Charlie's Angels (video game)

Charlie's Angels
PAL region cover art for PlayStation 2
Developer(s)	Neko Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Platform(s)	GameCube PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	PlayStation 2[1] PAL July 4, 2003 GameCube[2] NA July 9, 2003 PAL July 18, 2003
Genre(s)	Action game Beat em up
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen) PEGI: 7+

Charlie's Angels is a third-person action video game released in North America in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube and developed by Neko Entertainment. Featuring the voice talents of film stars Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore, the game is based on the 2000 and 2003 film.

Charlie's Angels follows the continuing adventures of private investigators Alex (Lucy Liu), Dylan (Drew Barrymore) and Natalie (Cameron Diaz) as they attempt to solve the mystery of a series of missing national monuments. The heroines do not use firearms but can utilize blunt weapons and certain environmental objects. The game is notable for being panned by critics and has been regarded as one of the worst video games ever made.

Gameplay

Based in the 3D beat-em-up realm, the game begins on a beach beauty pageant runway. Wearing swimsuits, Natalie and Alex must each individually fight their way from the beach through the community and warehouses to the docks. Joined there by Dylan, the three continue to each fight their way through a series of enemy locations (ships, islands, monasteries, etc.).

The gameplay is very simple, and involves fighting groups of enemies while progressing through the levels. Simply by performing combos, using weapons or fighting barehanded to defeat the enemies, the player will progress through the game. While the player is engaged in a fight, movement to another area is impossible, as invisible walls will block your way. Also, Charlie's Angels features an option to switch from playing one Angel to another. However, this option is not available during a fight, and it is not required to complete the game. Occasionally, one Angel must perform a task such as pressing a switch, pulling a lever, or accessing a computer so that another Angel is allowed to progress. Most levels end when all of the Angels have completed their current objective.

Additionally, unlockables such as trailers and photographs from the movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle can be unlocked by collecting items such as Movies Reels and Memory Sticks, which are hidden in each level.

Reception

Scores
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	24.0% (24 reviews) [3]
Metacritic	23% (21 reviews) [4]
Review scores
Publication	Score
GameSpot	1.9 / 10 [5]
IGN	4.0 / 10 [6]

Charlie's Angels received negative reviews from critics, who cited low quality graphics and bland, repetitive gameplay. From the pinnacle of 2D beat-em-ups, many game developers have had difficulty translating the genre into 3D. It also received the lowest possible score, 1 / 10, from The Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK.

Gametrailers rated it the worst movie game in history.

Reviewers' complaints have included: limited number of available moves for playable characters; unfinished graphics; choppy animation; linear gameplay in each stage imposed by "invisible walls"; a storyline with little bearing on the Charlie's Angels franchise; and getting stuck in doorways.

It also holds the record on GameRankings as the all-time worst video game (of games with at least 20 reviews) with a score of 24.57%.

References

1. ^ PlayStation release information from GameFAQs
2. ^ GameCube release information from GameFAQs
3. ^ "Aggregate score for GameCube at Game Rankings". http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/542019.asp. 
4. ^ "Aggregate score for GameCube at Metacritic". http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/charliesangels. 
5. ^ "GameCube review at GameSpot". http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/charliesangels/review.html. 
6. ^ "GameCube review at IGN". http://cube.ign.com/articles/429/429082p1.html.