Bakugan Battle Brawlers (video game)

Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a 2009 video game based on the anime series of the same name. The game was developed by NOW Production and published by Activision for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Wii.
Plot.
One day the player's character meets Dan Kuso, one of the Battle Brawlers, who teaches him the rules in a fight against Shuji. (In the DS version, you get a Pyrus Serpenoid to start off with. In all other versions, you get a Serpenoid, a Juggernoid, and a Saurus that match the attribute: Pyrus, Darkus, Haos, Aquos, Ventus, or Subterra; you chose at the start of the game). After going to the local store and meeting Alice, who suggests the player should battle with other brawlers in the park to earn BP (Bakugan Points, the game's currency) a strange Bakugan called Leonidas gets teleported to the park, who is now the new best friend of the player. (Leonidas' attribute depends on what attribute you chose). Leonidas is an unknown and aggressive Bakugan that was created by all the hate and anger of the lost Bakugan trapped in the Doom Dimension. In several fights the player will meet a lot of people but at the same time a Darkus user, whose name is Marduk, Desires to rule over all Bakugan together with Vladitor, another Bakugan that suddenly appears.
Right after Naga got the Silent Core, the seals that held Vladitor captive in the Doom Dimension suddenly broke and he escaped from the Doom Dimension. At the end of a tournament when Dan makes the player an official Bakugan Battle Brawler, Marduk is revealed to have allied with Hal G, Masquerade and Naga in order to defeat the Battle Brawlers and rule over the worlds and the Bakugan. The player must win the Ultimate Battle Tournament, defeating also Dan, Runo, Marucho, Julie, Shun, Masquerade, and a 1-on-1 showdown with Omega Leonidas and Battle Axe Vladitor. After the player wins, both Vladitor and Leonidas disappear, Leonidas and Vladitor say that their time is up after the brawl. Later, the player discovers that Vladitor gave Leonidas his remaining power, saying 'he deserved it' which allowed Leonidas to return to the human world, leaving Leonidas to assume that Vladitor "wasn't all bad". The game ends with the player throwing Leonidas in the air both of them shouting, "Bakugan brawl!".
Gameplay.
The battles in this game are different from the anime series and the general rules. At the beginning players place a gate card, which will land on the field. Then they must choose one of their own Bakugan and throw them by aiming and steering to make them land where needed. It is possible to shoot at your opponent's Bakugan while it's rolling. A good blast can cause your foe to miss a boost or even send an enemy Bakugan flying off the board.
There are two ways to win a gate card: a "double stand" which happens if a player lands two Bakugan on the same gate card, or by a battle. When Bakugan from each sides land on one gate card the fight starts. It is possible at that point to activate ability cards (up to 3) in order to power-up the Bakugan or to change the battle rules. The fight itself consists of one of three different mini-games (shooting if on a Gold Card, shaking if on a Copper Card, and pressing buttons at the right time on a Silver Card). With the help of these mini-games both Bakugan gain more G-Power, which decides who will win the fight and thus gain a gate card.
Whoever gets to collect three gate cards will win the match. By winning, BP (Bakugan Points) are earned which can be used to upgrade Bakugan, buy new Bakugan, gate cards, or ability cards between matches. Defeating the familiar characters from the series in Dan, Runo, Marucho, Shun, Julie, Klaus, Chan Lee, Julio, Komba, Billy, and Alice's alter-ego Masquerade in the park unlocks Drago, Hydranoid, and the other guardian Bakugan to buy and use in brawls.
Reception.
The game received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
In North America, the Nintendo DS version of the game was the second best selling release for the platform during holiday 2009.