Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Burning Earth (Wii) Review

Posted by Cory Lynn Schibler on 12.06.2007

I can bend air... can you?

Welcome to Cory Schibler's first game review for 411! Better yet, it's a licensed game based on a TV show I've never seen a single episode of! Anyway, welcome to my review of



Story
This game is of course based on the Nickleodeon show of the same name. The show takes place in a time where the world is divided into nations by the elements of fire, water, air, and earth. In each area, their are gifted ones named benders with the ability to control the element of their area.

Trouble is, the Fire Nation wants to rule the entire world. That is where our main character Aang comes in. Aang is the Avatar, the chosen one with the ability to master all four elements and bring balance to the world.

This game picks up right where the first game left off, meaning that it follows Book (season) 2 of the show. Book 2 follows Aang and his friends as he searches for a master to teach him the art of earth bending.

Gameplay
So the game plays out like this. You at all times have 2 characters at your disposal, which you can switch between using the + button on your wiimote. Each character in the game has striking attacks and a long distance attack which varies depending on whether your character is a bender.

Striking attacks are used by pressing the B button (and the Z button after you gain the bigger combos). Long distance attacks are performed by holding the wiimote vertically to charge it, then snapping it forward to unleash your attack. You will see an on screen graphic and hear a sound when it is fully charged.

Now onto the characters themselves. Aang of course is your main character, but you can also control water bender Katara, and her older brother; the warrior Sokka. In addition to these two, at various times in the game you also control Momo (a small rabbit, mouse hybrid thing), former enemy Jett(who has hookswords like the ones in Mortal Kombat), Toph the earth bender, and evil Fire Nation enemies Zuku and his uncle.

Each character plays basically the same with not a lot of variation. Katara seems to have a slightly longer reach, as does Jett, but overall everyone is pretty much the same.

Speaking of combat, it can get fairly repetitive as you repeatedly bash/slash through various enemies. However, in boss battles you can sometimes enter the really cool Avatar state. When Aang turns into this...



If you complete a series of button presses, Aang will lay the smackdown on the boss. It's a pretty neat visual and saves the repetitive boss battles.

In addtion to the combat elements, the game contains "puzzles." Now I know this is based on a show on a children's network, but for me (a 21 year old reviewer and major nerd) the puzzles where nothing. However, the developers did make cool use of the various elements and the characters' ability to manipulate those. This includes building ice bridges and putting out fires as Katara, and using Aang's mastery of air to manipulate pipes to raise platforms.

However, there is one thing that lessened my enjoyment of this game tremendously; flying Appa. For those not in the know, Appa is a flying bison and Aang's pet. Think Neverending story, except a bison instead of a dog.


How do you fly this thing!?

At certain points in the story, you are asked to fly said bison. This frickin' sucks! You control him by using the nunchauk as a kinda of joystick and it is very difficult to control this frickin' bison. It really got on my nerves and hopefully in subsequent games they can adjust that.

Another thing that kind of caused problems for me was that the controls seemed finicky at times. Even if you are in mid striking combo, if you move your wiimote upward even slightly(as I sometimes do in the eat of a major battle) it will begin charging your long range attack; this got me hurt more than a few times. Other than that, the developers did a good job with the control scheme and the uniqueness of the wii controls.

Also, you can tackle the game's adventure mode with a friend, or you can duke it out in the battle arena, which will get a lot of work from my brother and I.

Sound
For fans of the show, all of your favorite characters are (seemingly) voiced by their TV counterparts. I watched a few minutes of the TV show after playing to judge the voices and they seem to be by the actual actors. Even if they are sound alikes, the voice acting is good enough for me.

Graphics
The graphics styles is good for this type of game because it matches the visuals of the show fairly well. The player has no control over the camera as it is fixed wherever the game wants it to be at that time. Surprisingly, very rarely did I have problems with the camera and it seemed to be in the right position most of the time.

Lasting Appeal
I haven't had a ton of time to play the game, so the lasting appeal is hard to judge. However, my brother is in the middle of replaying the game, and liked this one so much that he asked me to buy the first one for him for christmas, so I guess that is saying something. The multiplayer mode also lengthens the amount of time this game can be enjoyed.

Fun Factor
I can't help but love this game. The ability to control the elements never gets old for me, and this game lets you do that. However, the repetitive combat can be a bit tedious at times which brings down the fun a bit.

The 411: Overall, I thought that this was a fine licensed game and worth at least a rental, because the game is fairly short. However, I'm sure that fans of the show will be more than satisfied with this latest installment of the Avatar game franchise.

Graphics	7.0	Nothing earth shattering, but fits the visual style of the show well.
Gameplay	6.0	Combat gets a little repetitive and the puzzles are really easy, but I can't help but enjoy the gameplay. Manipulating the elements remains interesting througout the whole game.
Sound	7.0	Sounds effects are fairly limited to grunts and swords clangs mostly, but the voice acting is fairly good and sounds very much like the characters of the show.
Lasting Appeal	6.0	Not a tone of replay value in the adventure mode, but it does have a battle arena which you can play solo or against a pal.
Fun Factor	7.0	I couldn't help but have fun while playing this game. I've always been a sucker for controlling the elements and this game lets you do that. Overall, a lot of fun for everyone.
Overall	6.6   [ Average ]

Screenshots
All 3 Avatar:The Last Airbender-The Burning Earth Screenshots