Bee Movie Game – PC – Review

The buzz on the
streets is that Barry B. Benson is the honey in everyone’s tea. After all, how
many bees dream of a better life and then go out and do something about it?
Barry did.

Getting
straight B’s in college was not enough and he was always striving for something
more.

That is what
led him to heading outside to collect pollen with the flyboys and eventually to
establishing a relationship with a human.

*Gasp! …
a human ?!?*

Yep, and now
Barry is a celebrity, top-of-the-hive and everyone’s favorite bee.

Activision and
Dreamworks, along with Beenox (the aptly named dev team for this title) have
partnered to bring along The Bee Movie Game to coincide with the animation
motion picture of the same name. What the PC game is, though, is a collection of
mini games based within the framework of the movie’s story. Barry is a hot topic
and he is telling his tale on Hive TV. So in this regard, the game is played as
a remembered story.

This means that
while you might fail a section, you will replay it until you get it right, and
as this is a game built for the younger crowd, getting it right comes in varying
degrees of difficulty but they should be able to succeed.

The game,
though, has some failings. The first comes in the form of the graphics. After
being treated to some nice cut scene footage, the in-game graphics, particularly
in the hive, sort of have a flat and almost bland look. Once you get outside and
into the environments, the game begins to pick up graphically. The title also,
though, switches control elements at odd times. At one point you are using the
WASD keys to move Barry, with the arrow keys to manipulate the camera. Then,
without any real warning, the game tosses in a few button mashing elements
(pounding on a number key) to achieve a different effect. This was a bit
surprising. Even a 13-year old, who was enthralled with the idea of playing the
game, was lost when it initially came to pounding a key to achieve wing velocity
for flight.

You begin the
game with several levels that act as a tutorial. You start in the hive and can
take on a variety of jobs, each with several levels. Each job appears at a
certain time in the storyline and you have to achieve the first level of the job
to unlock the second and third stage. Cut scenes carry players from one element
to the next in a very guided fashion.

The game will
have players driving cars, then collecting pollen and pollinating flowers,
fending off the attacks of various other insects, amphibians, humans and
animals, as well as other semi-entertaining elements like the tennis game. In
the tennis game, Barry is stuck to the ball and must rotate the ball before the
humans playing the game strike it with their racquets. This is to make certain
he is on the other side of the ball when it is struck.

(No worry,
parents, failing does not show a squashed Barry, but automatically pops back to
the beginning of the game for a re-do.)

When it comes
to the sound, the game features Jerry Seinfeld being … well … Jerry Seinfeld.
His comedic delivery is recognizable and his asides are obvious and amusing. The
music, though, can be repetitious and have players turning the sound down. You
also get “guidance” in the form of radio-like messages that outline objectives
during any particular level.

The Bee Movie
Game is a title obviously built for the younger set. It has, at times, a
forgiving and gentle learning curve. Seinfeld and crew throw in a few sides for
older players, but this is a title that will have limited appeal for older
gamers.

Review Scoring Details for Bee Movie Game

Gameplay: 7.0
This is a game that
throws mini games into the overall story arc, and hopes to keep players
entertained. The controls switch gears a couple of times with a heavy emphasis
on the keyboard. However, while you can’t always steer with the mouse, it does
come into play at certain times, like during flight, which is a boon.

Graphics: 7.8
This is a game
obviously designed for a system with lower specs. The cut scenes look culled
from the movie but the gameplay elements – in the hive, at any rate – lack a
vibrancy that would make this game sing on the PC platform. PCs are capable of
better graphics than this game shows off.

Sound: 8.0
Nice little asides
that will tickle the funny bone of older players, but most of the humor is
obvious and out there for kids.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Concept: 7.0
An overriding
concept filled with mini games is not entirely new. The quick jump from one
element to another may appeal to those with shorter attention spans.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The multiplayer is
tied to the game’s mini games, only expanded for more than one player to try and
top the score of his or her opponents. The first one, for example, that you
unlock is the lap race in Chapter Two of the game.

Overall: 7.0
The game will
certainly have some charm for younger players, but there are a few challenges to
overcome while playing it. Even a 13-year old was surprised and confused when
the game changed control options, moving from WASD and arrow keys to numbers,
during one section. And there is a fair amount of repetition to overcome. The
game just seems to lack a cohesive element to make it truly a charming affair.
This is a game best left to the younger crowd.