Oh Hollywood and
your seemingly endless stream of animated releases that light up the big screen
to cater to the kids both little and the kind who just don’t want to grow up
(like, say, me). This is truly a golden age for animation and I have to admit
that a good majority of them are actually great features that have a deeper
meaning while others were just designed to make a profit. Ratatouille,
Disney Pixar’s latest release, is one of those meaningful features and is one of
the best animated movies to come out this year. This also means you can expect a
game to be released as well but unlike the film it’s based on many of these
games just aren’t as charming or as fun.
This brings us
to Ratatouille for the PSP, a side story that tells a different tale
starring the movie’s familiar characters. Unlike the console version of the game
– which is fun, easy on the eyes and inventive – the PSP version of the game has
a slew of problems that make this feel like a meal that’s not quite ready to be
served despite its promising ingredients. First, the story places the main
character Remy (a gifted chef who also happens to be a rat) in a tough spot. You
see, he and his human friends, Linguini and Colette, are about to open their own
restaurant but a dastardly fellow sneaks in while they’re gone and steals their
original recipes. It’s up to Remy to follow the trail of clues and retrieve the
recipes before the opening of the new restaurant.
You guide Remy
through a number of environments, many of them familiar territory for those who
have seen the movie such as Linguini’s apartment in France as well as the sewers
were Remy and his other rat pals have lived for awhile. We see the human world
through his eyes and to a rat things just seem a lot bigger and thus more
challenging for him to navigate his way to an objective. Oh yes, there are a
number of objectives to complete in the game but they’re mainly fetch quests.
Played like a platform game of yesteryear, the gameplay feels dated and, sadly,
makes the objectives feel like a chore. Sometimes, though, the journey to
complete said chore is where the fun is but it’s not often the case.
Much of the
environments are set up like platforms, allowing Remy to climb up shoe boxes to
reach a chair or a stack of books placed conveniently enough to reach another
book shelve. Remy has the ability to double jump, making it easy to reach
another platform and there’s never a shortage of things he can climb up or swing
classic Tomb Raider-style. Our rat friend even has a few attack moves,
which he’ll use to punch or tail whip an enemy such as a spider or other insects
that will hurt him. Speaking of Tomb Raider, Remy also is able to balance
himself on the tips of other objects and in one segment of the game he walks a
tightrope made entire of gum. This all sounds complex and challenging but thanks
to the aid of Gusteau and Emile there’s plenty of handholding to keep the
younger gamers from scratching their heads wondering what to do next.
Unfortunately,
since the game is made up of fetch quests and collecting, there’s no real
mystery to what you’ll do next. You’ll be collecting cheese that is scattered
throughout each level’s environment and using that cheese to buy upgrades such
as the ability to double punch or jump a bit higher. Your biggest challenge will
come in rotating the camera that seems to always want to obscure the view to the
point that you’ll fall a lot or not see a spider that made its way in front of
you. Sure, you can manually turn the camera with the R and L button but this
doesn’t always remedy the poor camera angles that will not fail to frustrate
gamers of all ages.
The good news is
that the game is lengthy and there are some fun moments in the game that are
mixed in with sore spots like the weak level design. In one segment of the game
you’ll be attempting to escape the wrath of the nasty French chef Skinner who
wants nothing more than to smash Remy in the head with a ladle. There’s even
multiplayer, but I must add that it doesn’t add a lot.
Graphically
speaking, though, Ratatouille looks amazing. In fact, the characters and the
environments look like the ones seen in the movie. Remy is a nicely detailed rat
and his little expressions come off well on the PSP widescreen. There are even
some solid cinematic cutscenes in the game that is true to Pixar’s animation. As
for the game’s soundtrack, it’s wonderful and will not fail to bring France to
mind when you hear it. This is topped off by a great voice cast and equally good
sound effects.
Ratatouille
for the PSP lacks the charm of the film or the enjoyable action of the console
version and gives us a platformer that might look appetizing but is far from it.
Really, the game does play in the charming world seen in the movie and it does
have the right main character but thanks to a number of weaknesses, this one
will only disappoint those younger gamers who are looking for a fun portable
game based on a really good Disney Pixar film. If you have a younger gamer who
definitely wants a game based on the movie I highly suggest you pick up the
console version instead.
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Gameplay: 6.2
Our furry
culinary genius is reduced to searching for cheese and whipping spiders with his
tail in a surprisingly lengthy game. Sadly, the action isn’t as endearing as the
movie and Remy’s antics are hurt by uninspiring level design and a camera that
will play a hand in giving you a headache.
Graphics: 8.0
The game’s
graphics are actually quite cute when it comes to the character design and even
the environments look good since you’re looking at the human world through a
tiny rat’s perspective. The cutscenes look like those from the movie and the
animation is smooth as a kitchen counter.
Sound: 8.5
The soundtrack
feels straight out of the movie and the Django Reinhart-like guitars feel very
French indeed. There are some great sound effects that will come out of the PSP
speakers and the voice acting is the icing on top of a really sweetened cake.
Difficulty:
Easy/Medium
Navigating
some of the game’s platforms (and by that I mean book shelves and kitchen
counters) is tough but not because of the obstacles placed on your path but
because of that pesky camera. Remy can upgrade his ratty skills so even the
youngest gamer can get by without much trouble.
Concept: 6.5
Collecting
stuff in a platformer is so yesteryear and the simplicity of the level design
will leave much to be desired. While it’ll be a kick to play as Remy and run
around apartment and sewers that look bigger than life, kids will get a kick out
of the game’s presentation. There’s also a multiplayer mode but it feels tacked
on.
Multiplayer:
6.0
There’s a
two-player multiplayer mode using an Ad Hoc connection and it’s mainly a
collect-this-before-the-time-runs-out type of deal and (dare I say it?) a rat
race mode. It doesn’t feel like much thought was placed on the multiplayer mode
but having it is better than not having it at all.
Overall: 6.2
The PSP
version of Ratatouille hardly feels like much of a morsel and compared to
the far superior console version this will be a disappointment for anyone who
fell in love with the movie. We do get some beautiful Pixar-quality animation
here but in the end the repetitive fetch quests, frustrating camera and old
school platforming bits will not sit well with gamers of all ages.
