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Pros: Not a port, Goofy levels and bosses, Only slightly less tragic than actually dying
Cons: Sloppy, imprecise combat, Less edgy, Nightmarishly annoying platforming

The son of the reaper has a knack for getting in trouble. Death Jr., or DJ to his freak show friends, wandered into misadventure twice on the PSP. Now, in Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom, the pint-sized soul taker finds himself in dutch on the Nintendo DS. To Konami's credit this is a brand new game and not a port or downgrade from prior PSP games. By the same token, the game still suffers from the same sloppy platforming and combat that has plagued the series since day one. If the game's title wasn't clear enough, this time around experiments go awry, transforming DJ's school into a deathtrap crammed with ticked off monsters, precarious platforms and oozing toxic waste. Our hero, with the aid of his goth girlfriend Pandora, has to traverse the tripped-out halls of his alma mater to free his classmates, regain control of his father's scythe and set things right.

Swing and a Miss

As usual, Death Jr's scythe attacks are unwieldy. The game requires a ton of precision jumping, but it's just not tuned sharply enough. And the levels are designed so that failure forces players to retrace tons of familiar ground. New touch screen controls have been added, but they're less reliable and nearly useless if you're left handed. The most interesting new addition is the ability to switch to Pandora's spirit form and see platforms and switches that aren't usually visible. But even this twist comes off half baked. Pandora's biggest job is soul collecting, which requires players to point and touch colored orbs, then shoot them at Death Jr. to regain health. The concept is unique, but it's quite a bit of busy work to suffer through for a smidgen of health.

Attitude Adjustment

Perhaps the biggest news is that the game's language has been toned down. In the prior two games DJ and his friends were foul-mouthed, anti-social and immature, like a bunch of Invader Zim fans, but better looking. This game has a more kid-centric rating and doesn't contain half as much blasphemy as the older outings. There aren't any animated cut scenes and most of the story is told in text, so it makes sense that some of the game's edgier themes aren't as evident. What still remains is the game's quirky level design. Backgrounds are made of waffles. Toasters and roasted chickens double as enemies. Goofy levels were always the best part of the series. The over-the-top Hot Topic attitude isn't much of a loss.

Reaper Age: Train Your Soulstealer in Minutes A Day!

Considering the critical drubbing Death Jr. has taken it's a miracle that his mis-adventures have seen three incarnations. With the wild popularity of the Nintendo DS and the game's slightly more family-friendly attitude Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom could be the game that finds our little bonehead a wider audience. But his rehabilitation is only halfway complete. His dirty mouth has been washed out with soap. The next step is to send this kid to the gym. With moves as refined as Mario's this little hellraiser could be dangerous.

Article by: Gus Mastrapa