Ben 10 is a popular action animated series on Cartoon Network. It stars Ben, a teenage boy who uses a special wristwatch-like device to transform into all sorts of powerful aliens. Ben uses his abilities to stop intergalactic invaders from taking over Earth. Now your young Ben 10 fans can enjoy three adventures in one with the Ben 10 Triple Pack for Nintendo DS. It features Ben 10: Protector of Earth, Ben 10: Alien Force, and Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks all on one cartridge.

All three games are pretty similar. Each is a 2-D sidescrolling platformer/brawler. Ben can punch and kick robots and aliens, as well as block, roll, and double jump over obstacles. When Ben needs more firepower, you can tap his watch device at the bottom of the screen to transform him into one of his alien forms. Some of his transformations allow Ben to bypass obstacles and solve simple puzzles. One four-armed alien lets him climb certain walls, another lets him absorb fires, while another lets Ben jump super high.

Each game has some slight differences. The first one requires you to recharge your watch shortly after being an alien for a while, although the last two games don’t require you to do that. In Vilgax Attacks, Ben has access to more alien forms right away, too. Probably the most impressive aspect of each game is the fluid animation of the characters.

Really the only problem with this game is that once you start one, you can’t go back to the main menu to try another. You have to restart your DS. And there’s nothing really original about each game. But for young fans who can’t get enough Ben 10, the Triple Pack is a pretty good deal at only 30 bucks, which is about 10 per game. Might be a good idea for those long summer road trips.

Kid Factor:

Ben 10 Triple Pack is rated E for Everyone with ESRB descriptors of Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief. Ben 10 and his alien forms punch and kick other critters and robots, but they only fall over and disappear when defeated. If you’re OK with your kids watching the cartoon, they’ll be OK playing this game, too. Reading skill is helpful for the text instructions, and younger players and less experienced gamers might need help with some of the tougher jumps and obstacles later on.

Tags: Game Reviews