The Fairly OddParents: Breakin' Da Rules (PS2)

Fairly OddParents: Breakin' Da Rules is a game released in 2003 developed by Helixe and published by THQ, obviously based on the Nickelodeon TV show The Fairly OddParents. This game follows Timmy Turner, whose wish is turned down by his Fairy Godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, because it is against Da Rules, which is the book of rules that these Fairies must abide by when granting wishes. Timmy becomes angrier than usual and wishes that he didn't have to follow the rules, upon which the (dimwitted) Cosmo removes the book's power. However, Timmy's sinister babay sitter Vicky comes along and finds that the book grants her wishes. After being taken to Fairy Court, the three heroes must reclaim the 10 missing pages from Da Rules before Vicky's wishes become too radical.

I got this game a long time ago, in my kindergarten days, I think, because I really liked old Nick cartoons and the game looked fun from what I saw on TV. I very much enjoyed this game the first time through, because it has varied gameplay, loyalty to the series, and fun powerups. These days, though, I don't find much interest in it, because being older than 10, I'm interested more in Nintendo games.

Still, the game is actually very good considering its target audience. The 10 worlds are very different in their own ways, and most, if not all of them are based on previous episodes in the series. In this way, this game is based more on the series than its sequel, which I kind of enjoy and which I think is impressive for the time period.

When I still had a lot of investment in this game, I came back to this game more than once because I really liked some of the worlds, kind of like the video game level very early on, as well as the Yugopotamian level near the end.

It's an interesting way in which you progress through the game. You start out in the overworld of Timmy's house, and you can get unlock certain doors leading to other rooms and more complex worlds by completing a given number of worlds. This makes it so that you can skip a level you don't like as long as you can get the necessary amount of completions to move on to the rest of the house. I really liked this function a lot because it allows you to choose your own path to a certain extent, and shape the way you play the game. This is also a fantastic function for younger kids who won't have to play through a level they are stuck on or dislike.

Plus, you can still make predetermined wishes in the game. This is done by restoring Cosmo and Wanda's power just enough to poof up a gadget or gizmo that, while very strange, can help you along your way. This is done by catching 5 running power stars at certain points in the level, and even then you have to use the powerup properly to make your way.

So in the end, what is it that i think of this game? I'm no longer vested in this game as much as I was, because the graphics aren't great and above all, I've kind of lost interest in the show itself. However, when I still loved the show during the old days, this game was one of my favorites. As such, I'd say if you have a child who is below about...11 or 12, who is also a fan of the show, he or she will really like this game, and it's worth a buy. However, it just doesn't fit older kids' tastes these days, so stick to that age group.