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THQ’s market performance has improved over recent years,
with the company becoming one of the major publishing labels for
videogames in Europe. Much of this would be due to the
 publisher’s
successive string of Disney/Pixar and Nickelodeon titles, as well as
handful of original Intellectual Properties aimed at family gaming.
However, the publisher has also earned themselves a warm spot in
many hardcore gamers heart. Seemingly having piped EA to-the-post
with the idea of leveraging risky projects aimed at the hardcore
market with the revenue made from their licences and Family titles.
Games such as
The Outfit,
Frontlines: Fuels of War and
Saints
Row may not have ever seen shop shelves had it not been for
titles such as
Disney/Pixar:
Cars or the
WWE
SmackDown! franchise.
It would be easy to think of Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E
as another title destined for the bargain bin within six months.
It’s common knowledge amongst videogame players that film licences
generally offer little in the way of innovation, or even rewarding
gameplay. However, THQ’s performance with these titles over the
years has steadily increased our expectations, with 2006’s
Disney/Pixar: Cars raising the bar, and last year’s
Disney/Pixar:
Ratatouille performing better still.
Immediately from the hand-holding Training Level,
Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E demonstrates greater production values
than any of THQ’s previous Disney/Pixar work. With fantastic
Cut-Scenes establishing the emotion – if not much of the story – and
the player asked to take the part of a small cog in a big machine.
Gears of War is still to this day praised for it’s “destroyed
beauty” aesthetic, yet Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E offer a sun
drenched vista of a used-up world with equivalent impact on a
Previous-Generation machine.
The bulk of the Single-Player Campaign comprises of Platform Levels
which rely on logistical puzzle solving, and feature little or no
combat. An unusual design decision for a Family Movie tie-in, but
one that pays in dividends; by most recent comparison Disney/Pixar’s
Wall*E
 is not a million miles away from the charismatic
Portal. ATARI’s
Alone in the Dark has recently been
commended for its real-world style puzzles, and Disney/Pixar’s
Wall*E actually makes its own attempts in its fictional
universe. Although basic at best – probably limitations imposed due
to hardware and target audience, as opposed to developer skill –
Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E features it’s own selection of weight- and
speed-based puzzles. Each of the Levels typically involves the
player working through an arena designed around the puzzles at-hand,
reaching and then destroying blue Crates to collect Tokens to pass
through a Gate. Each is immaculately designed and feature no bugs or
sticking spots while maintaining a high-standard of graphical
flourish – quality reminiscent of Nintendo’s own Platform gems on
GameCube.
Other Levels range from on-rails shooting to adrenaline-pumping
rushes through obstacle courses. Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E does
feature some poorly judged set-pieces – a particular instance being
a dash across ramps and under barriers on thin ledges in the first
third of the title, upon which Wall*E’s tight handling and the
Camera’s slow movement can cause unnecessary annoyance, especially
when these gameplay elements can truly set the heart racing when at
their best. Completing Levels unlocks Multi-Player Mini-Games, as
well as Bonus Points for the player to spend on the Cheats and
Bonuses of their choice. Hidden Artifacts (each of which triggers a
unique and amusing Cut-Scene) and BnL Crates populate Levels,
encouraging replay.
The control is tight and has been well implemented. Each action
Wall*E can perform is fleshed-out and positively enhances the
gameplay. The character’s jump ability is limited, amount to little
more than forward rolls when travelling at slow speeds, and many of
the title’s puzzles are based around this design element.
The Mini-Games are just that; Mini-Games. While some added enjoyment
may be evident with the games younger players, especially in the
handful of Multi-Player games, there’s little here to warrant any
real time investment.
Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E is without a doubt one of the finest
looking titles on the PlayStation2. While Shadow of the Colossus
may have already been elected as the format’s best performer in
terms of milieu, and
God of War has been attributed the same
accolade for it’s charismatic Kratos and his on-screen dignity, both
judgements had been made before Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E had
even been announced, and may have been somewhat premature. Although
the story constraints sees a handful of the game’s Levels saturated
with a sterilised Sci-Fi coating, the majority have Draw Distances
greater and offering more detail than comparable Current-Generation
offering such as
Iron Man and
The Incredible Hulk: The
Videogame. Wall*E himself looks dazzling on-screen.
High-resolution textures and a high polygon-count fill the simple
right-angled Character Model with the same personality as that of
the motion-picture.
Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E is a surprisingly inventive game.
Playable from start to finish and with plenty to write home about,
THQ have presented yet another success to go alongside
Disney/Pixar:
Cars and
Disney/Pixar: Ratatouille. The only real issue
is for the hardcore audience, who, although will still become
perplexed at a handful of the title’s puzzles, may be put-off by the
game’s overall relative ease. Clearly more than a simple downsizing
of the Current-Generation
Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E games, the
PlayStation2 release is currently a contender for the formats game
of the year.
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