I reviewed the Toy Story 2 game a few months ago, and that game was released on the N64.
The game I have today is the next in the series, released on the tail end of the Xbox 360’s
lifespan.
How many sequels, especially Pixar sequels, can you say that about.
It might have done this game some good, however, as it’s…achem…light years better than
the last game in the series.
This is Toy Story 3 for the Xbox 360.
Toy Story 3 is an interesting game that follows a similar style to the game released more
than 10 years earlier.
The main difference is that you have some different characters and abilities to choose
from, but you still pick from a few different levels and get missions from toys inside them
to complete.
Some of these are actually told as stories to the other toys, with different characters
playing the role of villains while guys like Woody or Buzz try to stop them.
The freedom you get in choosing what to do still makes it pretty unique among video games
based on movies, even though the second game did it 10 years earlier.
It just hasn’t caught on with other franchises.
Toy Story 3 actually controls really well, not just for a movie game, but for any game
at all.
Jumping and attacking both feel sensitive but smooth, and camera control is actually
not an issue at all.
The ability to get a horse in one section also makes the game a lot more fun, but the
best additions are the sections that allow you control a few different characters.
Throwing Woody up to a desk so he can reach something that the other characters can’t
adds something different to a game that could’ve gotten a little repetitive.
Toy Story 3 is also the perfect difficulty for its target audience.
Now, I’m not that audience, so I found the game to be pretty easy, except for a few jumps
near the very beginning, but the kids this is meant to appeal to shouldn’t have any
problem with it.
Missions can also be marked with an arrow on your compass so you don’t get lost, and
although they’re all pretty easy as well, they’re quick enough for short attention
spans.
Oh, and did I mention that you can just pick up other characters and chuck them through
windows?
It’s extremely entertaining.
You can do it to anyone.
Oh, you just gave me a new mission?
Here’s how I feel about that, get in the water!
One mission also told me to get a lost donkey back to his owner by pushing him off a cliff,
as he claims that donkeys always land on their legs.
Remember kids, if you see a lost donkey, push it off a cliff.
Using the same visual style of the movies also helps to make Toy Story 3 a really good
looking game on the 360.
It doesn’t try to do too much, and the frame-rate in cut-scenes is really smooth.
Voice acting is also great, as is the case with most Pixar games.
I especially liked Kristen Schaal’s performance.
I didn’t know exactly what to expect with Toy Story 3, but I was pleasantly surprised
to see that the game not only used some elements from the last game, but improved them to create
a great title for kids to play.
This is one of the only movie games I’d say is a must play for fans of
the film.