Tuesday 2 December 2014

Top Ten Animated Movie Tie-In PlayStation Games #2




#2: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (PS2)

Once in a while, there comes a game that completely and utterly surpasses my expectations, granted my expectations for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit for the PlayStation 2 weren’t that great anyway. Sure, I enjoyed the movie. I thought it was very good, but could it lend itself well to a video-game? Honestly, I didn’t think so. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I didn’t have high hopes for it. How wrong I was! In all seriousness, I never expected to say this about a Wallace and Gromit-centred game, but this perhaps ranks amongst one of the best I’ve ever played in my life. No, really. This game is well and truly cracking.

The game begins at Tottington Hall, and you must clear Lady Tottington’s lawn of rabbits, very much like the opening scenes of the Dreamworks/Aardman movie of the same name. At this point, it just kind of feels like it’s going through the motions. Okay, the graphics are good, and it looks like the film, but it doesn’t ‘grab’ you instantly. I distinctly remember getting so far into the tutorial before shelving it for another few weeks, thinking I might come back to it at some point. And man, am I glad I did! As soon as you’re done with the tutorial, you get to explore the town centre, and it is nothing short of impressive. The game is 2-player, besides the tutorial, and both Wallace and Gromit have their own abilities. For example, Gromit can perform a ‘wall-jump’, while Wallace can produce a blast of air from his bun-gun, a device used to suck up and shoot rabbits into open drains.

Now, the most perceptive of you will probably have noticed that I am often critical of movie tie-ins that stray away from the plot of the film. That’s true. I am. But in this case, I’m going to make an exception. Yes, there are a great number of tasks that diverge far from the main storyline of the film, but it’s justified in that you’re doing your job as Anti-Pesto, clearing lawns of pests and the like. It’s fun and, above all, it makes perfect sense. The game becomes truly engaging as soon as you progress to the night-time levels. Not only is there a were-rabbit at large (and it is, indeed, very large), but there are also numerous other were-creatures roaming the streets. Some might say this goes too far, but it’s explained and it makes sense, and it only serves to make the game more exciting. Since Wallace, at night, is, erm… ‘indisposed’ (I don’t want to risk spoiling the film for those who haven’t seen it!), his character is replaced by Hutch, the Wallace-like rabbit from the film, who can perform both Wallace and Gromit’s abilities.

Before long, you unlock new areas, including the seaside town Wallersey and the industrial district Grimsley. It may not be until you unlock Wallersey that you realise just how immense this game is. The environments are huge, detailed, and supremely enjoyable. Furthermore, you get to speak to all the residents of the town, most of which are seen in crowd scenes in the feature film, and most of whom will reward you should you complete a task they have for you to perform. Not all of the voices are the same – Peter Kay as PC Mackintosh is sorely missed, as is Liz Smith as Mrs Mulch, but this can’t necessarily be helped. Besides, the impersonators replacing them sound very alike (except for Mrs Mulch – she sounds like she’s swallowed an apple). There are also several details that make the game all the more charming, such as growing Gromit’s prize marrow in the greenhouse.

Sadly the game isn’t all great. The gameplay itself is hardly unique, and some of the controls are a little awkward. Wallace is particularly annoying because of his size, but this barely detracts from the overall enjoyableness of the game, which is full of surprises and fun activities, most of which are fairly challenging. However, perhaps the most prominent flaw is the 2-player feature. Co-op mode is fun, but without that second player, the other character proves to be rather irritating. In order to get your friend to perform a particular action, you need to use the L1 ‘whistle’ feature to call them over. While this seems a good idea, there is a delay before the character responds, and this is especially annoying during timed tasks, which may therefore require several attempts, and this is sure to send you hopping mad. Ha! Get it? Okay, maybe it’s time to wrap this up before the jokes get any worse.

Regardless of these minor faults, this game is undeniably grand. The characters are believable, the environments are incredibly detailed and free-roaming, and the game is full of highly enjoyable tasks (albeit occasionally frustrating). No, it isn’t a strictly accurate adaptation of the movie but, unlike the likes of Toy Story 2 and other movie tie-ins, the game actually feels like it’s an extension of the movie, as opposed to a lazy spin-off. This truly is a grand adventure.

8.5/10

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