Alex Rider: Stormbreaker

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker
North American DS box art
Developer(s)	Razorback Developments (Game Boy Advance) Altron (Nintendo DS)
Publisher(s)	THQ
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance
Release date(s)	July 7, 2006
Genre(s)	Third-Person Action- Adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker is a video game based on the 2006 film Stormbreaker, which in turn was an adaptation of the original novel. It was released on 7 July 2006 in UK, and 25 September 2006 in the U.S.A.^[1] It is only available for the Nintendo DS and the Game Boy Advance.

Gameplay

Stormbreaker is an overhead action and stealth game, where players take control of Alex (and once, his uncle Ian) in several missions. Alex gains several gadgets over the course of the game, which are integral to mission completion. Also included is an array of minigames by weapon inventor Smithers. There is also an MI6 training camp mode for players to test out their skills.

Storyline

The in-game story is related via mission briefings from head MI6 officials, Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones. The game begins with the player controlling Ian Rider, Alex's uncle, who must escape Herod Sayle's mansion and dodge enemy motorists in order to safely return to MI6. At the time, he was investigating Sayle's suspicious "Stormbreaker" computer, which he planned to give to every school in Britain. Ian dies, and Alex finds out that he was a spy. He is contacted by MI6, and tasked with Ian's incomplete mission.

Reception

The game was criticized by many gaming sites and magazines, with Pocket Gamer writing that it “just isn't good enough.”^[2] Review aggregator Metacritic lists the game's rating at 48 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, with Nintendo Power commenting that the “basic gameplay is flawed in every way.”^[3] IGN gave it a 'poor' rating of 4.0/10, stating “this game just isn't good.”^[4]

References