Toy Story review by Al Giovetti

 

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By Al Giovetti, 03/16/97
Price:
Genre:Arcade action
Release:
Developer: RAD Software
Lead Artist:
Programmer:
Producer:
Publisher: Disney Interactive
Phone: 800-426-3306
Website:
Requirements:486DX2, 66 MHz, 8 MB RAM, 8 MB hard disk drive space, 2X CD ROM, 256-Color VESA, PCI, or other local bus video, 8-bit sound card, Game pad recommended


Toy Story

History

A wonderful magical film was released by Disney Studios, Toy Story. The film was done totally on computer with a revolutionary three dimensional animation graphics, which have been followed to television with The New Adventures of Johnny Quest and The Net. The game had the same remarkable Disney Characterizations, wit and personality of the previous great Disney animated films.

The game was first released for the Sega Genesis when the film was released. The current game is a straight port from the 16-bit platform to the PC, and like most of these ports no new items, animation, graphics, or gameplay was added. Even Disney recommends using the gamepad to simulate the console game experience. This is another marketing attempt to leverage properties instead of a true game conversion by programmers and game designers.

Company Line

Rev up your twitch finger because the toys are back in town! And now they're starting in a fast, furious, and funny video game you can play on your computer. You'll go one-on-one with the evil Claw, Scud, and the workbench of horrors. But hang in there, because you and Woody need to rescue Buzz from the toy-torturing boy next door. It's forty hours of gaming so wild, it's out of this world!

Features :
All the action and humor of the movie in 17 levels of wired-for-action play
Rescue squeeze-toy aliens! Avoid the evil Claw!
Ward off mutant toys with karate-chop Buzz!
Test your skills of speed and strategy!
Choose your level of difficulty
Save your game from the last-completed level
See a new scene not in the movie -- Nightmare Buzz!

Game Play

You play Woody. You jump up, run, and climb on blocks, collect stars, and use the stars to help the other toys. Inspite of the three dimensional graphics, the game has two dimensional gameplay. You move from side to side avoiding bad guys and collecting powerups.

Most of the game play is trial and error. Try something, die, start over, and try again. There is little to hint at what is doable and what is not. This leads to frustration.

Plot

The plot does not have very much to do with the movie's rivalry of two toys for a boy's love. The game starts out with this plot, but eventually the game designers feel it is necessary to deviate. The game becomes a simple side scroller and the plot is lost in the action.

Graphics

Wonderful three dimensional character animation with basically two dimensional flat backgrounds.

Animation

The three dimensional character animation is very similar to that used in the film.

Voice Actors

Music Score

The music is similar to that used in the film.

Sound Effects

Utilities

Multi-player Features

There are no multiplayer features.

Cheats, Hints, Walkthrough

Journalists

Adam says that children will find the game overly difficult and frustrating, compounded by sluggish and poor designed controls: "Just a lackluster side-scroller game, which doesn't come close to recapturing the magic of the film."

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References

Disney Interactive Toy Story Web Site
Adam Douglas, PC Gamer, volume 4, number 4, April, 1997, pg. 149, 27%.

PC Game Center

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