Developer: Avalanche Software Publisher: THQ

Released: November 8, 2000 Rated: E 4/10

The iconic Nickelodeon babies are off to EuroReptarland for their second full-length feature. If you’re not a fan of this early and long-running Nicktoons series, this is your early warning to get off the ride now. Unsurprisingly, this mini-game collection from Avalanche and THQ is rife with the baby talk and the previously-unusable sound fonts on the Casio keyboard that Mark Mothersbaugh distinguished the cartoons with. That should be obvious, I know, but there’s to be no digging for hidden gems here. On the other hand, if you’re a fan of the show, or have any nostalgia for it, you could do a lot worse, though it’s that nostalgia that will be called upon fairly often to ferry you through weaker items out of the mixed bag of mini-games and the oversized amusement park that interconnects them. 

It’s tough to look back at Rugrats in Paris and not compare it to the much-beloved Rugrats: Search for Reptar, even though that game was released only for PlayStation two years earlier. The central hub world of the Pickles’ house found in Search for Reptar a la Peach’s Castle or Gruntilda’s Lair served its purpose well by leading into unique missions based on episodes of the show, each with various mechanics. This is a similar format we have via EuroReptarland in Rugrats in Paris, though the execution is much poorer. Not only is the park overall just too large, and not as interesting or familiar as the Pickles’ home, but there often feels like there’s just too much empty space in between the attractions that make up the gameplay this time around. Choosing your cast member out of the classic Tommy, Chuckie, Lil, Phil, Angelica, or newcomer Kimi, and waddling around the park collecting tickets and playing mini-games is unfortunately pretty dull. You’ll be hearing your baby spout off the same couple lines ad nauseum, and can’t even swap out characters on the same file just to hear something different for a bit – obviously there’s no gameplay difference, sure, but there’s no real reason not to get a visual change here and there when you need one.

Once you get to where you want to go, be it the baseball-tossing mini-game by the entrance or the mini-golf course in the aptly-named Golf Park area of EuroReptarland, you’ll play a short activity that’s about as simple as the ones you’ll find in Mario Party, though typically a fair bit longer or having multiple levels of challenge needed to clear them. This will award you the main collectible of the game, a golden ticket, 16 of which are needed to access the final section, a fight between Reptar and his nemesis, RoboSnail, which you’ll engage in via a radio-control helmet to guide the big mechanical Reptar around. Although it’s important to remember that, while not an “early childhood” title like those starring Elmo or Tigger, we’re still playing a game made for young children, and I can both attest now and speak from experience that the target audience can definitely get some enjoyment out of most of these activities. While they may overstay their welcome and are pretty hit-or-miss from game to game, I struggle to say that they’re wholly bad. More that they’re, as a whole, underwhelming, both in number and complexity, especially, again, compared to Search for Reptar.

THQ’s offerings in the realm of Nickelodeon properties, both in this generation and going forward, have a particular look to them that is somewhat in the realms of the uncanny, but I feel is more the result of the properties their developers are given to work with, rather than a true shortcoming of art design or modeling. Anyone who remembers the sixth-generation Spongebob titles like Battle for Bikini Bottom and Revenge of the Flying Dutchman can understand the hurdles of that 2D animation to 3D modeling transition. Rugrats in Paris is pretty respectable in how it portrays the main cast, and probably even looks a bit better than the big, googly-eyed models of Rugrats Scavenger Hunt. Sound design is about as good as you typically find the Rugrats’ signature timbre and soundset to be, though it’s a bit disappointing to see that Avalanche had access to Factor 5’s audio compression software and couldn’t manage to snag a bigger set of voice clips to play on your strolls through Ooey-Gooey World and Reptar Island.

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie is another in the small set of truly children-oriented games on the N64, a system often seen as one for a younger audience, even though it was the PlayStation that offered a lot more quick cash-grab licensed titles due to its massive library. With that in mind, it feels like you could do a lot worse than Rugrats in Paris if that’s the type of game you’re looking for. It’s easy to pick up and understand for a younger generation without being pandering and still feeling like a proper game, and fans of the series can get some decently heavy lifting out of their nostalgia to get them through the game’s short and simple campaign.

Continuing Legacy

Rugrats video games would continue for a few more years, until the show ended its 13-year run in 2004. A few GameBoy Advance titles and another console release, Royal Ransom, for the PS2 and GameCube would accompany the last few seasons of the show while Nickelodeon transitioned between eras. Rugrats’ phenomenal legacy for the network, however, would ensure its place being featured in numerous Nick ensemble video games. Characters from the show have been featured in each of these titles, from Attack of the Toybots in 2007 to the modern era, where Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and Nickelodeon Kart Racers each have multiple entries in their respective series.

Additional Information

Saves: Controller Pak

Compatible With: None

Players: 1-4 (Alternating)

Print Guides: Prima

Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 69.50%, based on 4 reviews

Other Releases: EU, March 30, 2001

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