Toy Story 3

Review from Cav - Saturday, 31 July 2010 @ 12:39am

With the gaming world absolutely littered with ‘Movie Games’ that failed at a level beyond miserable, Disney’s Toy Story 3 is a breath of fresh air. As a parent I have soft spot for the Toy Story series, as I do for all of the PIXAR films, so reviewing Toy Story 3 the Videogame was a must for me. C’mon people, you know you enjoyed the movie, no matter how old you are! So why not take a chance on the game? Well, the following is the reason why you should.

On no! Clayface! Someone call Batman!

All the reviews I have read of the Toy Story 3 game all say virtually the same thing: ‘This should keep the kids occupied for hours’. But what about the adults? What about the average Australian Gamer, who is approximately 30 years old? Well, honestly, if you can’t find yourself loving this game in the first ten minutes, then there is something wrong with you. Those familiar with the characters will be slightly disappointed that Tim Allen, Tom Hanks and Kelsey Grammer didn’t come to the party and take the gig for the love of it, but it’s great to hear other voices like Wallace Shawn and PIXAR stalwart John “Cliff Clavin from Cheers" Ratzenberger. Well trained ears will also pick up the talents of Kathy Najimi, Whoopi Goldberg and Jeff Garlin. This really brought the game to life for me. With the movies being animated you can’t really fault the graphics, as they kinda had a head start, didn’t they?

Toy Story 3 is essentially two games in one, which is value for money right there. The Movie Story Mode spans across the entire trilogy and can be quite challenging for younger gamers at times (I have access to the testing resources, as you know). Disappointingly I haven’t seen the movie yet, so I can’t quite tell you wether or not this game will spoil it for you, but I think you will be safe. Quite often during the course of game play, you will have to utilize Buzz, Woody and Jessie to achieve objectives within Story Mode. They will need to interact with each other and this can be done in two player mode or on your own. Racing cars, riding Bullseye, your faithful steed, flying around as Buzz Lightyear… there are all sorts of activities to take part in as venture through this mode.

Wuh-Yuh-Nuh........ I don't like confrontations!

The Sandbox element of Toy Story 3 was first described to me as “GTA for Kids’ and this is a description I read in many a review… and whole heartedly agree. Huge isn’t quite the word for it, it really needs something grander to be befitting. Hours alone can be spent on this, as task after task are requested of you. As you complete these tasks you earn coins, which can be spent at the Al’s Toy Barn vending post, which are located in various points throughout the map. Here you will purchase buildings and characters for your town. These purchases start a snowball effect and now you receive even more task to complete. Sometimes you aren’t even tasked by characters or townsfolk, as it’s pretty clear what to do for a majority of the game. I didn’t ever find myself saying ‘What the hell do I do now?’ and even if I was a little unsure on how to fulfil a task, you have the option to use a compass to help you find your way.

Please tell me you didn't have beans for lunch, Woody!

Scattered throughout the game are an absolute multitude of pick ups. These can range from tokens which can be exchanged for mystery egg items in Al’s Toy Barn, a series of collectors cards, items to use in your sandbox town and main character and alien dolls to collect. This alone can take a fair bit of time and often a few re-dos, but you will do it, just for the satisfaction of completion. A task for the 100% club members.

Two player split screen works…. to a point. It’s great to be able to go your separate was and complete missions on your own (or together if you are that way inclined) but certain things you do will disrupt your friend on the other end of the couch. He could be galloping across the town on horseback, running against the clock when you thoughtlessly transition to another part of the map, causing the game to pause while the new sector is loading. I suspect as his momentum is lost, words that aren’t normally found in PIXAR movies are sure to emanate from left of the Lazy-Boy. Two players on the same page would most certainly make quick work of the many missions offered up.

To Infinity......ahh, you know the rest

Pros

Heaps to do, hours of game play. Caters for both young and old. Available on all consoles. Two player split screen works well to an extent.

Cons

Glitches on occasion. Missing key stars: Hanks, Allen and Grammer. Attacks on your Sandbox town interrupt your current mission.