Monsters vs. Aliens is a movie about, well, a group of monsters that fights with some aliens. Well, alien (singular), technically, until later, but then things happen...anyway. Being the animated movie that it is, the chance that a licensed game based on it was coming out was as likely as the sun rising tomorrow, and so here we have Monsters vs. Aliens, the game. In it you'll take on the role of Ginormica (she prefers being called Susan), The Missing Link, Dr. Cockroach, and Bob the blob as they combat the nefarious forces that threaten our planet, and so forth.

As with any movie tie-in, the game takes certain liberties with the plot and events of the film, stretching certain events out, adding in others, and changing what, exactly, happens. For the most part, it goes well with the movie, which is pretty much filled with action anyway, so the plot flows fairly naturally. The gameplay itself is pretty interesting (so to speak), broken up between Bob, Susan, and the Missing Link in different sections and different styles of gameplay. A second player can also join in as Dr. Cockroach, equipped with reticle and laser gun, and shoot various targets around the screen to help the first player. This was a nice touch.

Like I said, the gameplay is divided between these three characters: Ginormica's section involves racing along a path, vehicles acting as skates on her feet. Basically you dodge obstacles and destroy enemies. The Missing Link's gameplay is more akin to your standard brawler, such as God of War. Most of the time he's running through enemies, beating and throwing them everywhere, though sometimes he climbs up the sides of large...things, so gameplay is altered somewhat as you can't jump, and have a few different moves available to you.

Bob's gameplay is more akin to a puzzle/platformer, as he's not much of a fighter. His is interesting, albeit a little slow-paced: you need to get from point A to point B, but in a variety of different ways. Since Bob is a blob, he can stick to walls and ceilings. However, he can also fall through gratings. To avoid this, Bob can inhale boxes and guards into his body, allowing him to walk over these areas. Inhaling guards also has the added element of allowing Bob to pass through locked doors. These elements combine to make a fairly unique mode of play that can be pretty fun, especially when his portions are turned into a side-scroller, which emphasizes the puzzling parts.

The story of the game is told through animated cutscenes that, when watched on an HD screen, look like they're taken straight form the movie. The humour's there too, and it's not too bad, especially with the same voice actors from the movie reprising their roles. For some reason, however, I found some of the voice acting to be lacking; some of the quips and glib remarks tended to fall rather flat. This is a minor complaint, however.

Overall, the gameplay of Monsters vs. Aliens works pretty well, and the game is pretty solid. The addition of co-op makes it better, especially with a younger partner. The nature of the second player makes it perfect for someone younger, perhaps a sibling or a child, to follow along with the game even if they don't have the motor skills to play it well. Alternatively, the second player can also be the older player, giving the other player some assistance with the enemies.

During gameplay, you can pick up DNA particles: these are used as currency within the DNA lab, a place where you can purchase everything from upgrades, concept art, animation, and even audio commentary from the characters. Levels from the game must be beaten first to move forward, and there are also challenges to complete: these are sections from various levels in the game, but with goals such as a time or damage limit. It adds a set of sub-goals to the game that are fun to attain.

I was surprised to find that Monsters vs. Aliens is actually not that bad of a game. Dare I say it, it's actually kind of fun. The variety in the gameplay means that things don't get too old too quickly, and the co-op gameplay allows another person to jump in at any time and shoot at whatever they can. It's a pretty good movie-to-game transition, and while it's not going to break any records, it can still mean a good time.