Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear To The Rescue

If ever there were an under-rated concept, Toy Story is it. The first film started out as a Disney test-run of a new graphics style and the second film was originally intended to be straight-to-video! So before you start dissing this as a film-to-game bargain basket effort, take a step back – because it actually isn't that bad. This may come as a shock after the pathetic attempt that was A Bug's Life (also developed by Traveller's Tales), but it seems that whatever the Toy Story licence touches turns to plastic gold.

There isn't a single person out there who doesn't love Toy Story – it appeals to everyone across all age ranges and, oddly, so does the game. From a title like this it would've been so easy to hash together a simple adventure and aim it at the kids. Instead, what you get is some basic gameplay which follows the film's locations to offer a variety of challenges. When you complete a challenge, you get a Pizza Planet Token to open up later levels. The great thing about this game is that on each level some of the tokens are really easy to get so younger audiences will have no trouble progressing through most of the game, but the real challenge awaits more advanced players in collecting all of the tokens. Perseverance will award you most, if not all, of the tokens, but there is enough of a challenge here to make you feel as though you've accomplished something.

To Infinity And Beyond

On each level, you have to complete challenges set by characters from the films. Some challenges are the same on each level; these include collecting 50 coins for Ham and finding Mr Potato Head's missing body parts! Most of the other challenges include racing a variety of creatures and collecting items. On the first level you have to race RC around the garage and collect five of Bo Peep's missing sheep. The tasks are similar on each level, but there is enough variety and challenge to keep them playable. On each level you also get Rex who provides invaluable titbits of advice on where to go and what to do in each of the levels, which aren't exactly large but are definitely action packed.

The graphics on the levels are fairly bland with uninspiring textures, but this can be forgiven since it's supposed to be a cartoon world. What is surprising though is the complete lack of fogging on the levels. Unfortunately this means some pop-up, but it is minimal and doesn't distract from the gameplay. Character animation is a bit of a disappointment because 'adequate animation' isn't something you'd expect from a Disney licensed game. Where this game really shines though, drawing you into the Toy Story world, is in the sound effects.

Falling With Style

Everything from the sound of Buzz Lightyear's laser to the swooshing noise of his wings opening has been faithfully recreated. It doesn't stop there though, because the game also has a handful of speech samples thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately most of this is from the first film, but they are at least well known. It's hilarious to hear Buzz say “I come in peace,” when shooting an enemy or “No signs of intelligent life!” when you fail to make a jump. As you wander through the levels you also get other characters from the film shouting out to attract your attention in perfectly recognisable voices.

The main problem this game does have is when you try to make difficult jumps. It's understandable that on later levels the platform sections get more and more difficult, but this can go beyond frustrating at times. On one level, for example, you can spend a substantial amount of your time making your way up a lift shaft, only to fall all the way to the bottom at the final hurdle. Toy Story 2 can be very unforgiving even to the expert player. What is even more annoying is that jumps could be a lot easier if not for the cameras and the walls.

You're Mocking Me, Aren't You?

Attempts have been made to sort out the camera views in this game by giving more or less full control in two different modes. Of course, none of this actually helps when you are trying to negotiate your way across moving platforms in a timed race while being fired upon by a flying tin robot. The two different modes offer a slowly spinning, almost static camera, or a quickly-spinning camera, but there is no middle option. You'll often find yourself switching between the two throughout different parts of the game.

Perhaps the most annoying things about Toy Story 2 are the walls, or rather the contact between you and the walls. We're not just talking dodgy clipping here; that would have been forgivable. When you touch or even brush along the wall, the otherwise Lamborghini-like Buzz slows down to the speed of a Lada pulling a caravan without wheels. This is especially annoying when you're trying to jump from one small ledge to another small ledge, where contact with the wall is near unavoidable.

Space Ranger, Universe Protection Unit

All in all you get 15 levels for your pleasure in Toy Story 2 and although some of these are boss levels, there is plenty of exploring to be done. To top it all you can't finish each of the levels the first time round anyway, because you need to unlock power-ups from later levels to allow access to new areas. For example, you need to collect the rocket jet boots from a later level to beat RC in a race on one of the earlier levels. This may be a simple way of claiming the game has replay value, but it does mean that you are getting value for money in a game which has no multiplayer mode. Breaking the mould of film conversion failures, this is a great game and (niggling flaws aside) is fun to play.

The game of the sequel of the film, in case you were wondering, which - if you've yet to see it - is well worth a look. At least as good as the original, it's a heartwarming affair that mesmerises from the off, managing to provide top entertainment for the kids while throwing in enough cultural references to keep the adults nodding smugly (or guffawing wildly, in the case of some foreigners at a recent press screening).

As for the game, it's a competent platformer in which you assume the role of square-jawed Space Ranger, Buzz Lightyear, one of the leading characters of the films, and patron of the (technically impossible) catchphrase, "To infinity and beyond!". However, unlike the Buzz of the movies, the game character has even greater powers, notably the ability to fire his laser, perform a fancy spin, and even fly for a couple of seconds.

The story only tenuously follows that of the film, as watching a toy spaceman constantly miss a ledge by inches clearly wouldn't make for much of a movie. The action features appearances from much of the cast, including Rex the cowardly dinosaur, Hamm the piggy bank, Slinky Dog and Mr & Mrs Potato Head. New characters from the latest film also crop up, along with numerous video clips, which could prove something of a spoiler if you've not seen it. We've been waiting for a platform game to come along and reinvigorate the genre for ages and, not surprisingly, Toy Story 2 didn't exactly set our world alight.

Ultimately, the game was always going to suffer in comparison to the film, although in fairness it is definitely a cut above most merchandising tie-ins. If you buy it for a kid, don't be surprised to find yourself regularly 'helping out'.

Pixar and Disney sure do know how to mate computer graphics with a good script that equals mega-dollars at the box office. Can Activision, Disney Interactive, and Traveler's Tales do the same thing with a 3D action game on the Nintendo 64?

Toy Story 2 (TS2) is an action adventure game as Mario 64. The storyline of the game loosely follows the movie of the same name. You control Buzz Lightyear in a 3D environment that consists of five zones and 15 levels that range from Andy's house to the tarmac of an airport.

Gameplay

As Buzz Lightyear you have to find or earn Pizza Planet tokens (sound like stars in Mario 64?) and the more tokens you get, the more zones that you can access. While you play through these zones and levels you will get help of varying types from Buzz's friends Mr. Potato Head, Rex, Slinky Dog, and Hamm the piggy bank. They either give you some play help or they provide a challenge where you can earn more tokens. Each level also has a race, a puzzle, and a mini-boss to provide more ways to get these elusive Pizza Planet tokens.

Buzz pretty much has your standard moves for a game of this type (e.g. run, jump, grab n' pull up, pole climb, etc) which do take some time to master. One of the hardest things for designers to implement is the camera control for a 3D game. In TS2, I found this camera to be frustrating -- during some sequences in gameplay it worked extremely well but in others it gave me mild motion sickness. You do have the option of having a fixed camera or one that moves around, however neither was entirely successfully implemented.

One area where this game exceeds expectations is in the size of the levels -- they are huge! Not Donkey Kong 64 big, but larger than most of the platform games out there today.

Graphics & Audio

The graphics are average for a fifth generation N64 game that doesn't require the expanded memory card. If you have Mario 64 (who doesn't?) and use that as a baseline then this is slightly better in raw graphics. The audio in TS2 is okay but nothing that Randy Newman would put on his resume.

Bottom Line

If you love the movie Toy Story 2 and haven't played too many of the 3D platform games out there on the N64 then add this title to your library. But for me, this game wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Kids and adults alike enjoyed the first Toy Story movie, with its brilliantly rendered characters and lifelike animation. Now a second feature-length Toy Story flick is on the way, and so is a game by the same name.

Toy Story 2 is a third-person free-roaming platform game much in the same vein as Banjo-Kazooie. As Buzz Lightyear, you must save Woody from an overzealous toy collector. There is also the evil Zurg (Buzz Lightyear's archnemesis) to contend with on the toy-sized level, along with his band of hench-bots. Basically, you work your way through levels destroying enemy robots, collecting icons and taking on various tasks. Overall, there's around 10 movie-inspired levels, filled with this sort of gameplay. The first level, which starts inside of the house from the movie, really makes you feel like a toy roaming around an empty house. Everything is proportioned properly, and there are plenty of areas to explore--from the top floor all the way down to the basement.

Many of the characters from the original film are in the game as well. When Buzz meets up with them, they often have some sort of task for him to complete. For example, some of your toy pals will have you retrieve a lost object for them in return for a power-up, while others will challenge you to a race or some other activity. Either way, Buzz is rewarded for his hard work.

Buzz has all kinds of moves (just like he does in the movie), which are either learned by reading the info found inside little floating alphabet blocks or within a level. Once activated, these "toy accessory" moves--like double-jumping, grappling and flying-can be linked together for access to unreachable or hidden areas. Of course, Buzz has various offensive tactics to take out enemies with. These include his arm laser and torso spin.

Most of the enemies are robotic and either fly or bounce around. Players can simply shoot them while running around, or go into "sniper mode." By killing enemies, players receive collectibles--the more collectibles, the more free lives you get. There will also be five main bosses in the finished game, with Zurg being the final boss.