Scooby-Doo! Unmasked Review

By Ellie Gibson Published 13 December, 2005

Yikes! It's another platformer, Scoob!

Version tested: PlayStation 2

More than 35 years after Scooby and the gang first appeared on our screens, it seems that kids can't get enough of the doggy detective and his chums. And now they're back in yet another platforming adventure that, although formulaic, is sure to keep younger Scooby fans entertained this Christmas.

The game sees you playing as Scooby as he and the gang embark on a quest to locate Jed, the brother of Fred, who's been accused of a crime he didn't commit. Cue lots of running, lots of jumping, all manner of switch pulling and, naturally, billions of items to collect.

So it's much like all the other Scooby-Doo videogame tie-ins, in other words - but there are a few twists. Scooby can now don a variety of costumes which give him special powers - the kung fu outfit lets him pull off karate chops, while the bat costume lets him glide about the place and the Robin Hood costume comes complete with a bow and arrows. Well, a bow and sink plungers - it is for kids after all.

Run, jump, repeat

The costumes don't come into play that often, however - for the most part, you're tasked with endlessly jumping over gaps, climbing ladders, swinging on ropes and so on. There's a bit of combat to be done and a few bosses to face off with, but none of them will give you too much trouble.

As a result of all this the game does feel rather repetitive and there's certainly nothing new here, but it still offers a treat for younger Scooby lovers thanks to decent production values. The animations are fluid, the environments are nicely rendered and there are plenty of lengthy cut-scenes, featuring the voices of the cartoon cast and old days Batman Adam West. Plus, of course, the famous theme tune is present and correct.

The storyline should keep kids entertained, too. There are plenty of twists, turns and cheesy old jokes, and even a bit of canned laughter here and there, just like in the TV show. Arguably, the funniest part of the game is Scooby's ass-dragging combat move, which has clearly been inspired by the way real live dogs enjoy wiping themselves clean on living room carpets. Nice.

Toon time

In short, it does feel like you're playing an extra long episode of the cartoon, and despite the repetition, the game is fun to play through: in fact the familiar mechanics might well be a good thing for young kids. The controls are simple to use and forgiving, and you won't be punished for missing a jump by a single pixel or anything like that. It's a game that kids will find it easy to navigate their way through levels and work out what their next objective is, so at least you'll be spared too much nagging at being asked what to do next!

But as a result of this, and the fact that the whole thing doesn't last very long, Scooby-Doo! Unmasked isn't a game that's likely to keep kids occupied for days on end. A reasonably competent gamer, even a very young one, will most likely work their way through the whole thing by the time Boxing Day afternoon rolls round. Still, for the young completist, there are plenty of hidden items to discover, which unlock bonuses like monster profiles and developer artwork.

All in all, Scooby-Doo! Unmasked is nothing special - you won't find many original ideas or much variation between levels here, and it's all over a bit too quickly. But if you're looking to buy a game that will entertain a Scooby fan who just wants to play the cartoon, or a younger gamer who just wants some simple running, jumping and collecting to get on with, this will do the trick.

6 / 10

Children's titles are rated out of five to differentiate them from the standard Eurogamer scoring system.

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (53) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • dr_swin #1 6 years ago

    hey guys, give ellie something decent to review. (it's christmas!)

  • therev #2 6 years ago

    A score... out of five? What fresh madness is this?

  • Rociel #3 6 years ago

    Why oh why won't they make a Scooby Doo mystery game rather than a crappy platformer?

  • Talha #4 6 years ago

    I know I will come in for a flak here, but I think Scooby Doo the cartoon plain sucks. It is designed to deprive children of any imagination and acceptance of the supernatural, by doggedly sticking to the notion that every phenomenon in this world is manmade. The stories are so formulaic, by 5 minutes into an episode you can recite the dialogue. The joke of Scooby Doo as the coward-dog-going-commando is STALE and STINKING TO HIGH HEAVEN. A Scooby mystery game sounds like a nice idea, but ultimately it will turn out to be a man in a mask.

    You won't see this repitition and forced lack of imagination in, for example, Bugs Bunny, Dexter, Pink Panther, even the likes of Voltran.

    There. Now I feel better. Scooby fans - no offense, just had to rant.
    Edited by 1 at 13/12/05 @ 09:05

  • ssuellid #5 6 years ago

    therev, games for kids get rated out of 5 - from what was said in the other childrens game review comments the other day.

    Krudster wrote in The Incredibles review comments: -

    "This is the first of a series of kid's focused reviews this week, so we're taking a slightly different approach. It's really for people with kids to suss out whether these so-called kid friendly titles are any good, as opposed to writing about them as an adult and cussing them because they're kiddy! "
    Edited by 1 at 13/12/05 @ 09:06

  • Royal Fool #6 6 years ago

    Talha, have a scooby snack, sit back and relax.

  • Furbs #7 6 years ago

    Rahggy?

  • Xerx3s #8 6 years ago

    Whats up with the 'X out of 5' nonsense?Why trade in the more acurate 'Xout of 10' system for this one? huh? huh? huh? huh? HUH?! ;p

    "It is designed to deprive children of any imagination and acceptance of the supernatural, by doggedly sticking to the notion that every phenomenon in this world is manmade."

    Isnt this more or less the truth? Everything in this universe is set on a basis of rules, this supernatural thing doesnt excist. And if the tiny minds of man cannot comprehend what is going on around them, they deem it as 'mysterious' & 'supernatural'. In reality, it usually comes down to the manipulation of the fears of the masses.

    /hasnt slept in over 24 hours....

  • Talha #9 6 years ago

    @Royal Fool: Thanks man, that feels better.

    @Xerx3s : No sir, that's not the truth actually. Without delving into more contentious issues, I agree that Man has to understand what is going on around him, of course, but that does not mean that explanation has to be a man in a mask every freakin' time. You misunderstood me slightly, I was just criticising the sheer formula, cliche and lack of ambition of the cartoon. Have some sleep. :-)

  • Darren #10 6 years ago

    I think it's bizarre that some games are rated out of 5 and some out of 10. Why this inconsistency? I thought at first handheld games where rated out of 5 and console/PC games out of 10 but the Scooby Doo Unmasked game is a PS2 console game.

    First we have inconsistent review scores (FIFA Street 7/10 and FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup 2/10 anybody?) and now we have the same for the actual rating system!!!

    Either rate out of 5 or out of 10, not a mixture of both because at first I thought that score read 3/10 since the 3 is more prominent than the 5. And are we to believe that this Scooby Doo game is better at 6/10 than the 5/10 rated Kameo? Erm...

  • mrsquare #11 6 years ago

    "Children's titles are rated out of five to differentiate them from the standard Eurogamer scoring system."

    Eyes are useful.

  • Talha #12 6 years ago

    How about this:

    Games for babies - out of 1
    Games for toddlers - out of 3
    Games for pre-teens - out of 5
    Games for teens - out of 7.5
    Games for 19-35 - out of 10
    Games for grannies - out of 12

    Erm, sounded funny when I started writing.
    Edited by 1 at 13/12/05 @ 09:50

  • ralphwolfenstein #13 6 years ago

    It will be a good day for games when THQ fold

    After all, who wants Supreme Commander, Titan Quest, Company of Heroes, MotoGP, Stalker, Dawn of War, Broken Sword or the Outfit...

    Do you want Rockstar to fold because of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? How about Ubisoft - I hear they're doing Crazy Frog?

    Slagging off publishers for trying to make games for kids is just fucking dumb - they're just trying to cater for a market, and a lot of the generic stuff ends up funding the proper hardcore titles' development

    Games aren't just for 'gamers' - I got the Incredibles and scooby for my nephews (9 and 11) and they absolutely love them. I'd rather they played those than GTA - for now at least...



  • reality_cheque #14 6 years ago

    I mean it even says that they're rated out of 5 at the bottom of the review

    I swear some people are here just for the pictures... then again, I suppose that is who this game is aimed at ;)

  • fkh #15 6 years ago

    What about a score out of seven for religious people?

    A score out of twentynine for women who celebrate their twentynine-year birthday for the twelvth year in a row?

    A score out of one for games from Electronic Arts? So they keep sending games?



  • souljah #16 6 years ago

    Talha

    "The stories are so formulaic, by 5 minutes into an episode you can recite the dialogue. The joke of Scooby Doo as the coward-dog-going-commando is STALE and STINKING TO HIGH HEAVEN. A Scooby mystery game sounds like a nice idea, but ultimately it will turn out to be a man in a mask."

    Well, my memories of watching Scooby-Doo as a child are sitting in front of the telly with my smoky bacon flavoured crisps and a glass of orange juice and being rivited with how the ghost with no head actually turns out to be Mr Johnson, the innocent looking fairground owner who wants to bump up property prices by pretending to be a ghost. While looking back retrospectivly your points are valid, through the eyes of a child it it's a fun, bright and exciting cartoon.

  • asphaltcowboy #17 6 years ago

    I think I agree with Ralph - THQ, despite doing gamse like Scooby Doo, have published quite a lot of good games of late, with some really promising ones on the horizon! Looking forward to them! But not Roooby-rooby-rooooooo!

  • Talha #18 6 years ago

    @fkh: You stole the idea from my (unfairly ignored) post. Either acknowledge your despicable thievery or I am suing you for copyright infringement.

    @souljah: As I said earlier, no offense to fans. You see, you had all that glorious stuff while watching Scooby - I bet you had that much fun watching any other cartoon! Yes they are enjoyable, in a warm, everything ends well-and-familiar way - that's what grates actually. Trouble with me is, I still watch cartoons, and while all my childhood favorites hold up (Tom & Jerry in spectacular fashion), this simply doesn't cut it. I guess different strokes for different folks.
    Edited by 1 at 13/12/05 @ 10:40

  • Aretak #19 6 years ago

    And now they're back in yet another platforming adventure that, although formulaic, is sure to keep younger Scooby fans entertained this Christmas.

    You just knew it was heading for 3/5 after that opening...

  • souljah #20 6 years ago

    Talha.

    True, I wouldnt be able to watch a SD cartoon nowadays yet can easily watch Bugs Bunny et al and enjoy them. Damn, I think in a roundabout way I was agreeing with you! If it wasnt for those pesky kids I would have gotten away with it too!

    /takes off mask of disagreement

  • Blerk #21 6 years ago

    Children's titles are rated out of five to differentiate them from the standard Eurogamer scoring system.

    ALL your games should be rated out of five. I have spoken. Make it so.

  • Talha #22 6 years ago

    @souljah > hey come on, your post didn't come accross as disagreement to me - you agreed that my points were valid. Just look at the imaginative way Bugs makes a complete ass of his enemies - physical torture, reverse psychology, claustrophobia, deception... lovvvely.

  • ralphwolfenstein #23 6 years ago

    [/i]ALL your games should be rated out of five. I have spoken. Make it so[/i]

    +1

  • souljah #24 6 years ago

    "Just look at the imaginative way Bugs makes a complete ass of his enemies - physical torture, reverse psychology, claustrophobia, deception... lovvvely. "

    Aye, and its done us adults no harm!

    /takes hamster out of vice

  • Talha #25 6 years ago

    Rather off topic, but I think GameSpot are starting to give EG a run for their money. Just look at this gem of a para from the Land of the Dead review (scored 1.9), posted there today:

    "There is an almost pseudo-brilliance to the sheer awfulness of Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green. Loosely based within the same universe as zombie pioneer George Romero's Land of the Dead film from earlier this year, Road to Fiddler's Green isn't just content to be another completely unplayable movie-to-game translation. It's almost as though the developers wanted to capture the essence of the zombie through each and every aspect of the game. In many ways, it feels like it was once a regular, workaday, full-featured Xbox game that was horribly murdered by zombies, and then resurrected into a shambled, decrepit, undead version of its former self. Every component of this game is slow to react, dumb as a doornail, and basically broken. It shuffles along at a sluggish, depressing pace while pieces of it literally fall apart at the seams. And the only thing going through its figurative mind is the unquenchable instinct to attack and feed on your free time and money. This is either one of the most avant-garde pieces of gaming artistry to ever find its way to the retail market, or the absolute worst game of the year. Actually, it's probably just the latter. "

    Tell me that isn't brilliant.

  • Blerk #26 6 years ago

    Out of five just makes so much more sense. No more hassle figuring out what each mark might mean, just plain and simple:

    1 - Crap
    2 - Below average
    3 - Average
    4 - Good
    5 - Brilliant

    What's not to like?

  • Juriel #27 6 years ago

    I think everything should be rated from 1 to 5. The added differentiation between a 6 and a 7 out of 10 really isn't all that.

  • smelly #28 6 years ago

    I agree with blerk.

    (sarcasm)
    But hey, why not make all games out of 10000. Then we have a greater degree of accuracy, and can see that if one game getts 8912 and another gets 8911, it's easy to see which is superior.
    (end sarcasm)

  • ralphwolfenstein #29 6 years ago

    Anyone remeber ACE magazine?

    out of 1000 - I kid you not

    although they also pioneered the 'PIC' - Predicted Interest Curve

  • reality_cheque #30 6 years ago

    I think if people want to see all games in marks out of 5, then they can half the number adult games get out of 10 in their heads.

    And if people want to see all games have marks out of 10, then they can double the number kiddy games get.

    And if they want the marks out of 100000, then they can multiply the current score by 10000 and then adjust it based on if they like the genre

    Ooooh, it's rocket science. No, wait, it's what people do subconciously when they read a review... ;)
    Edited by 2 at 13/12/05 @ 11:28

  • bunglebonce #31 6 years ago

    Talha:
    - I wholeheartedly agree about how pants the cartoon is. It's pure tripe; chewing gum for the kid's brain. My girlfriend used to work in a Warner Bros shop before that division of the company was closed down, and Scooby's stock, above everything else, always held the biggest area in front of the doors. Everything else came and went, but Scooby's stock would always turn over brilliantly. I just couldn't understand it when I saw it for my own eyes. It's such a crap cartoon, for all the reasons you mentioned.

    But I do love reviews of shocking games. Thanks for the tit-bit.

  • Talha #32 6 years ago

    @bunglebonce : Thanks for seeing the light. Like you, I am at a total loss to explaing the popularity of the cartoon.

    Glad to see you enjoyed the tid bit. Also look up review of 'Big Rigs' on GameSpot, or NRA Varmint Hunter on IGN.

  • Sunrise #33 6 years ago

    But is it better or worse than 50 Cent's one?

  • Talha #34 6 years ago

    50 Cent vs Scooby Doo.

    I know which I hate more, but won't tell. ;-)

  • Zuiyo #35 6 years ago

    Why the different measurement? Why not say the game is 6/10?

    Edit: And how do you exactly define a "kiddie" game? Because it has cartoony characters or because it is very simple in its mechanics? What about then Mario Bros.? Isn't it a kiddie game by those standards? Will all games be revised and their score changed to the "kiddie" 0-5 measurement?
    Edited by 1 at 13/12/05 @ 11:44

  • ralphwolfenstein #36 6 years ago


    If you must have a score out of ten, how about this one - 10/10, from Robert age 9

    Better than Halo? I guess he thought so...

  • Darren #37 6 years ago

    Rating "kid's" games out of 5 over the conventional out-of-10 system is just the silliest idea since giving FIFA 06: RtWC on the 360 2/10. How stupid is it to read reviews on one site that adopts two different methods of scoring their games.

    Shouldn't Kameo have got 2.5/5 then? /wink
    Edited by 1 at 13/12/05 @ 12:13

  • Darren #38 6 years ago

    Furthermore Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness on the GC got 4 out of TEN. Isn't that a kid's game? /confused

  • Darren #39 6 years ago

    ... and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire got 6 out of TEN... /even more confused

  • Darren #40 6 years ago

    ... and Spyro: Shadow Legacy on the Nintendo DS got 4 out of, you guessed it, TEN!!!

    So Eurogamer's definition of a kid's game is anything licensed based on a cartoon apparently... maybe... /confused

  • Furbs #41 6 years ago

    Oh. More comments about the reviewing policy and score with no mention of the words.
    You guys are t3h 1@m3rz

  • Stickman #42 6 years ago

    GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY!!!!

    Must you people rattle on and on about the bloody rating system. I despair, I really do. Just double the bastard score if you're that bothered. Darren, get a fucking grip on yourself you freakshow! Go and be pissing /confused elsewhere. Here's a tip, try halving the scores the other games got, and it gives you a mark out of five. Simple, eh?

    Explain to me what kind of point you're trying to make, please, because I'm just /confused.

  • asphaltcowboy #43 6 years ago

    And for the record, "Yikes! It's another platformer, Scoob!" should read, "Zoinks! It's another platformer, Scoob!"

    Pfft! Get it right! 8)

  • Blerk #44 6 years ago

    I rate these comments 2.486 bananas out of fish.

  • AOFanboi #45 6 years ago

    Bah, let all ratings be fractions of 2π - a full score becomes a full circle!

    Maybe a Chinese XBox 360 will be called "Chiboch 2π"?

  • Carrybagma #46 6 years ago

    Can kids count up to 5 these days?

    Why not make the scale 0->1, with no fractions? Much easier to understand.
    1= Awesome!
    0 = Pants!

    Actually, why not rate all kids games as Awesome! and leave it at that?
    Whose idea was this anyway?

  • reality_cheque #47 6 years ago

    @Carrybagma - if the UK education system is any indication of the rest of the world, I think you 0-1 scale might be too complicated for them.

    You'd have to run the grading with things kids might find cool...

    1 / Rubbish - Your mum cleaning your face with spit outside school
    2 / Bad - Visiting relatives
    3 / OK - Pokemon trading cards
    4 / Good - Sherbert dibdabs
    5 / Awesome - Getting out of Physical Education class

    (please note these are ordered in my head by the imaginary 5yr old that lives there - personally I'd rather sherbet dipdabs higher than getting out of PE, but I'm not a kid anymore sadly)

  • Stickman #48 6 years ago

    I used to love PE! Bet you were the fat kid with the snotty nose....

  • the_dudefather #49 6 years ago

    mmm sherbert dibdabs

    that should be the new rating system, either sherbert dibdabs or onion rings. the reader can then decide which they like more then base their opinion on the game as such

    eg: prince of persia: two thrones

    rating: onion rings

    comment1: i like onion rings, this game rocks!
    comment2: i prefer sherbert, therefore its crap

  • Sunrise #50 6 years ago

    3/5 still beats homework easily.

  • kentmonkey #51 6 years ago

    Darren, if you read Krudsters post from yesterday again you will clearly see that he states that this is something "new" that they are trying, purely because there are a lot of kiddie games released in the run up to Christmas and rather than attacking a game for offering nothing gameplay wise for the general demographic of the reader for this site (assumedly 16-30, Male) they've decided to try and review games to help parents decide whether it is for their kids for xmas or not. That blows your argument out of the window as those games weren't reviewed this week.

    Good idea I think. Not sure that the timings right, it would have been better if they were reviewed a little earlier as I would imagine most presents for kids are bought by now, but that's more likely down to when they got the games, rather than leaving them till now to review.

    Also it might cause a few problems with Gamerankings....err.....rankings, purely because they double whatever they give a game. So if they give a 5 out of 5, a reader of Gamerankings who has never heard of EG might wonder why they gave a kiddy game 10/10. That will either put them off or, most likely, entice them to find out why that was.

    Now, when they hit the review, as there isn't a statement saying that games are usually marked out of 10 but these games are exceptions to that rule, they might still assume that everything is rated 5/5 Therefore perhaps a different mechanism altogether, perhaps 5 thumbs up images or something like that, would remove that potential issue.

    Regardless I think it's a good idea that works well. It gives parents a chance to see if the game is actually any good for the demographic it was aimed for, rather than read a review poking fun at it and reviewing it from the perspective of an adult gamer. Crazy Frog irritates the hell out of most adults, kids love it, therefore it would be harsh for someone reviewing it for a kids perpective to give the song a bad score. This is the same thing really. Although I do think they could have made the new system a little easier to differentiate by using, as I said earlier, a 5/5 graphics system (thumbs up, jaffa cakes, mars bars etc.) might have worked better.

    One thing's for certain though, it's clearly shown up those that don't read the review and automatically assumed, when they jumped down to the score and clicked on make a comment as fast as their little fingers could click, that the game had been reviewed 3/10.
    Edited by 1 at 13/12/05 @ 19:34

  • Flagship #52 6 years ago

    what is the point of even reviewing games like this?

  • squaylor #53 6 years ago

    Also Darren, Fifa RTWC06 scored 2/10 because it's God-awful.