Pitfall: The Lost Expedition – XB – Preview 2

No more parachutes, the last went out the door with a
winsome lass that seemed rather obviously oblivious to Harry’s charms. Swirling
downward, it seemed like certain death …

… or maybe not.

Harry finds himself on the floor of the jungle, a plane to
find, survivors to rescue and dangers to overcome. Ah, the joys of being known
as Pitfall Harry.

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition is an Xbox title from
Activision. The game is also releasing on the
GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PlayStation2.

The game has a rather intriguing timeline. It begins with a
simplified version of the boss fight, then back tracks and asks players to work
through the game to the end. The plane goes down, Harry is on the ground and the
early levels are akin to a tutorial. You are guided through the basic functions
of the game – which include swinging across gaping maws of teeth, swimming
through piranha-infested waters, pulling a Tarzan (swinging from vine-to-vine),
collecting treasure, punching out monkeys, and rescuing a wayward explorer.

Jungle totems will point the way along toward the remains
of the crashed plane. There are healing pools of water, which will restore your
health icons (which are akin to attempts). If you pay attention to the nooks and
crannies along the way, you may find statutes and other treasures, which can be
exchanged with shamans for items you may find useful, like more health.

The path through the game seems somewhat linear, and the
puzzles are not overly complex. Players familiar with the style of game should
not feel overly challenged in figuring out the right course through the game.

You can climb vines or lower down, swing back and forth to
build momentum for long jumps (a double jump will gain that extra distance as
well – and you can re-direct your momentum in mid-leap), crouch, roll, and
sneak. The camera controls are linked to the L and R triggers and will swing for
a panoramic view of the surroundings. The left thumbstick controls movement and
the right thumbstick controls Harry’s actions with either his left or right arm.

While the game is not overly complex, it is a delight for
the eyes. The environments are bright and lushly rendered, and the animation is
cartoonish but very nice. Even when in the jaws of a crocodile, the animation is
fun and smooth. Harry has a distinctive personality and it seems that each
character has defined characteristics that make this a light-hearted adventure.

The audio of this game is a combination of voice acting,
ambient sounds and support music – all of which do a nice job in supporting the
graphical elements.

Pitfall is not overly complex, but for younger players this
may be a delightful romp. The game has a rich three-dimensional look that really
does a wonderful job of bringing this series to life. In many ways this is the
side-scrolling adventure brought to life in a three-dimensional world. The game
has obvious ties to its roots while transitioning into the new arena of
adventure console titles. Don’t look for anything overly complex and you will
certainly enjoy this title.