Code Lyoko

Code Lyoko is a action-roleplaying game based on the French animated television series Code Lyoko,developed by DC studios and published by The Game Factory.

Why It Isn't Stronger After All

 * 1) Adventure levels drag on and they're too straightforward.
 * 2) Unless players are familiar with the show, the story will seem choppy and confusing.
 * 3) Combat in the action levels consists of repetitive button-mashing.
 * 4) The simplistic puzzle and vehicle segments feel cheap and tacked on.
 * 5) The puzzles are straightforward.
 * 6) The game runs at a sluggish pace.
 * 7) No voice acting during cutscenes.
 * 8) After you've gone back and forth between the real world and Lyoko a couple times, the allure of the different art styles wears off.
 * 9) You'll start to realize that the game is constantly holding your hand and asking you to repeatedly do the same things.
 * 10) After you destroy the tower in Lyoko, the game just jumps to the next chapter.
 * 11) The pace in the real-world portions is slow with zero mystery because the map always shows you exactly where to go and what areas to search.
 * 12) Going from point A to point B and various points in between just to see a couple lines of dialogue gets old fast, especially when every subsequent story segment takes longer to play out than the one before.
 * 13) The 3D levels suffer from a sometimes wonky camera that can't be controlled. It turns when the path does, sometimes causing the character to list to the side, and on the many narrow pathways this is a dangerous thing. It's especially awkward when players have to backtrack as the camera doesn't often move behind the character so players are running blind.
 * 14) There are some tricky sections involving moving platforms which are unfortunately the only lively aspect of the 3D levels.
 * 15) Moving left on the game screen is up on the map, which is incredibly frustrating.
 * 16) Aside from the battling, the rest of Lyoko is pretty linear and tame. The levels are giant floating platforms, and there is usually only one way to go. Any path that diverges just takes the player to some items. Lyoko is a cool world, and exploring it would have been fun. Instead players are forced to follow the one path to the end of the tower.
 * 17) Enemies spawn at predictable intervals and generally just sit there while you carve them up.
 * 18) Occasionally, you'll find yourself blocked by an obstacle that necessitates the use of a specific character's ability which is a nice gimmick, but going back to a checkpoint for no reason other than to change characters just so you can run fast, lift a tree stump, or climb up a hill seems like a big waste of time.
 * 19) The game tries to mix things up with touch-screen puzzles and a few vehicle-based levels. However, they're way too easy and also come across as a waste of time.
 * 20) It takes about ten hours to get through roughly 40 levels and 15 chapters while the game holds your hand the whole way through.
 * 21) Younger players probably won't mind the repetition and hand-holding, but if you're old enough to be surfing the Internet to research, you're probably too old to enjoy what the Nintendo DS's rendition of the first Code Lyoko video game has to offer.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) Interesting mix of point-and-click adventuring and fighting action.
 * 2) The hand-drawn artwork in 2D levels is beautifully detailed.
 * 3) The 3D levels look sharp.