The story of Voodoo Vince is pretty simple. Your creator, Madam Charmaine, has been snatched by a gang of thugs looking to get their hands on some powerful voodoo magic, and it's up to you (a voodoo doll by the name of Vince), to rescue her and save the world.

VV plays very much like your typical platformer game. As far as basic moves are concerned, Vince, like most other 3D platformer characters, can perform a triple-punch attack combo, a spin move, a double jump, a butt-stomp and a glide move. By collecting magical beads and talismans, he can perform a few different voodoo magical attacks, which are all basically designed to wipe out a room of enemies. Being a voodoo doll Vince has one big advantage most other game heroes do not. By hurting himself in specific ways (pins, jumping in a blender, getting hit with a falling safe, lightning), Vince can dish out the damage to his enemies and solve puzzles. Utilizing this “feature” is especially important when fighting boss characters. The standard 3 levels and a boss structure is broken up with vehicle and alternative levels such as flying a rocket, riding a rat, sliding down a huge network of clotheslines, and performing music. The game plays well, and the camera stays under control 90% of the time. The problem with VV is, mostly everything we have seen before in many other games. The theme is somewhat original, but the gameplay is really not as unique as there was the potential for.

The stages are themed, of course, with environments ranging from New Orleans, to the bayou, to sewers, graveyards and caves. A majority of them are fairly linear, with not much in the way of serious backtracking or multiple pathways. Despite some simple puzzle elements mixed in, getting from point A to point B is usually your primary concern.

Voodoo Vince is a nice looking game, with well-animated cartoon-like characters and enemies, and fairly large and detailed environments. VV runs at a solid 30fps framerate and throws around some nice textures, lighting and effects. Visually though, it doesn't really hold a candle to other games in the genre such as the amazingly huge and detailed Jak II or Ratchet and Clank.

The game is voiced well and is consistently funny. There is plenty of self-effacing humor and Vince even mocks the game for being a typical videogame (“Oh, now I guess it’s time for the obligatory boss fight.”) The soundtrack is upbeat and done well and usually fits the theme of each respective level.

Voodoo Vince is a fun little platformer for the Xbox. It plays well, is not overly difficult for younger gamers, and looks and sounds nice enough. Its real drawback is it ends up being pretty standard platforming fare with not much in the way of unique or different features.