''Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion'' is a
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
fighting
Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Papaya Studio
Papaya Studio was an independent United States, American video game developer based in Irvine, California.
Papaya Studio was known for titles on the Xbox 360, Wii, Personal Computer, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Ninte ...
and published by
Crave Games, for the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
. It features characters from various
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
programs battling against one another. The game was released in June 2011 in North America and in April 2012 in Europe. An upgraded port, ''Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL'', was released for the
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
,
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
, and
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
less than a year later.
Gameplay
''Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion'' is a
platform fighter
Platform fighter is a video game subgenre of fighting games that cover games that emphasize fighting on stages with free 2D movement, similar to a platform game.
Gameplay
Matches take place on a 2D plane, usually on a stage with platforms float ...
, with up to four players moving and battling on a 2D plane and trying to knock their opponents out of the arena.
Each playable character has a unique set of moves they can use to attack their opponents, performed by pressing a direction in combination with one of the attack buttons. When players strike one another, glowing cubes will fall out of them; collecting these cubes will gradually fill the player's special meter. When full, the player can use their character's "Punch Time Explosion", a powerful attack that can deal heavy damage to multiple opponents. For example, Ben Tennyson turns into Ultimate Humungosaur and launches missiles all over the stage. Players can also use various items that appear randomly on the stage to attack their opponents, including an item that summons one of 19 assist characters (22 in the ''XL'' version) to aid the player. In the ''XL'' version, playable characters can team up with certain assist characters and do Synergy attacks. For example, Chowder eats a plate of Madame Foster's cookies and becomes morbidly obese as the latter rolls him around the stage. Players can choose between 21 different stages for battles (26 in the ''XL'' version). Many stages shift between multiple phases as the battle continues, and players may use stage elements in order to take out other players. For example, in the Dexter's Laboratory stage, players can pull two different levers, with one activating a conveyor belt and the other firing a deadly laser.
Playable characters
Players can choose from 18 playable characters drawn from 11 Cartoon Network programs. An additional eight characters were added to the ''XL'' version for a total of 26.
;''
Ben 10
''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device rese ...
''
*
Ben Tennyson
Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson, commonly known as Ben 10, is a fictional superhero and the title protagonist of the ''Ben 10'' franchise. An initially normal 10-year-old boy, until, during his summer vacation, he encountered the Omnitrix, an alien ...
* Young Ben Tennyson
*
Kevin Levin
*
Vilgax
;''
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
''Captain Planet and the Planeteers'' is an American animated environmentalist superhero television series created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner and developed by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Thom Beers, Andy Heyward, Robby London, Bob Forward and Cas ...
''
*
Captain Planet
''Captain Planet and the Planeteers'' is an American animated environmentalist superhero television series created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner and developed by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Thom Beers, Andy Heyward, Robby London, Bob Forward and Cas ...
;''
Chowder
Chowder is a thick soup prepared with milk or cream, a roux, and seafood or vegetables. Oyster crackers or saltines may accompany chowders as a side item, and cracker pieces may be dropped atop the dish. New England clam chowder is typically ...
''
* Chowder & Kimchi
;''
Codename: Kids Next Door''
* Numbuh One
* Father
* Toiletnator
;''
Dexter's Laboratory
''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It follows Dexter, a short, enthusiastic boy-genius with a hid ...
''
* Dexter
* Monkey
;''
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'' (also known as ''Foster's Home'', or simply ''Foster's'' for short) is an American animated television series created by Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. It was produced by Cartoon Network Studios as ...
''
*
Mac & Bloo
;''
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
''The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy'' is an American animated television series created by Maxwell Atoms for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. It follows Billy, an extremely dimwitted, happy-go-lucky boy, an ...
''
*
Billy
Billy may refer to:
* Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name)
Animals
* Billy (dog), a dog breed
* Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945
* Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge
* Billy, a youn ...
&
Mandy
Mandy or Mandie may refer to:
People
* Mandy (name), a female given name and nickname
* Iván Mándy (1918-1995), Hungarian writer
* Mark Mandy (born 1972), Irish retired high jumper
* Philip Mandie (born 1942), a former judge on the Supreme Cou ...
*
Grim
Grim may refer to:
People
* Grim (surname)
* Myron Grim Natwick (1890–1990), American artist, animator and film director best known for drawing Betty Boop
Mythical or fictional characters
* Grim, Old Norse ''Grímr'', from the Norse saga '' Gr ...
*
Hoss Delgado
;''
Johnny Bravo
''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It is the second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, which aired from ...
''
* Johnny Bravo
;''
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
''The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack'' (also known as ''The Misadventures of Flapjack'', or simply ''Flapjack'') is an American animated television series created by Thurop Van Orman for Cartoon Network. It premiered in the United States on ...
''
* Flapjack
* Captain K'nuckles
;''
The Powerpuff Girls
''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Televi ...
''
*
Blossom
In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring.
Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as wel ...
*
Bubbles
Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to:
Common uses
* Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid
** Soap bubble
* Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fundame ...
*
Buttercup
''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots.
The genus is distributed in Europe, ...
*
Mojo Jojo
''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American animated television series franchise that takes place in the fictional city of Townsville and stars the titular Powerpuff Girls, Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, who appear in the 1998 ''Powerpuff Girls'' ser ...
*
Him
;''
Samurai Jack
''Samurai Jack'' is an American animated action-adventure television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. Tartakovsky conceived ''Samurai Jack'' after finishing his work ...
''
*
Samurai Jack
''Samurai Jack'' is an American animated action-adventure television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. Tartakovsky conceived ''Samurai Jack'' after finishing his work ...
*
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
*
Aku
Plot
An unseen
announcer
An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event.
Television and other media
Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, ...
prepares to watch some television on his day off as he tunes into Cartoon Network. However, he discovers that an unknown force is causing chaos in the respective universes of some of its programs, with villains traversing between them and many heroes becoming corrupted. The announcer watches the events unfold, beginning with Ben Tennyson traveling to the ''Chowder'' universe in pursuit of Vilgax. Ben restores a corrupted Chowder, but Vilgax escapes and the ''Chowder'' universe is engulfed in static. Chowder and Ben are then pulled into the ''Ben 10'' universe, where they are attacked by a corrupted Buttercup. She too is restored and, after a battle with the mutated Kevin Levin, the dimension begins to fade as well. However, Dexter arrives in a dimension-traveling capsule and rescues them. The allied heroes then use the capsule to travel to the network's programs one by one, defeating the displaced villains while restoring the corrupted heroes and recruiting them to their cause before their respective dimensions are terminated.
Having gathered a large team of heroes, the capsule prepares to make one more warp to save the dimensions, but it is destroyed as the heroes are intercepted by the mastermind behind the events – the announcer's remote control – which has become sentient. The device prepares to eliminate the heroes, but they inadvertently summon
Captain Planet
''Captain Planet and the Planeteers'' is an American animated environmentalist superhero television series created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner and developed by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Thom Beers, Andy Heyward, Robby London, Bob Forward and Cas ...
, who rescues them. Working together, the heroes defeat the remote control and it reverts back to its inanimate state. Dexter reinsert its batteries, restoring the balance between the dimensions and returning everyone home. The announcer laments about having to change the channel himself now that he no longer has a remote, but begins pondering the idea of
getting someone else to change the channel for him instead.
Home console version
On 3 October 2011, Papaya Studio announced a home console version of the game, titled ''Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL'', which was released for the
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
,
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
, and
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. ''XL'' adds eight new playable characters to the roster, four of whom were assist characters in the 3DS version. The port also adds seven new assist characters, five new stages, and additional gameplay modes. An in-game shop allows players to purchase new playable characters, stages, alternate costumes, and clips from the various Cartoon Network shows represented in the game. Alterations were made to the game's story mode to accommodate the new character additions. ''XL'' also revised parts of the game's voice acting, with some characters who were not voiced by their original actors on the 3DS version getting new voice clips by their actors from their respective series.
The European release of the game was delayed until nearly a year after the North American release. The game was released on 18 May 2012, in the UK; on 14 June 2012, in France; and on 22 August 2012, in Italy and Spain via the
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network.
The store offers a range of downloadable content ...
.
Reception
''Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion'' received mixed reviews. Jack DeVries of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave the game a rating of 4.5 and said "the fun comes in very small doses", and felt that "the levels, though aesthetically varied, are basic and boring", negatively comparing its gameplay to that of the
''Super Smash Bros.'' series. The game was also criticized for not using many recent Cartoon Network characters and using characters from series that have ended prior to the game's release, with ''
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien'' being the only ongoing series at the time of release, as well as not using other popular former Cartoon Network characters like ''
Courage the Cowardly Dog
''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' is an American animated comedy horror television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. It was produced by Dilworth's animation studio, Stretch Fil ...
'' and ''
Ed, Edd n Eddy
'' Ed, Edd n Eddy'' is a Canadian animated comedy television series created by Danny Antonucci for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series revolves around three friends named Ed, Edd (called "Double D" ...
''.
The ''XL'' version of the game was slightly better received. IGN's Jack DeVries gave the ''XL'' version a rating of 5.0, saying that "Having so many characters in one game is cool, but the story is the laziest way to do it".
See also
* ''
MultiVersus
''MultiVersus'' is a 2022 free-to-play crossover fighting video game developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game is a platform fighter, featuring characters from Warner Bros. Discovery franchi ...
''
* ''
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
''Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl'' is a crossover fighting game developed by Swedish developer Ludosity and Costa Rican developer Fair Play Labs, and published by GameMill Entertainment. It is the first console game in the ''Nickelodeon Super Brawl' ...
''
References
External links
*
Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosionat
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
Interview about Punch Time Explosion
{{Portal bar, Video games
2011 video games
Cartoon Network video games
Crossover fighting games
Fighting games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Nintendo 3DS games
PlayStation 3 games
Platform fighters
Video games developed in the United States
Video games set in the United States
Video games about parallel universes
Wii games
Xbox 360 games
Science fantasy video games
Deep Silver games
Crave Entertainment games
Papaya Studio games