Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights

Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights
North American PS2 cover art
North American PS2 cover art
Developer(s) Heavy Iron Studios
Publisher(s) THQ
Composer(s) Todd Dennis
Tommy Tallarico
Howard Uyate
Series Scooby-Doo Edit this on Wikidata
Engine RenderWare
Platform(s) GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release PlayStation 2
  • NA: May 20, 2002
  • PAL: August 16, 2002
GameCube
  • NA: September 16, 2002
  • PAL: November 22, 2002
Xbox
  • NA: August 27, 2003
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights is a third person platform game with action elements that was developed by Heavy Iron Studios and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox consoles. The game was first released on May 20, 2002 in North America and was released later that year in PAL regions. It is the first Scooby-Doo! video game title to come to sixth generation consoles. The game became a Greatest Hits title in 2003.[1] The game has a follow up titled Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem.

The game puts players in the control of Scooby-Doo in a story that revolves around him searching for the rest of the gang around a haunted mansion after they are kidnapped by an eccentric villain. The game has twelve areas, ranging from graveyards and secret labs to fishing villages and haunted mazes.

The game received mixed reviews from critics, mainly criticizing the game's simplicity, although its massive environments staying true to the Scooby-Doo! universe was praised by critics and fans alike. Fans of the original show loved the game, feeling it was compensation for the N64 game released in 2000. The game also marks the first and only time Don Knotts did voice work for a video game, though he did do previous voice work in the Scooby-Doo universe.[2]


Gameplay

Night of 100 Frights is primarily a third-person game with action elements. The player controls the title character Scooby-Doo. The primary goal of the game is to hunt for the gang after they go missing at the mysterious Mystic Manor. Scooby has several abilities in the game as well as zany inventions he finds on the grounds of the mansion to aid him in his search.

The game recreates iconic scenes from the original show.

The game's combat system allows the character to run, jump, and perform attacks to fend off enemies that are encountered. Various villains from the original Scooby Doo! show are met throughout the game, as well as other minor villains like bats, rats, spiders, and crabs. Scooby's health bar goes down when a villain or enemy scares Scooby, and it can only be restored by various food items that can be obtained throughout the game. Whenever Scooby is scared by a villain, if he bashes and kills the villain instantly afterwards, a food item will be provided on the spot to get his health level back up.

Easter Eggs that players can obtain, called "Monster Tokens," are large circles that have a picture of a Scooby-Doo! villain on them; when the player collects the token, the villain will be able to be viewed in a room in Mystic Manor, where trivia about the bad guy is given. Another character in the game known as The Professor has also scattered "inventions" throughout the terrain of the game, that can aid Scooby. Once obtained, the player can go back to a certain area that was not able to be entered before the invention was obtained. There are "warp gates", which are machines that teleport Scooby from check point to check point. The boss fights consist of major Scooby-Doo! villains, such as Redbeard or the Black Knight. Various secret passages which act as short cuts are scattered throughout the game, as well as trap doors. Outside levels also have various obstacles, such as moving platforms and mud-slides.

Also staying true to the Scooby-Doo fashion, Scooby must also collect all of the "Scooby Snack" treats scattered throughout the game in order to open "Snack Gates" that open almost every door. Although it is optional to collect all of the snacks, bonus content is unlocked if the player does so. As the game progresses the Snack Gates demand more Scooby Snacks. The voice acting is complemented by sound effects taken straight from the cartoon, including a laugh track that reacts to Scooby's onscreen actions.[3]

There are also Holiday easter eggs programmed into the game. When the game is played on certain days of the year, special decorations will appear in front of the Manor. For instance, on Christmas, it will be snowing, and on Halloween bats appear above the doors and windows. New Years, Saint Patrick's Day, Valentines Day, and Fourth of July are other holidays that have special surprises as well.[4]

Synopsis

Setting

Recreating the classic Scooby-Doo formula, a ghost/monster is terrorizing the locals of a town with Scooby and the gang being called away to solve a mystery. An eccentric villain known as "The Mastermind" kidnaps the gang, and Scooby must venture through graveyards, lighthouses, and secret passages in an effort to solve the mystery and find his friends. The game is mainly set inside a large mansion known as "Mystic Manor". The manor has dozens of rooms and floors, from the secret laboratory in the basement[5] to the haunted attic. The game is set during the late hours of the night. When it is time to venture outside of the Manor, players can explore the vast graveyard section as well as the sea pier section. Each section has its own settings, such as fishing factories[6] and haunted crypts.[7]

Plot

Daphne's close friend, Holly Graham, has asked the Mystery Inc crew to help her investigate the disappearance of her uncle, Professor Alexander Graham, who is revealed to be a genius and inventor. The five arrive at the mansion, known as Mystic Manor, where they are greeted by Holly. She invites the group to come inside, but Scooby and Shaggy refuse. Fred, Daphne, and Velma follow Holly inside, leaving them outside alone. When Shaggy goes to obtain a box of Scooby Snacks from a gnarled tree, pulling on one of the branches results in him falling down a trap door. Frightened, Scooby explores the grounds and discovers a nearby playground. He enters the mansion for a moment, where he discovers Holly locked in a room. She explains that a specter called The Mastermind appeared kidnapping Fred, Daphne, and Velma before imprisoning her.

Unable to navigate the rest of the mansion, Scooby makes his way back to the front yard where he speaks with Graham's gardener (Don Knotts), who gives him a shovel. The shovel allows him to obtain a key to the nearby fishing village. While traversing the village, Scooby comes to an old lighthouse, where he acquires one of Graham's inventions: a pair of springs. The springs allow him to double jump. Scooby uses his newly acquired power-up to obtain a key to the mansion's topiary garden.

The Mastermind, voiced by Tim Curry. This is the second time Curry voiced a villain in the Scooby-Doo Universe, as he previously did voice work for Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost. Curry later voiced another villain in The Goblin King.[8]

Scooby makes his way back to the mansion grounds. He navigates the topiary garden, where obtains one of the professor's inventions: a helmet, allowing him to destroy attacking monsters. Scooby explores the mansion, making his way through numerous rooms and the attic, before arriving at the top of a tower. He meets The Mastermind, who reveals that he is responsible for resurrecting the monsters and ghosts the group has unmasked, before revealing Velma trapped in a cage, which is guarded by the Black Knight, the first monster Scooby ever encountered. Scooby is able to destroy him by pressing switches which electrocute him, before freeing Velma from her cage. She flees in terror, claiming to see the Creeper. Scooby does not follow her.

Following this, Scooby explores a local cannery, along with the overhangs and some interconnected tunnels under the mansion, which lead him to a nearby cemetery. He rescues Shaggy from some monsters, before discovering Daphne held hostage by The Mastermind. The Mastermind proceeds to summon the Giggling Green Ghost, which attacks Scooby with green fire and electricity. Scooby is able to subdue the specter with Daphne's help. Suddenly, Holly emerges from the brush. She and Daphne fall through a concealed door when Daphne rests against a tombstone, leaving Scooby alone once again. He uses a newly acquired invention, an umbrella, to explore a chain of old shipwrecks. Eventually, Scooby discovers Fred imprisoned in one of the ship's brigs, where he is confronted by The Ghost of Redbeard. He attacks Scooby summoning numerous ghosts, but Scooby is able to destroy him by dropping a treasure chest on his head. Velma arrives, still claiming to be chased by the Creeper. Fred discovers an image of the monster stamped on her glasses and they head off to search for Graham's concealed laboratory. Meanwhile, Scooby and Shaggy indulge themselves with food, but Shaggy is scared off by The Ghost of Captain Cutler. Scooby acquires another of Graham's inventions: bubblegum.

Scooby makes his way back to the overhands, where he begins navigating the dungeons under the mansion. He encounters numerous ghosts, which he is able to destroy and avoid using his newly acquired inventions. Scooby eventually discovers Professor Graham's laboratory, which has become overrun with monsters, such as the Funland Robot and the Space Kook. Scooby rescues Shaggy from being eaten by a shark, before continuing onward into another room, where he reunites with the rest of the gang, including Holly. Fred reveals The Mastermind has been using holographic images of monsters and ghosts from their past to terrorize them. He constructs a plan, which calls for Scooby to distract The Mastermind. Scooby is fights The Mastermind, stunning him. He is sucked up through a tube, spitting him out in the mansion's parlor.

Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby make their way back to the mansion, accompanied by Holly. They unmask The Mastermind, only to discover Professor Graham in the costume. Velma agrees that none of the clues make sense, before holding her glasses up to a mirror. The light reflected off the glasses and mirror reveal Holly operating a control panel behind a holographic wall. They realize the Holly they have been with the entire time has been a holograph when Shaggy attempts to touch her shoulder, but instead falls through her. Holly was able to escape the mansion and swap costumes with an incapacitated Professor Graham, making him look guilty, enabling her to take commendation for his new invention and make money off of it. She was able to reconstruct images of the monsters, due to Daphne previously revealing details about the cases the gang had worked in the past. Holly admits to the scheme, before she is sent to jail. Shaggy attempts to eat some food, only to discover it is a holographic image made by Scooby.

Voice Cast

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(Xbox) 70.83%[9]
(PS2) 69.54%[10]
(GC) 68.14%[11]
Metacritic(PS2) 69/100[12]
(GC) 68/100[13]
(Xbox) 66/100[14]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame[15]
EGM7/10[16]
Game Informer6.5/10[17]
GameSpot7.3/10[18][19]
(Xbox) 6.7/10[20]
GameSpy(PS2) 65%[21]
(GC) [22]
GameZone8/10[23][24]
(PS2) 7.8/10[25]
IGN6.7/10[26][27]
(GC) 6.1/10[28]
Nintendo Power3.7/5[29]
Nintendo World Report8.5/10[30]
OPM (US)[31]
OXM (US)7.7/10[32]
Maxim8/10[33]
Award
PublicationAward
Sony"Greatest Hits Title, 2003" [34]

Night of 100 Frights was met with mixed to average reviews from critics. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 69.54% and 69 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version;[10][12] 68.14% and 68 out of 100 for the GameCube version;[11][13] and 70.83% and 66 out of 100 for the Xbox version.[9][14]

Many critics disliked the game's simplicity, while praising the voice acting and the fact that it stays true to the Scooby-Doo! universe, featuring music and villains from the original episodes. However, many critics were not happy with the camera angles, calling them "awkward."

By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of Night of 100 Frights had sold 920,000 copies and earned $24 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 62nd highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined console sales of Scooby-Doo games released in the 2000s reached 1.8 million units in the United States by July 2006.[35]

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑
  9. 1 2 "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights for GameCube". GameRankings. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  13. 1 2 "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  15. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights (PS2) - Review". Allgame. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  16. ↑ EGM staff (July 2002). "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (157): 120.
  17. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (August 2002). "Scooby-Doo 2: Night of 100 Frights [sic] (PS2)". Game Informer (112): 79. Archived from the original on November 14, 2004. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  18. ↑ Provo, Frank (June 20, 2002). "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  19. ↑ Provo, Frank (September 25, 2002). "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights Review (GC)". GameSpot. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  20. ↑ Provo, Frank (September 5, 2003). "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights (Xbox)". GameSpot. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  21. ↑ Abarcar, Gabe "The Prof" (June 15, 2002). "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights (PS2)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 7, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  22. ↑ Murphy, Kevin (October 22, 2002). "GameSpy: Scooby-Doo Night of 100 Frights (GCN)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on September 5, 2005. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  23. ↑ Hopper, Steven (October 8, 2002). "Scooby-Doo! Nights of 100 Frights![sic] - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  24. ↑ Hopper, Steven (September 13, 2003). "Scooby-Doo! Nights of 100 Frights! [sic] - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  25. ↑ Tha Wiz (June 10, 2002). "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  26. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (June 5, 2002). "Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  27. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (October 14, 2003). "Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights Review (Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  28. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (September 18, 2002). "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights! (GCN)". IGN. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights". Nintendo Power. 162: 224. November 2002.
  30. ↑ Kosmina, Ben (October 22, 2002). "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 101. July 2002.
  32. ↑ "Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights". Official Xbox Magazine: 130. November 2003.
  33. ↑ Boyce, Ryan (May 1, 2002). "Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights (PS2)". Maxim. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  34. ↑
  35. ↑ Campbell, Colin; Keiser, Joe (July 29, 2006). "The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century". Next Generation. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007.
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