The Mummy Returns

Ever wonder what it is like on the flip side of a game? To play not only the hero, but the bad guy as well? Ever think to your self, “I would do SOOOO much more damage if I was the BAD DUDE,” or “Sheesh! You call that a BOSS?” Well “The Mummy Returns” has answered those silent (and not so silent) gamer prayers.

You can choose to either be the hero, Rick, who has a very good time killing zombies, chasing down bad guys, and basically really irritating the hell out of Imhotep, or you can choose to kick the American’s butt as the dark godling the mummy. Both have definite pros and cons to playing. Oh, and both have to face the Scorpion King in the End.

To play Rick one must be aware of three things. 1) Alex never stays where he is told. He ends up lost, kidnapped, disappearing, basically the kid finds more trouble than a cat wandering into a dog pound. Of course, there would not be much of a game if he didn’t! 2) The undead really, really want you to join them. They don’t care if it is through henchmen, unholy soldiers, or their own hands, they all want to give you an RSVP to join their ranks. 3) It really doesn’t help that Ihmotep still carries that little grudge from the first one. You know. Where you kinda, sorta destroyed his plans to take over the whole world? Well he has the bad manners to actually expect you to pay for that small indiscretion.

Imhotep has his own personal issues: 1) soul sucking is mandatory to insure you do not decay when damaged, 2) every cat you run into wants a piece of your soul, 3) Rick can be a major pain in the derriere this time around. Even more so than the last time you fought him. The damn American just does NOT learn to keep his nose out of your business! And of course, there is the whole army thing, where Ardeth, the lead Medjai crashes your parties and brings his friends.

THE CONS

I always start out with the cons of games, because then I can end on a good note. So here goes:

The level of difficulty the game can get into trying to figure out the best way to handle what ever is coming at you. I found the easiest way was to meet a new creature, watch how the react, then eventually restart the level after he killed me. Several restarts, you got it down pat. Or, you can do what I finally did… swear a blue streak and get out the walkthrough.

Then there is the fact you can get lost VERY easily. The map is not exactly the most user friendly I have seen. First, there is no easy see map, you must leave game play to look at where you are going. Second, nothing is marked. Just a large amount of colored sections in different shapes. And if you really want to confuse yourself, spin the map a few times then try and figure out how to get out to the right location. Oh, and while you are looking? Leave an area and the critters regenerate. Hence you have to fight several times more if you get lost. The walk through attempts to keep you in the right direction, but when you can’t figure out if you are facing left or right, east or west, upstairs or downstairs, it can get pretty frustrating. Luckily there is a brighter light that shows you where you are, and if you pay attention you can figure out where you wish to be. Of course, just because you got to a certain area a certain way does not mean you can return that way. The game has a nasty way of making things a little challenging. If you are a lazy gamer, you will hate this game. This is for those who enjoy challenges.

When fighting the controls are EXTREMELY touchy. Just trying to figure out how to get Ihmotep to do anything more than just kill the guards took a while. You have to have them dazed but alive to get their sweet little souls. Of course, I am so used to kill or be killed in games it took a while to get the knack down. Then I was a soul sucking mummy let me tell you!

Final con for the game was Ihmotep looks nothing like the hunk that played him in the movie. It was very disappointing to this female gamer. On that note, neither did Rick. The graphics were blocky for the characters. After playing such things as Final Fantasy, I was slightly disappointed. However we shall cover the good points of the graphics in the next section…the pros.

THE PROS

Playing Rick can be hilarious. The producer’s definitely tried to instill the same wise cracking happy go lucky attitude the original character in the movie portrayed, and they did well. It was almost worth it to play him alone for the one liners and digs he threw at the other characters. Playing Ihmotep is the first time I have ever truly seen a game where the outcome is you are a nasty, mean, dark god and you destroy the world. You’re happy, so who cares?

The depth of detail the producers went to for the background more than makes up for the blocky characters. The interactive background, such as shattering glass in the museum, also lends to a better gaming experience. The game is never too dark to see where you need to go, as some I have played. And the game is very forgiving about the avenues you need to take for the most part to get where you need to go. While it can be challenging to get from one place to another, you won’t miss anything of importance by doing the quest in the wrong order. Pick up the sword before you get the Ahnk? You still find the secret passageway.

The quests are challenging, but can easily be understood. As long as you talk to your helpful side kicks, (Eva for Rick, Meela for Ihmotep), you can figure out what you need to do. They will not steer you wrong. But they may accidentally hit you…as you can them. The quests are also pretty cut and dried, there are no secret or hidden diversions. You get what you came for and move on. However, this does not mean they are easy. Some are extremely challenging. Others, until you figure out where the hidden items are, can be frustrating.

Bottom line, I would definitely encourage gamers who enjoy dark adventures to get this game and play the Mummy. I would encourage those who love Indiana Jones style games to get it and play Rick. Neither one can really go wrong.

Final Grade: B-