Software:The Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown
| The Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown | |
|---|---|
 North American Windows cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Blitz Games (GC, PS2) Helixe (GBA) ImaginEngine (PC) |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Director(s) | Chris Viggers |
| Producer(s) | Team Cosmo |
| Designer(s) | Lauren Grindrod |
| Programmer(s) | Steve Bond Matthew Hampton Nigel Higgs Philip Palmer |
| Artist(s) | Marc Buckingham Simon Bennett Hayes Heather Calder Nadine Mathias Eoghan Quigley Simon Reed |
| Writer(s) | Chris Bateman Richard Boon |
| Composer(s) | John Guscott Matt Black |
| Series | The Fairly OddParents |
| Engine | BlitzTech |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows Game Boy Advance GameCube PlayStation 2 |
| Release | GameCube & GBA PlayStation 2 & Windows |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown is a 2004 platforming video game released for Microsoft Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Game Boy Advance by THQ. ImaginEngine developed the PC version, Blitz Games developed the console versions, and Helixe developed the Game Boy Advance version. The game is based on the animated series The Fairly OddParents and is the sequel to Software:The Fairly OddParents: Breakin' Da Rules. A version for the Xbox was announced, but never released.[3][4]
Like its predecessor, Shadow Showdown received mixed reviews from critics for its graphics and gameplay. It is the second and last Fairly OddParents video game released on consoles.
Plot
The game starts with Timmy Turner being excited to see a new special season finale episode of one of his favorite shows--Crash Nebula—on TV. However, he finds that his TV stops working just as it premieres, and the only other time it can be seen is a day later when it reruns. He attempts to have Cosmo and Wanda fix it through a wish, but they can't, since their wands aren't working.
The reason for this is that the Royal Jewel, the second most powerful source of fairy magic in existence, has been stolen, meaning that wish-granting powers have been disabled on a massive scale. Timmy goes on a mission to try to find out who stole the Jewel and turn him in, so that all will be returned to normal. The first suspect is Quince, the royal jester in service of Oberon and Titania, rulers of Fairy World, who was recently fired for "not being funny."
After fighting Quince, Timmy has him interrogated by Jorgen von Strangle, but it turns out that Quince did not have the Jewel, and the only way to get it back was by using the magic of the first-most-powerful source of magic: the famous Fairyversary Muffin (first introduced in the Fairly OddParents TV-Movie Abra-Catastrophe!).
To assemble the muffin, Timmy must bake it with magical forms of common cake ingredients, namely super strong hair raising flour, a phoenix egg, pixie sugar, and mooncalf milk. He somehow orders everything using the Internet, but Vicky snatches everything, and the ingredients are scattered in various places, such as in the possession of his parents or of Vicky herself (although the Phoenix Egg was destroyed). With the ingredients compromised, the trio must work to recover everything and put together the muffin before it's too late.
Gameplay
top: Timmy pursuing an Emergency Wish Star in the Fairly Disastrous stage.
bottom: After collecting three Stars, Timmy has wished for the Spade Spray, which can be used to activate certain platforms. Wanda is commenting on the situation.
The gameplay of Shadow Showdown involves traversing through various locales as Timmy Turner. Each level has one end goal, but there are various obstacles and environmental puzzles which must be cleared to proceed. Clearing them usually requires the use of Wishes- abilities specific to each stage. To unlock a wish, Timmy must first chase down and collect three Emergency Wish Stars. Each stage has three Wishes, each with their own set of Emergency Wish Stars, and can be freely swapped between, with stages often requiring players to switch between them to solve puzzles.
At the end of each stage is a boss, which requires the use of one or more Wish obtained in the prior level to defeat. After beating the first full stage, Fairly Disastrous, Timmy will enter Jorgen von Stangle's Base of Operations, a hub world in which all stages are accessed.
Timmy's Fairy Godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, will occasionally appear to provide hints as to what Timmy should do, but can also be called upon manually by the player with the press of a button.
Reception
| Scores | ||||||||||||||
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The PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions both received a score of 61 out of 100 on review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "Mixed or Average Reviews".[9][10]
Juan Castro of IGN rated the game "mediocre" and "It squeaks by with bland, tired game mechanics and graphics that just don't hold up to today's gamer."[13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Adams, David (September 9, 2004). "Fairly OddParents Head to Stores" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/09/fairly-oddparents-head-to-stores.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Updated Australian Release List – 24/10/04". October 24, 2004. http://palgn.com.au/1696/updated-australian-release-list-24-10-04/.
- ↑ "Fairly OddParents Head to Stores". 9 September 2004. https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/09/fairly-oddparents-head-to-stores.
- ↑ "The Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown (GameCube) - E3 2004 Trailer (DVD Rip) 4K60 Upscale". 23 February 2022. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tuMsS72_zIg.
- ↑ "Aggregate score for Windows at Game Rankings". http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/920628.asp.
- ↑ "Aggregate score for PlayStation 2 at Game Rankings". http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/920626.asp.
- ↑ "Aggregate score for GameCube at Game Rankings". http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/920627.asp.
- ↑ "Aggregate score for Game Boy Advance at Game Rankings". http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/920629.asp.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Aggregate score for PlayStation 2 at Metacritic". http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/fairlyoddparentsshadowshowdown.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Aggregate score for GameCube at Metacritic". https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-fairly-oddparents-shadow-showdown/critic-reviews/?platform=gamecube.
- ↑ "PlayStation 2 review at IGN". 8 September 2004. http://ps2.ign.com/articles/545/545386p1.html.
- ↑ "GameCube review at IGN". 8 September 2004. http://cube.ign.com/articles/545/545380p1.html.
- ↑ Castro, Juan (2004-09-08). "Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/08/fairly-oddparents-shadow-showdown.
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