PC Game Review: Toy Story 3

Posted by Laya Maheshwari on Sep 2, 2010 in Games, Reviews |

Whether you are satisfied with or displeased by Toy Story 3: The Video Game depends a lot on what expectations you set from the game.

If you go in expecting an interactive version of the movie, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. The game’s Story Mode does follow the movie’s plot loosely, but it is a half-baked effort and will not entertain you, help you pass the time and certainly not give you your money’s worth. I’ll elaborate on that later.

On the other hand, if you wish to relive your childhood fantasies, and play with a variety of toys in a sandbox environment (like the good ol’ days), then Toy Story 3 is just what the doctor ordered for you. The game has a Toy Box Mode where you are the sheriff of a town in the Old West, and the mode consists of puzzles, small tasks, adventures etc. This part of the game is delightful and will keep you occupied for a sizable amount of time.

The game uses a “board-game” format to convey the plot in the Story Mode, a feature that makes little sense whichever way you look at it. The presentation is very messy and it is difficult to make head-or-tails out of what is going on. One level ends and another begins but you don’t have any sense of completion or achievement as the proceedings are barely coherent.

The Story mode is disappointing. The Toy Box mode saves the game.

It doesn’t help that the choice of levels, and their design in particular, is astoundingly baffling. The movie had a great story which could have served as a great outline for a video game, but the makers pass this opportunity and instead choose to fabricate their own adventure. That isn’t a bad thing in itself but the problem is that this “adventure” goes off on tangents that are hardly interesting. For example, out of the 8 chapters that make up the Story Mode, only 5 bear a remote connection to the “story” itself. 3 levels which are based on Buzz Lightyear’s videogame, Bonnie’s House and a Haunted Bakery (?!) respectively are absurdly out-of-place, and break the flow of the game. Moreover, the Story Mode is very very short. I completed it in less than 3 hours, and it is a very middling affair.

The gameplay is not that great either. The Story Mode can be best summed up as a third-person action platformer. Most of your playing time will be taken up by performing generic tasks like traversing to and from platforms, shimmying from ledges, jumping from and dangling to hooks etc. All these things have been done a million times before, and in much better ways. The action is acceptable, and the portions where you have to fight as Buzz Lightyear are moderately fun.

The graphics, meanwhile, are gorgeous. Make no mistake, this game will surprise you with its beautiful settings. The attention to detail is exquisite, with every location from Andy’s home to Sunnyside Daycare to a junkyard animated brilliantly. There is one distinctly fairy-tale environment in the Toy Box Mode, which looks like a cross between an anime property and The Princess Bride. It is aesthetically very pleasing and will stay with you for some time. What makes this even more impressive is that this is just a kids’ game, and Disney could have easily phoned it in. But they didn’t, thankfully, and the hard work shows.

The locations and characters are exquisitely detailed.

The musical aspect is handled reasonably well. Randy Newman’s You’ve Got A Friend In Me starts playing just as you load the game, and the score is melodious too. The sound effects are booming and pack a punch, but there are very few of them and hence get repetitive fast, especially in the Toy Box Mode.

The games does have lots of extras and bonuses, such as concept art, but obtaining them is a really irritating process. Unlike other games, which unlock these rewards for you as you gather collectibles, Toy Story 3 makes the asinine choice of having you assimilate all collectibles before you get any reward. For example: if you played through a level carefully and gather, say, 7/8 collectibles, you won’t unlock a bonus. No, you’ll have to play the entire level again, gather all collectibles so as to earn any reward. Infuriating.

Now, the Toy Box Mode, is where the game really shines. It is exciting, engaging and just damn good fun. In the PC version, you can play as either Woody, Buzz or Jessie. You have to help out the townspeople in whatever tasks they need assistance. You can help the paratroopers hone their parachuting skills, dress up everyone as aliens or mine for gold in the surroundings. It sounds goofy and silly, but is awesome to play. And, a big plus point is that it is much longer than the measly Story Mode.

As a whole, Toy Story 3 is a good family-oriented game, albeit one that is an uneven experience. The enjoyable Toy Box mode, drop-in-drop-out co-op and pretty graphics make up for the mediocre Story Mode. Try it if this is your thing.

(2.5/4)