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Good: Generally good presentation, variety of Showdowns

Bad: Almost no difficulty, sloppy controls, lukewarm AI

Almost playable by: people with no hands

Originality doesn't exactly seem to be the forte of kids' games. I feel like every time I start one of these reviews off, I open with whatever game said licensed children's product ripped off and how inferior it is to the original. The fact that Xiaolin Showdown for the PSP rips off two different games is actually commendable in and of itself. It's still inferior to both, but at least it tries.

The two games in question this time are Sega's Power Stone and Nintendo's Super Smash Brothers. Xiaolin's presentation is firmly rooted in the WB cartoon that it's based off of, but its gameplay is stolen almost entirely from those two classics. However, sloppy controls, bad AI, and a pretty much nonexistent level of difficulty keep it from coming close to either.

At the beginning of the adventure, players can choose to play as one of the four main characters from the show: Omi, Kimiko, Clay, and Raimundo. Each of these characters has a unique elemental ability and moves list. In actuality, most of them play pretty similarly, so you can't really go wrong with your selection. Players can also equip their character with up to three Shen Gong Wu, special items that allow you to unleash special attacks in combat. As you progress through the game, you'll unlock more of these items in battles and by purchasing them.

Each level takes place in an interactive arena setting, a la Power Stone. Players can pick up items and throw them at each other, sort of like Smash Brothers. A number of enemies also inhabit the stages, mostly of the robot variety, and every once in a while you'll have to square off against a larger miniboss. The goal on each stage is to collect various scroll pieces in order to advance to the next stage. It's not exactly the most thrilling formula, and most players will tire of it before they reach the end of the adventure.

Periodically, you'll encounter special challenges known as Showdowns. These are actually one the game's more interesting components. Showdowns come in a variety of minigames, including tag, king of the hill, and many others. Most of them are pretty fun, and are often better than the core fighting game.

Things are made worse by the game's sloppy control scheme. In order to effectively attack an opponent, you have to lock onto it using the right shoulder button and the directional pad. This is a lot more of a hassle than it sounds like, as you'll frequently target friendly characters as you try to lock onto the enemy. The game's combo system isn't a whole lot better. Combos are performed by using the square and triangle buttons. However, for some reason, every combo has to start with the square button, as the triangle button doesn't actually do anything until a combo has been started.

On the plus side, you can easily avoid the pain of dealing with the game's controls by just not doing anything. That's right, you can win by simply not fighting. The game's difficulty level is so obscenely low that there were levels where I would just sit and watch my partners kill all the enemies for me. Afterwards, I would grab the scroll pieces and continue onto the next level. At one point, I spent the entire level trying to get myself killed. Even this failed.

The game also lacks in terms of AI, particularly during the Showdowns. Often, characters would run into walls endlessly while trying to collect items and meet objectives. In the main game, your partners will often hit you with their attacks when they're trying to kill the enemy.

The game offers a number of multiplayer options, including arena-style battles and the Showdown minigames. Many of the Showdowns are built in a way that lends them towards multiplayer, so the inclusion of the option is very nice. These challenges are pretty fun for four players, and do a little to help extend the replayability of the game.

In terms of presentation, the game isn't exactly a technical marvel, but it does a great job of capturing the spirit of the show. The game's cell-shaded graphics capture the cartoon's look quite well, although the framerate has a tendency to drop when several characters are on screen at once. The soundtrack is also adequate, and the wealth of voice-overs sound remarkably close to those of the show.

Overall, Xiaolin Showdown is a game that will be appreciated mostly by fans of the show. Its presentation is right on for the source material, but the shortcomings of its gameplay and its general lack of originality will be a big turn off for anyone else.

Graphics: 7.5

Sound: 7.5

First Play: 5.5

Replay Value: 6.0

Gameplay: 5.5

Overall: 6.0