“The Fairly Odd Parents:  Breakin’ Da Rules” is THQ’s latest game using the Nickelodeon license, based on the popular T.V. show, and it turns out that it is a “Fairly” decent game.  The story behind the game plays out like an extended episode of the show following the exploits of Timmy Turner and his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, as they attempt to regain possession of “Da Rules” fairy book from Timmy’s evil babysitter Vicky.  With the book in her possession, Vicky unknowingly has the powers to make wishes come true, setting the stage for the various levels and missions in the game.

The levels of the game seemingly span the entire universe of the show, from Timmy’s house all the way to Chincinnati, the home of Timmy’s favorite comic book character, The Crimson Chin, where Timmy plays the Chin’s sidekick, Cleft the Boy Wonder.  Anyone familiar with the show will immediately recognize the settings, as well as the characters.

The gameplay is fairly straightforward, and is exactly what one would expect from a game of this nature.  It’s heavy on platforming, item collecting, and it even throws in a degree of light stealth gameplay, which is actually handled pretty well.  About the only complaint with the gameplay is that the jumping is a little “stiff” feeling, and initially it can be difficult to gauge distance and height, but with a little patience and perseverance, it doesn’t pose that big of a problem and you’ll get to where you don’t even think about it anymore.

The graphics are actually nice, if not a little drab and sparse in places.  The developer has done a commendable job with the “cell shaded” look of the graphics, perfectly capturing the look and feel of the show.  As mentioned earlier, the environments are a bit sparse, but then again, so are most of the environments in cartoons, so the developer shouldn’t be faulted too much.  In some levels, dark blues and grays are used a little too extensively making the environments, and therefore the game, feel a bit too cold and dark, rather than capturing the light-hearted feel of most of the episodes.

The audio of the game is also well done, using the voice actors from the show, which really adds to the sense that you are playing in and through an episode of the television show.  The music and sound effects are also used effectively, further helping with the immersion into this cartoon universe.

Something that the developers did do differently, that should really be commended and copied to great lengths with not only games of this kind, but with every game, is that they threw in a nice selection of extras for fans of the material.  Included with this game are various clips from the show, an interview with the creator of the show, and best of all, they’ve included an entire, exclusive episode of the show.  When developers add things such as these, it goes quite a way in showing that they not only cared about the material, but also the gamer.

In closing, while you’re enjoyment of the game is going to be tied directly to whether you’re a fan of the show or not, it is a solid platformer, that does an admirable job of conveying the feel and look of the show.

Gameplay: 7.0 

Strictly by the book platforming mechanics, with a dash of stealth thrown in for good measure.  The jumping takes a bit of getting used to, but in the end, everything ultimately works, as it should.

Graphics: 7.0 

The graphics do a good job of recreating the look of the show and the characters.  The game has a nice, clean look about it, but some of the environments could have used a little more life.

Sound: 7.0

Using the voice actors from the show really helps.  The music and the sound effects are exactly what you would expect from this show or any cartoon for that matter.

Difficulty:  EASY 

It is a game based on a children’s television show, made for the kids that are fans of the show, and the game’s difficulty reflects this.  While experienced gamers will blow through the game with little or no trouble, the difficulty seems tuned particularly well for younger kids.  Just enough challenge, without making the kids frustrated.

Concept: 6.0 

The developer really didn’t take any chances with this game and there’s nothing particularly innovative about the game itself, other than the fact that they did a good job with recreating the show in videogame form.  The extras that are included however, are a nice bonus.

Overall: 7.0

I almost feel as if I should give this game two different scores, one for fans of the show, and one for those who aren’t.  You’re enjoyment of the game is going to be based on your enjoyment of the show; there’s not two ways about that.  But if you stripped away the license and replaced it with “generic” videogame characters and story, you’d find a solid, “Fairly” enjoyable platformer that sticks strictly to formula laid by those games before it.