Soaking It Up
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Why, your imagination—and, of course, the smiling, bucktoothed, ultra-absorbent headliner of SpongeBob SquarePants™: Lights, Camera, PANTS! From Patrick to Squidward, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, and even that pain in the butt Plankton, the gang's all here in this wild, reflex-intensive party game for one to four players.
Enthusiasts of all ages will appreciate the challenges it has to offer, with 30 frantic mini-games (races, jam sessions, and turns playing chef at an underwater fast food joint, just to name a few). Before jumping into the action, consider some useful tips and tricks:
Watch for Patterns
Sure, some scenarios pick up steam the further you progress into them. Whether the clock's ticking fast or slow, most operate according to set patterns. Watch carefully, and you'll be able to tell where boxes are bouncing next, nets will appear, and burgers are bound to pop up—despite elements of randomization, all events follow certain basic outlines.
Don't get too cocky, though. Given how crazed the action can be, everything ultimately comes down to hand-eye coordination. Therefore all competitors have an equal shot at winning auditions and scoring starring roles in "The Adventures of Mermaidman & Barnacleboy."
Service with a gap-toothed smile.
Practice Makes Perfect
Some scenarios are straightforward (side-scrolling, sand castle-dodging, inflatable pants-based events), others are more complex (such as retrieving orders from restaurant customers, then repeating them back to a cook). If you don't feel that the instructions provided are clear enough—or just want to get the hang of things before actually putting your popularity on the line—there's no need to worry. A "rehearsal" option lets you practice all events before tackling them for real. Spend a few hours doing so in solo mode, and by the time you challenge a friend or family member to head-to-head showdowns, they won't stand a chance.
Can you feel the burn?
Follow the Leader
Once in a while, teamwork pays. During sequences like the weightlifting competition, where you and an ally attempt to load a dumbbell with weights of corresponding color, it's best to let your partner lead. Why? You're given multiple patterns to complete, some of which are built upon the same starting colors.
Get a sense for which sequence your buddy's actually working on before attempting to follow suit or you may accidentally wind up picking up and piling on the wrong selections. Which, naturally, isn't just embarrassing—it also wastes precious seconds you could be using to score more points.
Four's the merrier.
Look for Color Coding
Oftentimes, the particular colors associated with a certain spot or on-screen indicator double as a dead giveaway as to where you should be running for or aiming next. Here's an example: During the Surf Resc-Goo challenge, items such as beach balls, surfboards and inner tubes are slowly floating out to sea. Each passes a buoy painted a certain shade (green, yellow, orange or red) the further towards the horizon it drifts.
Using a fishing rod, you must retrieve these items. The easiest way to make sure you're on target? Hold down the A button until the color highlighted matches that of the buoy the object you're aiming for.
Time's running out!
Feel Free to Experiment
Not everything's made apparent in the pre-game briefing. Sure, each audition's intro will tell you how to play a particular challenge, but it won't tell you how to score the most points. So don't be afraid to try different strategies and see what works best.
After all, it's easy to score a point here or there in the Goo-Ladiators event by quickly squirting enemies with glop or bouncing them into one another. But did you know that sending them flying out of the ring with a well-placed shot can earn you 10 points in no time flat and is a much better strategy? I thought not.
Quick Codes
Feeling ready to get out there and start driving boat cars or pedaling around on an underwater unicycle ripping off crazy tricks? Great! Here are a couple bonuses to help speed you along on your merry way. Input each by selecting "Bonuses" from the main menu, then choosing "Rewards" and then "Codes."
Enter "486739" to unlock all Silver Story Mode challenges.
Enter "963604" to unlock the Loot Scootin' event, where you compete to shift gold from a pile into the Flying Dutchman's chest.
Article by Steve Richter
