Software:SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom

Short description: 2008 action-adventure video game

SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom
North American Wii cover art
Developer(s)	Incinerator Studios (Wii, PlayStation 2) Natsume Co., Ltd. (Nintendo DS)
Publisher(s)	Play THQ
Director(s)	Joel Goodman
Designer(s)	Brian McInerny Joseph Mauke
Programmer(s)	Mike Weldon Timothy Parker
Artist(s)	Jeff Garstecki Terrence Keller Moïse Breton Eric Lin
Composer(s)	Todd Masten
Series	Nicktoons Unite! SpongeBob SquarePants
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Wii
Release	NA: October 20, 2008 AU: October 23, 2008 EU: October 31, 2008
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom is a 2008 video game, sequel to Nicktoons, and the fourth and final installment in the Nicktoons Unite! series. Characters from The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Danny Phantom, SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, and Tak and the Power of Juju appear. This is the only Nicktoons Unite! game to not feature characters from The Fairly OddParents. The original developers of the previous games for consoles, Blue Tongue Entertainment, did not return to create this installment.

Plot

SpongeBob and Squidward's usual walk to work is interrupted when mysterious orange asteroids start raining down on Bikini Bottom. A chunk of goo falls on Squidward, causing him to become a Morphoid. He chases SpongeBob and Patrick until Jimmy Neutron intervenes, and takes them to the Mawgu Lair on Volcano Island. There they meet Danny Phantom, Tak, and the new Evil Syndicate composed of Technus, Beautiful Gorgeous, Tlaloc, and Plankton. Zim and Dib arrive, with Zim joining the heroes, and Dib joining the Syndicate. They make a plan to stop the morphoids and the Wise Old Crab arrives to inform them about the technology in the lair. Jimmy uses the technology to equip everyone with weapons fitting their personality.

The group teleports to Bikini Bottom to free Gary, Squidward, and Patrick from the goo, and defeat Bubble Bass, who grows gigantic and brainwashed after eating a goo-covered Krabby Patty. Bubble Bass vomits a large amount of goo onto SpongeBob, which leads to him intermittently speaking in an evil voice after returning to the lair. The Wise Old Crab informs them that a robotic suit called the Vessel of Portentia is hidden in the Mawgu Lair, and requires four special components to power it up. They then warp to Zim's town, where GIR is playing with the first component of the vessel, becomes corrupted by the goo, and runs off. The group free Ms. Bitters, Gaz, and Professor Membrane, battle GIR at Zim's house to retrieve the component, and more goo falls onto SpongeBob. After returning to the lair, the group discover that the absorption of goo in SpongeBob's body has created a wavelength enabling the leader of the Morphoids to talk through him.

In Amity Park, they free Dash, Tucker, and Jazz, fight a corrupted Ghost Dog at a power plant to retrieve the second vessel piece, and more goo flies onto SpongeBob. Back at the lair, SpongeBob tells everyone that he saw a vision of Globulous Maximus, who is the ruler of the Morphoids. At Retroville, the group free Carl, Cindy, and Sheen, fight Jimmy's girl-eating plant at the mall, and SpongeBob gets covered by even more goo. They retrieve the third piece of the Vessel, and SpongeBob states that Globulous Maximus is only a few light-years away from Earth, preparing to send more gigantic Morphoids to destroy it. Finally, they go to Pupununu Village, free Jibolba and Jeera, find the final component of the vessel, and SpongeBob gets covered in goo again. At the Mawgu Lair, the voice of Globulous informs SpongeBob that he plans to "become him." The team insert the pieces of the Vessel of Portentia and speed to space. They confront and defeat Globulous Maximus, a large asteroid with floating arms and eyes. The Evil Syndicate hijack the Vessel of Portentia and eject the heroes from the robot. Globulous opens up to the heroes, saying that he does not want to be used for evil, and has been destroying their worlds because he was distasteful of his form, and took out his anger on others. Globulous then morphs into a huge, orange, and cycloptic version of SpongeBob.

Depending on the player's actions, one of two endings will occur. The "bad" ending is a cutscene of the Syndicate trapping Globulous in a giant glass jar. This requires a second player taking control of the villains' robot and defeating the first player. In the "good" ending, achieved by beating the final boss, Globulous and the heroes manage to defeat the Vessel of Portentia on the moon, leaving the villains stranded in space. Globulous returns the heroes to Earth, and says that he will right the wrongs in the universe by taking the moniker "SpongeGlob". The heroes bid SpongeGlob farewell as he blasts off into space. SpongeBob lets out a sneeze and the goo finally exits from his body.

Development

The music of Globs of Doom was composed by Todd Masten. Masten noted that the story of the game had a "real 1950's sci-fi feel" and thus incorporated the theremin into many of the game's tracks. Masten based most of the game's music on the existing franchise music, but took several liberties including the use of heavy techno instruments in the scenes of the characters leaving the world and heading into space. Masten worked to give each environment and boss encounter a unique feel to help build suspense and tension. Masten worked 7/4 sections into the main theme to "mix things up a bit". The game's closing theme is a variation of the opening theme played with more modern instrumentation.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 66.40% (DS) 58.83% (Wii) 57.50% (PS2) Metacritic 47/100 (Wii) Review scores Publication Score GameZone 7/10 (Wii) 4.5/10 (PS2) IGN 5.5/10 (Wii)

Globs of Doom received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Louis Bedigian of GameZone described the Wii version as "a button-masher for gamers under 12" and decided that "it won't rock anyone's world, but if you know a kid who loves these Nicktoons characters and enjoys simple, battle-filled games, Globs of Doom is one of SpongeBob's better adventures." Angelina Sandoval, also of GameZone, said that "Globs of Doom could have been that extraordinary kid's title and SpongeBob SquarePants game but it just falls short in almost every way. It's also not a very fun game despite the variety of characters and co-op gameplay. If your young gamer loves all of these characters I highly recommend a rental instead." Adam Ballard of IGN concluded that "Ultimately, it's a subpar SpongeBob game with Nicktoons tacked on for good measure. Suffice it to say that no amount of licensed characters can save this game from its monotonous gameplay and wretched camera."