A tale of two games.
Who doesn’t love Toy Story? Woody and Buzz have been in our hearts since the release of the original movie back in 1995 (has it been that long), and we all adore and enjoy the pickles they find themselves in and especially how this super secret, toy world exists entirely unnoticed by the real world. So it is with great delight to report that Toy Story 3: The Video Game adheres to these principles to deliver a pretty enjoyable experience.
The subtext for this review, mentions that Toy Story 3 is essentially two games, one a standard campaign, the second an open world adventure. Starting with the campaign, you are treated to a great opening cinematic where you play as Woody within the “imaginary world” of Andy. Think the opening of Toy Story 1, when Bo Peep is in distress and Woody comes to the rescue, but instead of an adventure within Andy’s bedroom, we are treated to the realisation of a whole fully fledged universe, well, universe might be stretching it, but a fully realised stage at least. The campaign flip flops between, playing in the imaginary world and the real world, with all the trials and tribulations that we have seen our heroes have to deal with in the past.
The campaign levels themselves are varied enough to make them fun, and the traversing between the two worlds certainly breaks up the play, as you have to employ entirely different skill sets to pass them. The real world gameplay is reminiscent of the Lego games, with the imaginary world playing a lot like the ratchet and clank series.
The real meat of the game however, is in the Toy Box, where you live life as a sheriff ensuring the world is in perfect harmony. Exploring the open world, you come across quests from familiar Toy Story characters that they need help with. Finish these quests for rewards that you can then use to purchase items to customise the village. The joy in this mode is that, you are being taught how to play it by completing various missions, not by boring tutorials, and practically everything is editable. You can change a buildings style, give a villager a haircut, or build new structures. The more I played this mode, the more I enjoyed it, there’s just so much to do, from finding hidden items to seeking out new quests, to perfecting your Toy Boxes look. It really did remind me of a streamlined Viva Piñata, and we all know how addictive that game can be.
But for all its glory, there are a few drawbacks; the level design in the campaign can become a bit tedious. I gather that these levels are made for kids, but rinse and repeating a few sections of a stage over and over can certainly drain the player. The controls can be a little fiddly at times aswell, and I found myself dying more often than I care to mention, due to being caught in an imaginary wall or from a badly positioned camera.
But these are only niggles for an otherwise solid release. Personally speaking, this game would be great if it just came out with the Toy Box and nothing else, so the campaign is just a bonus. And I guarantee you’ll spend most of your time playing Woody’s Roundup. The game isn’t overly difficult either; with plenty of help and suggestions along the journey should you get stuck, so it certainly makes for a great game, for kids of all ages.
8/10
Review by Brian Buckley
