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Following in the footsteps of monster-centric games like Pokemon, Monster Rancher, Magic Pengel, and (for you old-school types) Mail Order Monsters, Sega's Amazing Island is the latest title to put you in command of fantastical creatures. Does this GameCube-exclusive release live up to its name?

Fight Evil By Pressing 'A' Really Fast

Amazing Island is essentially three separate game components shoehorned into one package, with the result ending up as less than the sum of its parts. First off, you have the hackneyed, so-called storyline of a young boy or girl (neither of which matches the dude on the cover) tasked with saving a civilization from evil, this time called black evil. Creative, isn't it? Then you have the interesting monster creation system, in which you eventually have nearly limitless control over what type of creature you want to create. And finally, there's the actual gameplay, which disappointingly consists of just over a couple dozen minigames.

The problem is, the concept of fighting evil by competing in athletic minigames doesn't make sense, the monster creation doesn't affect your performance enough in the minigames, and the games themselves aren't good enough to make you forgive all of the above.

Monster Making

Initially, you're able to create a creature only by answering weird multiple choice questions such as “What do you want to drink when you are thirsty?” and “What would you like to dream about tonight?” But after completing the first set of minigames, you're able to draw one yourself. That's right, draw. After you pick a base frame to build on, you actually get to draw the shape of your monster's head, torso, arms and legs. Then you can choose from a large assortment of accessories, such as sneakers, bolts, wings, and horns to finish off your creation. Though you're only able to partner with one monster at a time, you can save extras and bring them back whenever you wish.

Games That Are Tiny

The minigames range in difficulty from easy all the way to, well, not quite easy. Amazing Island is clearly aimed at the younger generation, and while there is some necessity for hand-eye coordination and simple thinking skills, many of the games rely on tried-and-true button mashing. Examples include water hopping, shooting hoops, and playing a Pong-like game against a boss.

If you do well in individual minigames you gain such things as power-enhancing potions and patterns with which to decorate your monster. And completing an entire course unlocks new drawing abilities in the monster creation process. The money you earn in events can be spent at various shops to purchase new accessories to outfit your monster, but this brings up the problem of the game's extreme vagueness when it comes to displaying what tangible effect these add-ons actually have.

Finally, the monsters you create can also be used to play a card battle game on the Game Boy Advance using the transfer cable. Up to four players can compete, as long as each has their own GBA. As is the case with most GameCube-to-GBA features, it's scarcely worth the effort to hook everything up, and it's too bad the developer didn't include the card battle in the main game itself rather than exiling it to a format where most players will never get to see it.

Creature Competition

Amazing Island is the sort of game that lies tantalizingly close to the edge of coolness, yet remains firmly on the side of mediocrity. If nothing else, it gets your imagination going thinking of all the ways the game could've been improved. For instance, it would've been better off following the lead of Monster Rancher and allowing you to form a more personal bond with your monster by actually raising it. While the process of creating your monster is fun, the lack of growth and evolution afterwards is disappointing. How about ditching the tired, nearly nonexistent plot and instead put the focus on creating and training a creature to become the champion of a huge, galaxy-wide monster Olympics? As lame as that sounds, it still would be better than what we got.

Perhaps the least notable aspect of Amazing Island is its visuals, which neither offend nor impress. The environments are simple and colorful, and apart from the monsters themselves, the characters are rather basic. The soundtrack follows suit with bouncy, repetitive tracks that play underneath the simplistic grunts, chirps, and yells from your monsters.

Voted Off the Island

Despite Amazing Island's core problems and lack of focus, it's notable for its enjoyable creation mode and good-hearted nature. This should make it appealing to parents looking for an alterative to the violence-ridden games their kids are clamoring for. But those same kids are also familiar with more complex games like Pokemon and Monster Rancher and will probably be ultimately disappointed by the simplicity and shallowness of Amazing Island.