Disney’s Lilo & Stitch – PSX – Review

Disney has given us a lot of resources for games.
Since the early days of home platforms, we’ve invited various Magic World
characters into our homes for fun and challenge.
Lilo & Stitch is here
for the Playstation just as it’s name-sake larger than life inspiration is
hitting theaters across the country. That may not be a good thing. There isn’t a
good track record for games rushed to release to coincide with the theatrical
big brothers (can someone remind George Lucas about this??). This title has not
escaped that curse, but it good enough to keep fans glued to the PSX for a nice
bit of fun.

The best way to describe it’s gameplay is to say
that it is a platform game– in the same vein as Crash Bandicoot. In fact, blur
your vision and you’ll THINK you’re playing Crash. You goal is to, by playing
either Lilo or Stitch, traverse the tropical terrains snatching up goodies and
avoiding the obligatory baddies along the road. There are rabid rats, spiny
porcupines, killer plants and charging boars– to name a few. You collect
coffee, leaves, photographs and other objects plainly displayed in sight or
within obstacles that you can break open for rewards. A nice, gentle touch is
the reaction to Lilo or Stitch "losing a life". No violence here…..  when she
has been hit too many times, Lilo merely drops to the ground and pouts or kicks
and pounds here hands into the dirt. Stitch’s reaction is similar. Cute!!

Though it is extremely close to a Crash
Bandicoot, that does not mean it is not worthy of play. It does provide fun for
many age levels, but the younger audience will enjoy it better. The music sets a
great mood, and playing as Stitch is a lot of fun. He’s cute, crazy and
effective. There are bosses at the end of levels. They did not pose much of a
challenge, as their moves are well telegraphed. You have plenty of time to move
and wait for then to turn their weak spot to you. The missions are simple (such
as collecting photographs along the trail), and the music keeps it light and
fun– despite charging boars or snapping plants. To save a game, you must find a
blue mailbox and make contact.  If you lose your direction, you can have a map
drop down by pushing a button. I never seemed to need this, but it was nice to
have as a resource. It plays rather easily with a few small exceptions.

The main problem I found was the controls. The
jumping is touchy. If your move requires a finesse jump to a small moving
platform, you had better land it perfect. It is not very forgiving, and merely
re-adjusting your position on a moving object can bump your character off into
"restart level" territory (Death). This was a real source of annoyance in an
otherwise fun game.

I recommend this game to anyone that likes a
challenge like Crash gave us. Though a bit more easy, it is still fun, and kids
will especially love it. The music and sounds are cute, and watching Stitch
crash and bang his way around (great spinning power-move!) is a treat. Having
not yet seen the movie, I did not relate as well to the characters– but I
imagine someone who HAS seen it will really get a charge out of the game.
So drop the ukulele and grab a dual shock controller for some tropical fun!!

Gameplay: 8
The controls were miserably jerky and sensitive at inopportune moments.
Jumping to moving objects was more harrowing than it should have been. The
characters want to lunge forward with mere subtle taps of the controls. Some of
the enemies were also a bit inconsistent in their movements, which I think was
more of an error than intention. Aside from those things, it plays well and is
fun to go through. If you have played a game such as Crash Bandicoot, you have
played this– but there is enough visual appeal and character fun to make it
worthwhile.

Graphics: 8.5
Nice textures and terrain. The characters are well animated– as they should
since the source is 2D cartoons! Nice water effects and moving enemies with
distinctive personality.

Sound: 7.5
The environmental sounds were a bit weak, as were the action sounds. The
background music was nice and made the game even more enjoyable.

Difficulty: Easy
A challenge to young gamers, but experienced players will get through it
rather easily. 

Concept: 7
Stealing a bit from other platform games, there isn’t a whole lot original
here. Running along collecting items and avoiding enemies. It’s all been done
before, but there is enough entertainment here to make it enjoyable.

Multiplayer: N/A 

Overall: 8.5
A load of tropical fun suited best for a younger crowd– but provides
thrills for all ages. The levels are simple, but there is enough challenge to
keep you interested, though older gamers may finish it too easily. The music is
good and adds to the adventure.