Popeye: Rush for Spinach (Game Boy Advance)

CNET editors' rating: 2.0 stars Mediocre
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Overall score: 4.2 (2.0 stars)
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Product summary

Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Frank Provo
• Reviewed on: 05/25/2005
• Updated on:05/17/2006
• Released on: 04/24/2005

Popeye: Rush for Spinach is an unsuccessful attempt to combine two disparate genres--racing and platforming--together into a single game. The graphics are slick enough, to the point that some people may be lulled into buying the game for themselves or their kids just from looking at the back of the box, but beyond that aspect, this game is an absolute disappointment.

The graphics are sharp, but the game isn't any fun.

The easiest way to describe Rush for Spinach is to say that it's a side-scrolling platformer that has been transformed into a racing game. After deciding whether to play as Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, or Bluto, you're tossed into a level that's not unlike the levels you'd find in a Mario or Sonic game. You have to work your way back and forth to locate the end of the level and deal with obstacles such as spike pits and switches along the way. The difference here is that there are also three other characters on your tail trying to do the same thing. So now, in addition to just finishing the level, you have to finish first to move on to the next one. Power-up items, such as spinach and curses, can give you a boost of speed or slow down your nearest opponent. The chicken curse is particularly amusing. It transforms one of your opponents into a chicken. There are also vehicle-type items, such as pogo sticks, cars, boats, and magical capes, that can help you move faster or bypass hazards more easily.

It all sounds good in theory, but the combination of the genres just doesn't work here. The side-scrolling viewpoint is too cramped to give you a good view of the level. You can see only whatever is half a screen in front of or behind your character at any given moment, which often leads to nasty surprises. This also gives the CPU an unfair advantage right out of the gate, because it already knows where all of the traps and pitfalls are. The game's platforming aspects, meanwhile, are hampered by what its racing aspects bring to the table. CPU opponents are constantly on your tail, which means you never really get a chance to explore levels or scout ahead for traps.

The game's platforming aspects are also woefully underdeveloped. Only a couple of the game's 12 levels require any backtracking at all. Most levels are just long stretches filled with surprise traps that ensure you'll need to attempt each race multiple times before developing the rote memorization necessary to win it. Occasionally, you'll come across a ramp that leads to a shortcut, or you'll smack into a door that will require you to backtrack and activate a switch to open it, but these clever features are rare compared to the constant litany of spike pits and lava pools. Interactions with your opponents are also fairly limited. Besides a grab move, which works only if an opponent is right in front of you, the only way to slow your opponents down is to activate power-up items. That's nice, but they target only the nearest opponent, and the effects are extremely short-lived.

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