WALL-E Xbox 360 Review

WALL-E

Xbox 360 Review
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Heavy Iron Studios
Players: 1
Released: June 24, 2008

WALL-E released in theaters last Friday from Disney and Pixar, as the companies have once again managed to introduce the world to a brand new character to fall in love with. The film has received rave reviews from critics, and is an incredibly entertaining movie to go see, whether you are young or old. With any big franchise from Disney and Pixar, you are bound to get a game based around it, the question is though, is the game any good?

The story of WALL-E is brought over to the game here as you see the trash-compacting robot going a bout doing his chores on Earth, cleaning up the garbage. Humans, after completely flooding the planet with trash, had to leave and go into space for 5-years, leaving WALL-E behind to clean up the planet and get it in good enough shape for it to be habitable again.

The only trouble is, the humans never returned, and WALL-E is stuck there all by himself.

You play through the game as either WALL-E, of the sleek EVE, whom WALL-E ends up falling in love with.

The game plays out pretty much like your typical 3D platformer with some adventure mixed in, at least to start out with. What you end up finding out as the game progresses though is that there are really many more varying game play styles which you will be introduced to. EVE and WALL-E both control very differently, and in some cases, you have to use both of them to solve certain puzzles you encounter throughout the game.

The main tactics WALL-E uses consist of rolling around like a tank, jumping, and crushing things into cubes which can prove to be mighty helpful. EVE, the more advanced robot, has the ability to fly and shoot a very powerful laser.

The layout of the game is going to be pretty simplistic to any gamer who has experience in a platformer offering. You will have to find things to heal your energy, hit buttons to open doors, try to navigate through various areas, etc. The developers have also managed to throw in some new fresh ideas as well, which they should be applauded for.

The gameplay of WALL-E itself though gets a bit bland in spots, as you will tell right off the bat that the game has a bit of a weak design to it. This could either be do to poor AI for the enemies, or that the developers just wanted to gear it towards the younger audience. There are some obvious glitches in the game as well with invisible walls you will run into, among other glitches where enemies may not even see you.

In terms of visuals, WALL-E really lacks in this department, which is disappointing considering how great Pixar made the actual movie look. The visuals of the game are filled with flickering and an overall lack of polish. It just seems like the developers did not have enough time to spend on the cut-scenes, level design, etc.

They did add in some nice touches, such as the dirt trail WALL-E leaves behind him as he is rolling along. Beyond that though, animations also leave a lot to be desired. Just not up to the next-gen standards here.

The audio presentation is fairly well done, living up to the personality of the movie nicely with the sound effects, musical score, etc. Nothing too over the top, but it definitely captures what the movie created, and mixes it into the game well.

In terms of longevity, the game does not do that bad as the single-player game will be enjoyable for the younger crowd to blast through once or twice. If they are the type that wants to complete everything, there is also a great deal to unlock here, urging you to play through the game over again.

Overall, WALL-E had the opportunity to actually be an extremely enjoyable game, as there was a basis here for a great platforming adventure. Instead, what we end up with is another movie game which is, to be honest, just average. The younger gamers who loved the movie will still likely love this game, but experienced gamers can get better entertainment elsewhere.

Graphics: 6.5 Not up to next-gen standards, a total lack of detail and polish. Very disappointing.

Audio: 7.0 Follows through in creating the same feel of the movie, well done here.

Gameplay: 6.5 The game plays nicely, but lacks depth and difficulty. Glitches also harm the experience.

Replay Value: 6.8 Those who love to complete things will find reason to play through this again. If you are not one of those though, this is a one and done deal.

Final Score: 6.8

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Interested in picking up this release? Head over to Amazon at the link here Wall-E