky, and it ignores the desparate moment of saving the world most of the time.

BARs: Pretty open-ended, like any RPG. You can chage your character, buy different items and weapons, and you can spend time blasting enemies for free time. That is, if you can stand the shallow combat. OK, I guess.

Overall: Now, I have to admit, that I do have a bit of scorn on Cartoon Network. Since cartoons like Hi-Hi Puffy Ami-Yumi, Winx Club, PPG Z and other anime-like cartoon, I moved out and exiled myself. But I feel that I have put aside that feeling for this semi-review.

So now for my verdict: If you like all that boring combat, if you are a fan of Cartoon Cartoons and if you are a MMRPG fanatic, this could be for you. Anyone who is different, who want some depth in the fighting might want to go something else.

Predicted mark in an actual review: 6.5/10 (or 13/20, about 3.5 stars).

Now, this is a semi-review of FusionFall, the recent Cartoon Network  MMRPG. I call it  "semi" because i haven't paid for the game to fully play it, although I believe that I have played enough to make a solid opinion on the game.

At first, I had doubts on FusionFall, because I thought it was style over substance, and I stayed away from it for a while. But I overcame my fear for it and tried it.
How did I receive the experience? Well, here are my general thoughts on FusionFall...

Story: You are sent by Dexter and his stupid sister Dee Dee into a dystopian Cartoon Network future, where the planet is attacked by creatures from Planet Fuse, and you are now trying to stop them. At the same time, you need to find pieces to rebuild the time machine and send you back in time. The story is OK, I guess, but right now I feel that the story will give some sort of urgency to players, but that's about it.

Gameplay: Well, the gameplay is mediocre at best. First of all, the stats are very simple: Attack vs. one enemy, ATK vs. Multiple enemies, and Defense. Not only are the first 2 a bit confusing to me, but it's difficult to see the difference if you improve on these attributes. Also, pacing is very suspect here. You can  moving along flat terrain for about 5 minutes and it can get really boring (gets even worse if you're lost).

Then the fighting is really mindless. You can't dodge opponent's attacks, so all you do is stand there and shoot  (or slash) your enemies (including bosses) and hope that they die sooner than you. It doesn't feel like fighting, because there are no tactics, strategies or anything. The only gimmick you have are the Nanoes. These are the little versions of CN characters after you beat their fusion counterparts. They do a little bit of effects, like Buttercup can stun opponents, Numbuh 2 can increase your end of fight looting in terms of Taros (currency). But they aren't that important in terms of fighting and gameplay. There's some platforming, and the parts are not difficult.

In fact, this game is actually pretty darn easy. You always have a map to guide you where you need to go, and the process is usually the same. Go to one place, blast Fusion enemies, grab a couple of items, repeat, then fight a Fusion boss, get Nano, repeat. That summarizes the gameplay for FusionFall.

Presentation: At least they did a good job in making the game look good. The environments are varying and clear, so are the character models and the houses and structures. The sound doesn't reflect the urgency of the moment. It's frilicy-frolicky, and it ignores the desparate moment of saving the world most of the time.

BARs: Pretty open-ended, like any RPG. You can chage your character, buy different items and weapons, and you can spend time blasting enemies for free time. That is, if you can stand the shallow combat. OK, I guess.

Overall: Now, I have to admit, that I do have a bit of scorn on Cartoon Network. Since cartoons like Hi-Hi Puffy Ami-Yumi, Winx Club, PPG Z and other anime-like cartoon, I moved out and exiled myself. But I feel that I have put aside that feeling for this semi-review.

So now for my verdict: If you like all that boring combat, if you are a fan of Cartoon Cartoons and if you are a MMRPG fanatic, this could be for you. Anyone who is different, who want some depth in the fighting might want to go something else.

Predicted mark in an actual review: 6.5/10 (or 13/20, about 3.5 stars).

So, before you can get "nano-Buttercup" you've got to beat real Buttercup?  But, she's the toughest fighter!?

Anyway, every now and then when I turn on CN to catch the remaining few decent shows they air, I see commercials for this MMO.  And, while I was excited by the redesign of the characters, I (apparently correctly) assumed this was a game geared at kids not able to handle WOW.  According to some of the comments made by John Davis of Whattheyplay.com, it's a very capable family-friendly game that parents can play alongside their young children and not be completely bored, and you seem to support that assessment.  But, I don't see it attracting cartoon-loving adults like me if gameplay is as stunted as you describe, but I doubt it was ever intended to be a playground for everyone who likes 'toons.   I think I'll be going elsewhere for my post-WoW MMO fix until the next "WOW-killers" arrive on the market...

If you want to save me some time, think you could check out Sony's Free-Realms?