On screen, a boss battle was taking place. The action was fast, and frantic. Fred died a lot, but kept respawning over and over. Eventually, he and the boy wore the boss down. After the fight, the game gave them a choice, asking them to predict which in story character was behind the mystery. After this, a long, nicely animated cut scene explained everything. Fred sat back, and handed the controller to Velma. He turned to speak to Daphne.
"Well, the voices are spot on, they really sound like us. I'm not sure about my hairstyle, but whatever. Looks like the laugh track and cheesy jokes are all included too, just like the show." He looked down at his watch. "Wow, we finished an entire mystery already, and we've been here, what, two hours?" he said. Velma nodded.
"Seems pretty short, to me. And the back of the box says there's only four mysteries to solve in all." Velma put down the controller. The man on the couch snored loudly, and began to stir. "I guess you can go back and try it again with different characters, if you wanted. But still, not a lot of game here." The boy giggled as, on screen, Scooby Doo bashed enemies with nunchuck sausage links. "It doesn't bother him, too much, though, does it?"
Finally, the man who had been sleeping sat up. When he saw all the strangers sitting in his living room, he let out a brief cry. "Who are you people? What's going on here?" He grabbed his son protectively. Fred walked over to the man.
"We're here investigating a mystery. We are trying to figure out why you fell asleep playing Scooby Doo First Frights, but the kid is having a great time," he said. The man began to speak, but Fred shushed him. "I think we have it figured out. The game is repetitive. It has a silly story, and the plot makes little sense. The puzzle elements are very basic and there is very little challenge due to the respawn mechanic. Also, the unlockable costumes are just pretty weird. Is that pretty much it?" Fred looked at the man expectantly. He nodded, and his face fell.
Velma spoke up. "You have to remember, sir, that all the things that bugged you about the game are exactly what your son loves! Did you hear him laugh at Scooby in an opera singer's costume?" She stuck out a finger as she scolded the man. "Do you think he cares if it's just a simple beat 'em up? Remember, this game is made for kids, and when it comes to pleasing kids, this game has a lot going for it!"
The man grimaced, and growled, "I might have enjoyed it myself, if it hadn't been for the easy-to-please kids!" Shaggy laughed, and Scooby Doo howled:
"SCOOBY DOOBY DOOOOO!!!"
Verdict
Co-Op Score
The Co-Op Experience: Drop in and out of the single player game as any of the Scooby Doo crew!
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.