Top Ten Animated Movie Tie-In PlayStation Games #5

#5: Tarzan (PS1)

1999 sadly saw Disney’s acclaimed Renaissance era draw to a close. Their swansong, Tarzan, based on the novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, could be seen to be a combination of the successful elements of the productions that preceded it as well as a forerunner of what was to come; it had the catchy songs, appealing characters and brilliant storytelling of previous features, while simultaneously maintaining the dark and surprisingly mature atmosphere characteristic of some of their subsequent and less successful attempts. Since its initial release, Tarzan, it could be argued, has not achieved the status of some of Disney’s more renowned features, such as the likes of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Regardless, wherever you stand on it, it was yet another success for the apparently infallible Disney Studios, whose output, by this point, had encouraged cinemagoers worldwide to anticipate nothing less than a masterpiece with their every release. Coinciding with the film’s theatrical debut, Disney Interactive and Eurocom released Tarzan for the PlayStation One, which attracted mostly positive feedback. In retrospect, was this game really as good as it could have been?

Well, yes and no. The aspects of the game that work well, work very well. The locations and levels are entertaining and detailed, with certain areas capturing the atmosphere of the film almost flawlessly. By today’s standards, of course, the graphics are very dated, but despite the washed out, still backgrounds and blocky rendering, the game’s creators did well to stay admirably close to their source. There are no scenes that feel incongruous, and the game progresses very smoothly, which culminates in a generally satisfying experience. The music is perfectly suited to the gameplay – nothing stands out as being especially off-putting. For the most part, the music is near enough identical to the film score, although it is a little watered down at times, occasionally sounding like elevator music. Regardless, this hardly detracts from the game’s overall enjoyableness, which I cannot emphasise enough.

The game, for the most part, adopts the guise of a sidescrolling platformer, though there are a handful of 3D levels. It follows the plot of the film tremendously, with allusions to particular scenes and subtle details throughout. For example, in order to gain access to bonus levels, you need to collect all four pieces of Jane’s baboon sketch. Other collectables include the letters T, A, R, Z, A and N, which, if collected in one level, unlock that level’s movie clip, and tokens which you need to collect in order to achieve 100%. In this sense, it’s essentially just like Eurocom’s previous movie tie-in Disney’s Action Game Featuring Hercules. It’s pretty standard stuff, yes, and hardly original, but none of it is overly taxing, and it doesn’t feel as though it’s covering old ground, mostly because the way in which it is executed is near enough faultless. Most of the voiceovers return to reprise their roles too, which is always to the game’s advantage.

However, there are a few issues. Tree-surfing, while fun and at times challenging, can get quite frustrating if you’re intent on collecting all the tokens, as you don’t always have time to lean left and right, depending on their situation on the branch. After a while, there’s no skill involved in this – it’s just basic trial-and-error. Furthermore, as enjoyable as the bonus levels are, there appears to be at least one technical fault, as Terk and Tantor’s Great Escape is unable to be completed due to the fact that there aren’t enough purple ‘time-boosting’ fruits in your path. There is also an occasional delayed response onscreen, which, though infrequent, can prove frustrating and fatal (for the onscreen character, I mean, obviously). These are, admittedly, fairly insignificant flaws though, juxtaposing them alongside the game’s qualities; my biggest issue is that it is too short. With only thirteen levels (excluding the bonus levels), it’s over too quickly, which considerably hinders its durability.

Otherwise, the game is very well done, but it does, admittedly, fall short of being a masterpiece, mostly due to its unfortunate shortcomings. As mentioned previously, there are few flaws, but those that are there are distracting and obvious. As an adaptation, it undoubtedly does the film justice, and the gameplay is, mostly, compelling. But the technical faults will more than likely make you go ape.

7/10

Top Ten Animated Movie Tie-In PlayStation Games #6

#6: Up (PS2)

The release of Disney/Pixar’s award-winning animated masterpiece Up in 2009 garnered a lot of unsurprisingly positive feedback. The film, which centres on old man Carl Fredricksen’s journey to Paradise Falls in a house carried by balloons, accompanied his accidental passenger – young Wilderness Explorer Russell, was met with critical acclaim, with many viewers praising its conveyance of surprisingly adult themes amid a child-friendly, universally oriented backdrop, and others commending Pixar’s diverted focus from captivating visuals (which were, incidentally, nonetheless spectacular) to one of profound, raw emotion. The montage towards the beginning of the movie was enough to see even the most stoic of cinemagoers reduced to tears. Coinciding with its release, Disney Interactive and Asobo Studios unveiled Up for the PlayStation 2. Though a relatively quiet release, it could easily be argued to be Disney’s swansong for the console. After a series of disappointing movie tie-ins, Up had promise – but did it achieve the dizzying heights of the movie on which it was based?

In short, the answer is no, and here’s why. For one thing, almost every aspect of the movie that made it ‘great’ is lost in this game. The plot has been amended somewhat, with certain scenes reordered, removed or changed entirely. Of course, this makes the gameplay no less compelling, but it doesn’t do the film justice. Many of the cut scenes fail to capture the essence and spirit of the film, and much of the emotion and sensitivity is severely underplayed. It might be a video-game, but the fact of the matter is that these scenes ultimately represent a cheaper, watered down version of the film – a fact that immediately diminishes its quality.

Furthermore, the two-player aspect of the game can get quite frustrating if there is only one player, being as the second character will do pretty much anything and everything before doing what you want him to do. Combat is so weak, it’s essentially non-existent, although there’s more focus on puzzle-solving rather than action, which is a good thing, especially considering its source material, which doesn’t lend itself well to an action-based video-game anyway. Some of the tasks get a little repetitive too, not to mention frustrating. One particular task that presents itself numerous times throughout the game is one which involves Russell throwing a vine over a wall, which Carl needs to hang onto in order to navigate himself through a maze of thorns. If Carl as much as brushes past one of these thorn patches even slightly, he has to start over, which becomes quite tiresome. Overall, it’s a little too formulaic and repetitive.

Having said that, the atmosphere of the game and its locations does a fairly decent job capturing the aesthetic of the movie, at least for the most part. Some levels require you to guide your house to another location, and work together to glide over canyons to the other side. These particular instances are nothing less than breath-taking, and represent some of the game’s highlights. Moreover, the voiceover work is wonderful, and the music is reminiscent of the film’s score. However, if I was to praise something in this game more than anything, it would have to be the fact that it is, at times, challenging. This might sound contradictory, as I’ve already complained that it is quite frustrating at times, but I have to admit it is refreshing to play a movie tie-in that requires a bit of thought. Credit must be given to Level 15 in particular, ‘The Way Through the Wind’, which I have to admit briefly left me feeling perplexed on more than one occasion. It’s not overly difficult, no, but the puzzles do at least make you think.

In all, it’s not a bad game. It has its dull moments, and the two-player feature leaves a lot to be desired. But ultimately, this is the best movie tie-in Disney have had in years. The graphics are decent, the gameplay is mostly compelling, and above all it’s a highly enjoyable experience. It might not reach the zenith of its source material, but it nonetheless represents a respectable and faithful adaptation. Up thankfully sees Disney’s PS2 output go out on a high note.

 

7/10



Top Ten Animated Movie Tie-In PlayStation Games #7

#7: Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue (PS1)

After Pixar took us to infinity with Toy Story in 1995, they took us beyond with the release of Toy Story 2 in 1999, for which Disney Interactive and Traveller’s Tales produced a tie-in video-game for the PlayStation console. The game sees the player control Buzz Lightyear on a quest to find his lost pal, sheriff doll Woody, who’s been toynapped by corpulent culprit – the ‘Al’ of Al’s Toy Barn. Suspecting the chicken suit-wearing assailant of fowl play (sorry, I couldn’t resist), the toys are soon hot on his trail. While the film didn’t disappoint, the game, though decent, left a lot to be desired.

Part of what made the film so appealing, at least to me, was a sense of familial responsibility that provided an emotional backstory, developing on Buzz and the other toys’ relationships with Woody as they travel a great distance to locate their estranged friend. There’s no such drive felt in the game, and therefore no sense of purpose. In short, what I’m trying to say is, there’s no sense of it being an adventure. The levels are loosely bridged together by a collection of vaguely relevant movie clips, providing the only sense of continuity and progress. Otherwise, each individual level merely feels, well, ‘individual’.

On first glance, it seems as though Toy Story 2 adheres to the very same structure as the previous year’s A Bug’s Life. This should come as no surprise, of course, since it is developed by the same companies. Yet, while for A Bug’s Life this structure worked in its favour (at least for the most part), for Toy Story 2 it fails miserably. As with the aforementioned game, there are five zones, split into three levels each, with every third level containing a boss. While this worked for A Bug’s Life, there just aren’t enough antagonists in this game for that to work, so naturally they seem to have invented some random bosses just for the sake of it. These include a bomber plane and a slime monster in a trashcan. Not that it isn’t fun, but it doesn’t feel like it follows the film. Rather, it feels more like a spin-off, or as though the game wasn’t long enough, so they needed filler material.

Furthermore, unlike A Bug’s Life, your goal is not to search high and low for the level exit, but to obtain five pizza planet tokens in each level. These can be gained by performing tasks, such as collecting 50 coins for Hamm, defeating a mini-boss, finding 5 items, or completing a race. The more tokens you obtain, the further you progress, and if you manage to get all of them, you are awarded a movie clip (whoopee!). Although this is creative and, at times, fairly challenging, it slows the game down considerably. Sure, the levels take longer to complete this way, but the message of the movie is lost. You’re supposed to be searching for Woody, not finding Bo Peep’s sheep! It’s fun, no doubt, but the game is devoid of purpose and consequently feels as though it’s lacking something.

That being said, this isn’t really a bad game at all, but I personally see it more as a standalone game as opposed to a movie tie-in. The gameplay is nothing short of enjoyable, with the ability to fire and charge a laser, and some pretty decent close combat moves, such as the spin attack (well, it’s an improvement on the ‘kick’ feature in A Bug’s Life, that’s for sure). You also have the ability to use a crosshair to target nearby enemies. One thing they truly nail, however, is the environments. The first level takes place in Andy’s house, and is a completely believable and detailed representation; it actually feels like you’re exploring a location of the movie. Al’s Toy Barn and the elevator shaft are also particularly well done.

Overall, this game is enjoyable, to say the least. The characters are all there, and the environments (those that are actually in the film at least) are well-constructed and detailed. The tasks are fun and not too taxing, but the plot takes too many by-ways to make this game a true movie tie-in classic.

7/10



Top Ten Animated Movie Tie-In PlayStation Games #8

#8: Disney’s Action Game Featuring Hercules (PS1)

Disney’s 35^th animated classic Hercules has garnered an unexpected cult following since its initial release, although it nonetheless remains one of the least acknowledged of the Disney Renaissance. Regardless, I’ve always personally held this movie in high regard ever since its original release in 1997. What’s not to like about it? Sure, it’s stylish, not to mention laden with pop culture references, but it suits the movie. The music and the characters are no less interesting than what we’ve come to expect from the average Disney flick, and to render this anything less than average is ridiculous. No, it isn’t one of Disney’s more, say, herculean efforts, but it’s nonetheless extremely likeable. Coinciding with the film’s release, Disney Interactive and Eurocom produced a video-game adaptation and, while short, it didn’t disappoint.

One aspect of the game that’s worth mentioning is the look of it. Obviously, it being the only 2D side-scrolling game on this list, the graphics appear pretty dated, especially in comparison to some of the later releases. However, I would argue that the game’s dated 2D look strangely works in its favour and is in fact part of the appeal. For starters, it looks remarkably like the film, with various locations appearing almost identical to their filmic representations and each and every character from the movie making cameo appearances throughout. Heck, it’s even worth dying just to see the charming vignettes that accompany the ‘game over’ screen. I guess what I’m trying to say is, they really capture the essence of the movie, so much so that it almost feels as though you’re in the movie itself. Furthermore, while there may not be a great deal of 3D animation in the game, what little 3D graphics there are, are pretty impressive. The hydra is especially noteworthy as the only 3D rendered character, and it looks incredible.

The design of the game is interesting. Not only can Hercules attack with a swipe of his sword, but he can also summon the power of the gods by collecting special swords that perform various abilities. For example, one sword permits the player the use of a lightning bolt which you can direct through the sword in any direction, while another shoots flaming fireballs which home in on your enemies. There is also the option to punch your foes, although this is pretty ineffective. In addition, you can pick up and throw objects into the background, and open secret underground caverns with a kind of ‘ground slam’. It’s simple, yes. But it works.

However, the game has some notable drawbacks. For one thing, the title of the game is obscure – Disney’s Action Game Featuring Hercules? Featuring?! Why is it not just called Disney’s Hercules? Why in the name of Zeus did they think this title would appeal?! Moreover, as I’ve already mentioned, the game’s length leaves a lot to be desired. With just ten levels, it doesn’t last long. In addition, after all the interesting locations and challenging levels, the finale itself feels rather uninspired and lazy – Hades’ elimination is hardly the challenge I expected it to be. Regardless, the rest of the game more than makes up for it, with bosses at every turn, surprisingly lengthy 3D ‘obstacle course’ levels, and even the opportunity to ride Pegasus. It may not leave you feeling like it’s something truly heroic, but it’s nonetheless a decent effort.

7/10