When people think of the name Pixar,
they immediately think of great animation movies. There are several reasons for
this, the foremost being that their movies are always using cutting-edge
technology; but it doesn’t stop there, their movies are backed by great writing,
voices, and animation. Their latest movie entitled Ratatouille has just hit the
theaters, and if it is like any of their previous movies I am sure that kids and
adults worldwide will rush out to go see it. Just like all the previous
blockbusters of this year have gotten movie-to-game conversions, Ratatouille has
received a game as well.
Here is the story thus far: Remy is
a French rat that has a very acute sense of smell and taste. Unlike the rest of
his family, he dreams of becoming a fine chef like his idol Auguste Gusteau, and
stop eating garbage (literally). One day his ambitions to become a chef
accidently uproot his family from the French countryside and they get deposited
into the sewers Paris. Luckily for Remy, they end up below the restaurant of
his hero, Gusteau. One day he watches the new bus boy Linguini, make a pot of
soup, and he decides that he can “spice it up,” and the dish turned out to be a
hit. So now Remy has partnered up with Linguini to become a great chef. Remy is
now torn between his passion of cooking and his family.
To put it simply, Ratatouille is a
straight, no thrills, platformer game, if you were looking for something new
then you will find yourself in a soup of disappointment. In this game you will
explore various areas, collect items (stars, cheese, apple cores, etc), jump
around to avoid enemies, and even hit your enemies with spoons or your tail.
Even though this might be a complaint to some, the good thing about this game is
that all of the gameplay mechanics are heavily refined and work perfectly.
Paddle down that river as fast as you can.
The controls for this game are
simple. You move Remy around with the control stick. If you want to jump press
the A button and if you want to double jump press it twice. Pressing the Z
button will allow you to run in a wild frenzy, it is really funny if you run in
a straight line then change directions he will start to “power slide,” which you
can control. The animation for this is spot on and hilarious. Pressing the B
button will allow you to grab certain items, such as a rope or even pick up
items as a spoon or can. If you press and hold the B button then it will
activate Remy’s heightened sense of smell, which basically shows you the way to
your next objective.
One thing that is a complaint is
that the camera controls are less than desired. You move the camera with the C
button and then point to where you want to look. Thankfully this is not a game
that involves fast-paced reflexes as this solution wouldn’t work out that well.
Even though this camera controls are not much of a hindrance it will prove to be
a slight annoyance to older gamers.
Rats don’t like to share.
The Wii-mote is used for only a few
activities in this game. First off if you want to do a tail spin, attack with a
spoon or paddle a boat you will swing the Wii-mote around to get the desired
effect. It is not very advanced, but it does get the job done and will give that
little interactivity that the younger gaming crowd will enjoy. There several
mini games that use the Wii-mote exclusively. First off is a cooking mini-game
where Remy thinks of an ingredient then you must point the Wii-mote at the
screen and push that one into the pot of soup. One of my favorite one is where
you have to cook crepes (pancakes), and your Wii-mote “becomes the pan” where
you have to push and move from side to side in order not to overcook it. There
are also other games that you will be able to take part in which help break up
any monotony that this game has.
The graphics for Ratatouille are
decent but, just like the gameplay; the developers really don’t try to go the
extra mile to add something new to the game, which is also understandable
because this is a game that is targeted more towards kids instead of hardcore
gamers. With that being said I was really impressed with how big each of the
games environments are and how everything was measured up proportionately in the
game to the main character, a rat. The thing that I enjoyed best about the game
was the animation of the characters. Like I sated earlier it is extremely funny
to make Remy run in a straight line then turn him around really fast and watch
him scurry about to do your every command. The music for this game is decent,
but nothing to rave over. Also the voice actors do a good job delivering their
lines with convention.
Ratatouille is rated Everyone.
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Gameplay: 7.2
The developers did a good job with adding motion-sensitive controls to
this game, as it makes it more interactive to the players. The only sad part
about this game is that it is too easy and really short.
Graphics: 7.2
The overall graphics for this game are not outstanding yet they are not
bad either. The character models and their animations are really done well.
Sound: 6.9
The soundtrack for this game is adequate enough as are the voice
actors.
Difficulty: Easy
This game was definitely made for the younger gaming audience, as you
will have no trouble breezing through it.
Concept: 7.1
This game really added nothing new to the platforming genre.
Multiplayer 6.8
The multiplayer mode is compiled of various mini-games that you played
in single-player mode. It is fun to play with your friends on these modes but it
really isn’t too deep an experience.
Overall: 7.1
Ratatouille is a fun game; the only sad thing is that this game really
doesn’t try to add anything new. On the other hand the thing that it excels at
is making sure the game is as tight controlling as it can be for the players. If
you are looking for a good game for your children then this game should fit the
bill.
