Over the summer I bought Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion on 3DS and wrote a blog about it. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the game very much. What a difference a few months and a bigger console makes because the “XL” version of the same game is VASTLY improved over the original. It may not be the perfect Smash Bros. clone, but is good for tiding over until the next big game, and should please fans of Cartoon Network’s animated programs (360 version reviewed here).

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL is a fighting game for up to four players. Choose from dozens of your favorite Cartoon Network stars from shows like Ben 10, Chowder, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Samurai Jack, PowerPuff Girls, and many more. Punch, kick, and use special moves to knock other players off of the screen in various wacky arenas.

To call this game a Super Smash Bros. clone is an understatement. It’s a shameless rip-off, and not near as good, but there is still a lot of content and fun to be had if you give it a chance. Each toon has regular punches and kicks as well as special attacks depending on which button you push and which direction you hold the analog stick. You can even get a third ‘jump’ by pressing up and the special attack button, just like another game we all know. So if you’ve played a Smash Bros. game, you’ll be able to jump right into this one. By collecting cubes that fall out of other fighters, you can fill up a Punch Time Explosion meter. When it’s full, you can unleash that characters super special attack.

Periodically, items will appear that you can pick up. Some act as weapons, others are throwable items, while others are foodstuffs that refill your health. Sometimes, Cartoon Network emblems appear that act like the Assist Trophies from SSB: Brawl. Pick these up and a non-playable toon will come out and help you fight for a short while. New to XL are ‘Synergy Assists.’ Depending on what character pops out of the emblems you pick up and what toon you are using, you could uncover a new special attack. For instance, if you are playing as Chowder and Madame Foster comes out of the assist emblem, she’ll make a big plate of cookies for Chowder to wolf down. Then he’ll get super fat and Madame Foster will balance on top of him and roll over everyone else in sight! There are tons of crazy team-ups like this, and finding them is half the fun!

There is a Story Mode that two people can play together in co-op that mixes the battles with light platforming and other arcade game challenges as the Cartoon Network heroes defeat the bad guys who are messing up everyone’s worlds. You can also try Battle Mode and fight in arenas with up to four players. Check out your records in the Vault and buy new characters, stages, and other goodies with points you earn by playing the other modes.

While battling on the bigger screen with improved graphics and gameplay is much better here than on the 3DS version, Punch Time Explosion XL still has a few problems. The controls are still very floaty and characters don’t feel like they have any weight to them. And the presentation feels a bit glitchy and unprofessional. Of course I could nitpick and complain that they STILL didn’t add any characters from “The Regular Show” (my current favorite CN show). But other than that, I think the game will still please fans of Cartoon Network and Super Smash Bros. alike.

Kid Factor:

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Animated Blood, Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor, and Tobacco Reference. It’s a cartoon fighting game, so of course there is violence. Not really sure where the animated blood is, but one character does attack with burps and another has a pipe, so that’s where the Crude Humor and Tobacco Reference comes in. Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, but if you’re OK with letting your kids watch anything on Cartoon Network, they’ll be OK here, too. I’d let any age play this, myself.

In the comments section, let me know what YOUR favorite Cartoon Network shows are. Mine are Dexter’s Lab, PowerPuff Girls, Samurai Jack, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and The Regular Show.

Tags: Game Reviews