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by TheDCD on 05.23.11  SpongeBob SquarePants is an addiction that’s beyond description. Not only do kids love the antics of SpongeBob and his friends, but several adults get into it as well. That’s why it’s a safe bet that THQ will make money from SpongeBob SquigglePants, its latest game for the Wii. There’s a catch this time around, though — it’s built specifically for the uDraw Tablet accessory. That’s kind of a bummer, considering that most of the previously released SpongeBob games work just fine with the Wii remote. But if you own the tablet and seek out something moderately enjoyable for it, you could do worse than SpongeBob. On the other hand, though, the quintessential gaming experience for the talking sponge, this ain’t. This isn’t really so much of a fully loaded game as it is an interactive exercise that works with the uDraw tablet. Most of it is made up of minigames that look and react in a familiar manner — they’re inspired by the WarioWare games. You’ll complete as many as possible, moving on successfully with each victory or losing a life point with each one you fail. From there, you’ll unlock new minigames, as well as unlockable SpongeBob artwork that you can play around with and color in however you please. So, yeah, it runs by the basics. Some of the minigames are good, but hardly original, as most of them look like they were lifted straight from Wario’s bank. Fans will still appreciate them, however, and giggle like mad when Patrick the starfish gleefully jumps around. The other minigames are all right, mostly inspired by older arcade hits like Asteroids and Frogger and featuring some interactive tilting exercises, but they get old really quick, and there’s not much to go back to once you unlock everything in the gallery. It would’ve been nice to have more minigames to open up, or perhaps even have the option of creating your own. The presentation looks sharp, with plenty of familiarity from the SpongeBob universe and humorous animations. The music’s not bad either. However, THQ kind of hammers the point home with the game’s live-action host, Patchy the Pirate. Upon introduction, he’s pretty funny, but it’s a matter of minutes before he starts wearing out his welcome. You almost wish Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa would knock him on the head and take his place. Sadly, it doesn’t happen. Although SpongeBob SquigglePants is far from a failure, the fact that it’s uDraw exclusive and somewhat limited in the long run doesn’t help. Some of the minigames entertain, and the presentation is somewhat better than expected, but kids will probably get tired of this within a matter of hours, then go back to the uDraw Studio game included with the tablet. Plus, Patchy ... sorry, man, you gotta go.
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