Published by: Warner Bros. Games
Developed by: Sensory Sweep
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Rated: E (Everyone)
Release Date: October 31, 2006
Written by: Noel Del Pilar






Tom and Jerry is a classic cartoon that countless adults and teenagers grew up on. The basis for the cartoon was a cat (Tom) chasing a mouse (Jerry) all around. Throughout each cartoon, there was a lot of animated violence like Jerry hitting Tom with a hammer on his foot, or even a bowling ball falling on Tom's head. Another notable characteristic was the fact that neither one of them had voice-overs with the exceptions of either screaming or laughing. But when you think of the videogame franchise, there wasn't that much success. To this date, there have been a handful of Tom and Jerry titles released, which all saw mediocre success throughout the years. But with a new generation consoles/handhelds out, there are new possibilities made available in recreating the animated genius behind each cartoon.

In Tom and Jerry Tales, you control Jerry as you try to make your escape from Tom's evil grasp. Throughout each level, there are several obstacles in Tom's way including old cheese, spikes, water drinks, mouse traps, etc. There are even a few instances where the touch-screen build within the Nintendo DS is used. An example of the touch screen capabilities would be when you have to saw a table i half. Using the stylus or your finger, you would rub against the screen in a left right motion until the table broke. With each touch screen ability successfully complete, you activate traps that either slow down Tom or prevent him from capturing you for the time being.



While these touch-screen games add tot he depth of the title, they are often unresponsive or require you to complete the given task as soon as it appears on the screen. An example of this would be during one of the games, you have to particular circles in a given order on the screen as they turn green. Te problem with this is that they change colors really quickly, making it hard to remember which ones changed colors.

In regards to the visuals, Tom and Jerry Tales looks pretty good for a DS title. The game boast some interesting cell-shaded visuals that mimic the cartoons. On the downside, considering what the DS is capable of, the developing team could of at least replicated the visuals seen within the cartoon perfectly. We have games like Trace Memory, Final Fantasy III, and even The New Super Mario Bros. that push the envelope of what the handheld could do, while it seems that they didn't really care all that much about the presentation of this title.

Seeing how there isn't any voice-overs to speak of really, there's nothing to the audio side of this title. The musical score can get rather repetitive, but if you can put up with the cartoon's score, then you should be able to hang in the game. On the plus side, the sound effects are on target with that of the cartoon, which makes the game a little more appealing.



The single-player version of this title is rather short, beatable within a hours time. But there are a few extra modes within the title, that add to the overall feel and lasing quality of the title. In the Timed Mode, you control Jerry as you run through a given room dodging various obstacles that could slow you down. Within Speed Mode, you strap a jetpack to Jerry's back and fly through various rings. The object of this mode is to collect as many points as possible. Finally, within the Break Mode, you must control Jerry via the touch screen and toss pieces of cheese at various objects around the house. The downside to these modes ties into the single-player mode. The action moves along rails, allowing you only to move Jerry left and right, and jump up and down.

Overall, Tom and Jerry Tales brings some interesting ideas to the table in recreating the franchise, but fails at capturing the cartoon's true appeal. There are times when the touch screen isn't as responsive as you like, which can be rather annoying. For the youth out there, this could be a title that they would enjoy, but for those gamers who grew up on the cartoon, this title isn't a worthy opponent for you to compete against.

6/10

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