Nicktoons: Globs of Doom

***SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom*** is a 2008 video game, sequel to *Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots*, and the fourth and final installment in the *Nicktoons Unite!* series. Characters from *SpongeBob SquarePants*, *Danny Phantom*, *The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius*, *Tak and the Power of Juju*, and *Invader Zim* appear. This is the only *Nicktoons Unite!* game to not feature characters from *The Fairly OddParents*. The original developers of the previous games for consoles, Blue Tongue Entertainment, did not return to create this installment.

## Plot

One seemingly normal day, SpongeBob and Squidward are on their way to work when huge asteroids start raining down on Bikini Bottom. A huge drop of goo falls on Squidward, causing the top part of his face to turn orange and become a cyclops of some sort. He becomes a zombie, chasing SpongeBob around the perimeter of someone's house until Patrick intervenes. Jimmy Neutron then arrives to take them to the Mawgu lair. Soon, the gooey creatures spawning from the asteroids start taking over Bikini Bottom.

SpongeBob and Patrick explore the vast Mawgu lair, where they meet Danny Phantom, and Tak again and the new Evil Syndicate composed of Technus, Beautiful Gorgeous, Traloc, and Plankton. Zim  and Dib  then arrive, with Zim joining the good guys, and Dib joining the Syndicate. They make a plan to stop the gooey creatures, identified as Morphoids, when The Wise Old Crab arrives to inform them about the technology in the lair. Jimmy is able to figure it out, and fits everyone with weapons fitting their personality: Jimmy receives some sort of helmet and a tennis racket, SpongeBob gets a bubble blower, Danny receives a device that allowed him to partly clone himself, Tak is given a staff, and Zim receives a plunger (or as he refers to it, "It is a Plunger of DOOM!!!"). Meanwhile on the evil side, Technus receives an arm blaster, Plankton is given a hammer that allowed him to grow (about to the height of Jimmy, Zim and SpongeBob), Traloc receives a pouch of magic potions, Dib is given a gun-like balloon launcher, and Beautiful Gorgeous receives a heart-shaped megaphone.

They go through Bikini Bottom, where the group battles an army of Morphoids, free Gary, Squidward, and Sandy Cheeks from the goo, and finally confront the corrupted Bubble Bass, who has grown to enormous size. They defeat this new menace by feeding him Krabby Patties (which ironically turned him into a zombie in the first place; a drop of Morphoid goo fell on it). SpongeBob is then doused in goo. At the lair, he becomes a vessel for the leader of the Morphoids while the Wise Old Crab informs them that a huge robot called the Vessel of Portentia is hidden in the Mawgu Lair, and requires four special components to power it up.

The next world they go to is Zim's town, where GIR has been corrupted by a taco. They manage to free Ms. Bitters, Gaz, and Professor Membrane, then face the corrupted GIR, who has sprouted several mechanical tentacles and has the ability to summon Morphoids from his very being. He soon tires out of attacking the heroes, and is then beat up out of being possessed. They retrieve the first piece of the Vessel, while more goo falls on SpongeBob, and at the lair becomes a puppet of sorts for the Morphoid supreme leader.

They venture to Amity Park, where Morphoid asteroids rain on the citizens, freeing the Ghost Dog in the process. Not soon after, a blob of goo falls on its head, resulting in him too being corrupted. He goes on a rampage through town. After freeing Dash, Tucker, and Jazz, they fight the Ghost Dog at a power plant, where the goo falls off of Ghost Dog and onto SpongeBob (once again). They gain another piece of the Vessel, and it is at the lair that Globulous Maximus, who has just revealed himself, once again talks through SpongeBob.

They then head to Retroville, where the goo has turned Jimmy's girl-eating plant into a monstrous giant, and prepares to eat Cindy whole (expectedly). After defeating several more Morphoids and freeing Carl, Cindy, and Sheen, they fight the girl-eating plant at the mall. After being consumed several times (and beating up the plant's fragile heart), the team manages to defeat the girl-eating plant and yet another pile of goo falls on SpongeBob. The third piece of the Vessel is retrieved.

Finally, they go to Pupununu Village and retrieve the fourth and final piece while Globulous talks through SpongeBob for the fourth and final time.

The team quickly inserts the pieces of the Vessel of Portentia, and then speed towards space, where they confront and defeat Globulous Maximus, who is a large asteroid himself with floating arms and a primary eye (along with several non-functioning others). After Globulous is defeated, the Evil Syndicate betrays the rest of the group, taking over the Vessel of Portentia and ejecting the heroes from the robot. Globulous Maximus then opens up to the heroes, where he reveals that he was created at the beginning of the universe, the Big Sneeze, thus making him a huge orange booger. SpongeBob then asks why he was destroying worlds, with Globulous replying that he was distasteful of his form and thus took out his anger on others. SpongeBob then tells him to embrace who (or what) he is, and they throw Krabby Patties in his mouth to make him feel better. The group then wonders how they will stop the Evil Syndicate from taking over the Earth. Globulous states that he has an idea, and morphs into a huge, orange, and cycloptic version of SpongeBob.

Using this form, Globulous and the heroes manage to defeat the Vessel of Portencia on the moon, and it explodes in space, leaving the villains floating around. Dib thinks that this is the part where the villains retreat with their tails between their legs, but Plankton contradicts this statement, saying that it's the part where "the villains pound their fist and say 'Curses! Foiled again!'". Technus invites Plankton over to his hand, where he executes Plankton's statement, albeit with Technus pounding Plankton to a pulp on his palm.

Globulous returns the heroes to Earth, and says that he will right the wrongs in the universe, taking the moniker "SpongeGlob". The heroes bid him farewell, and SpongeGlob blasts off into space. Meanwhile, SpongeBob sneezes, and the goo finally exits from his body through his many holes. Patrick compares this moment to the beginning of the universe where SpongeGlob was born, while the Wise Old Crab then summons a typical "The End" sign.

## Characters

### Playable Characters

* SpongeBob SquarePants
* Zim
* Danny Phantom
* Jimmy Neutron
* Tak
* Plankton
* Dib Membrane
* Nicolai Technus
* Beautiful Gorgeous
* Traloc

### Non-Playable Characters

* Patrick Star
* Squidward Tentacles
* Sandy Cheeks
* Gary

**Retroville**
* Carl Wheezer
* Cindy Vortex
* Sheen Estevez
* Ms. Bitters
* Gaz Membrane
* Professor Membrane

**Pupununu Village**
* Jibolba
* Dash Baxter
* Tucker Foley
* Jazz Fenton

**Volcano Island**
* Wise Old Crab

### Bosses

* Bubble Bass
* GIR
* Ghost Dog
* Girl-Eating Plant
* Globulous
* Vessel of Portentia (on one-player)
* Vessel of Portentia/SpongeGlob  (on two-players)
* 4-Eyed Goo
* Vlad Plasmius
* Vendor Juju
* Goo Flower
* Almighty Tallest
* Globulous

## Development

The music of SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom was composed by Todd Masten. Masten noted that the story of the game had a "real 1950's sci-fi feel" and thus incorporated the theremin into many of the game's tracks. Masten based most of the game's music on the existing franchise music, but took several liberties including the use of heavy techno instruments in the scenes of the characters leaving the world and heading into space. Masten worked to give each environment and boss encounter a unique feel to help build suspense and tension. Masten worked 7/4 sections into the main theme to "mix things up a bit". The game's closing theme is a variation of the opening theme played with more modern instrumentation.

## Reception

SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom received middling to negative reviews from critics. Louis Bedigian of GameZone described the Wii version as "a button-masher for gamers under 12" and decided that "it won't rock anyone's world, but if you know a kid who loves these Nicktoons characters and enjoys simple, battle-filled games, Globs of Doom is one of SpongeBob's better adventures. Angelina Sandoval, also of GameZone, said that "Globs of Doom could have been that extraordinary kid's title and SpongeBob SquarePants game but it just falls short in almost every way. It's also not a very fun game despite the variety of characters and co-op gameplay. If your young gamer loves all of these characters I highly recommend a rental instead." Adam Ballard of IGN concluded that "Ultimately, it's a subpar SpongeBob game with Nicktoons tacked on for good measure. Suffice it to say that no amount of licensed characters can save this game from its monotonous gameplay and wretched camera."

## Trivia

* For unknown reasons Timmy Turner, who appeared in all the previous installments, did not appear in this game.
* Plankton is the only member of the original Syndicate to return in this game.
* This is the first game in which SpongeBob doesn't use his karate gloves, but still does Karate attacks regardless.
* Patrick was given a chocolate bar from the Mawgu Machine, hence him not being playable. The bar is probably never-ending, so Patrick will always have chocolate.
* Patrick has to be rescued but at the beginning was taken to HQ. It is likely that he went off-track and got stuck, needing to be rescued.