Licensed
projects have always been an iffy proposition. With an inevitably tight
schedule, these games often feel rushed and sometimes even unfinished.
With a great
film in Pixar’s Wall-E as source material, one would hope for a game that in
some way captures the spirit of the film. But as many games based on many movies
have done before, it falls woefully short.
Now that’s
not to say that Wall-E is a complete train wreck of a game. It isn’t. Its game
design really isn’t half bad. It’s simple, yes, but also fairly enjoyable. One
of the most utilized elements is Wall-E’s ability to form cubes. Many of the
game’s puzzles revolve around finding and making the correct cube (standard,
electric, magnetic) to pass an obstacle. This, in addition to the standard
platforming and shooting sequences show that developer Heavy Iron Studios is
definitely trying to make a simple and fun game.
Wall-E and Eve shoot
at…something.
In fact
Wall-E is actually pretty good in terms of control. Platforming is fairly tight
and the IR for shooting works well. The camera is a bit off at times, but it’s
never a huge issue.
Where the
game really hits a wall, however, is in the graphics department. Despite
inheriting great characters designs and environments from the film, Wall-E is a
bland and dull experience. Colors are muted, character models fuzzy, and the
environments drab.
But even all
these shortcomings would be tolerable if the frame rate wasn’t so poor. At the
best of times Wall-E chugs along at an unimpressive rate. At the worst it is
almost shocking how much Wall-E slows down. Even when performing the most basic
functions of forming a cube from a station, Wall-E can slow to a crawl.
Some of the environments are large, but you’ll pay for it with lack of detail
and slowdown.
Anyone
familiar with betas or even demos will know that frame rates can be all over the
place in unfinished products. This just adds to the obvious fact that the game
was rushed out, as these issues were never fixed and pop up in strange places.
Considering
the excellent sound effects and voice work from the film, Wall-E should have
easily fared better in the audio department. Unfortunately, while the effects
and voices are indeed of very good quality, the overall impression is very
sloppy thanks to sound effects that drop in and out, and a score that loops
endlessly.
Multiplayer
is clearly an afterthought and offers little to the overall package. It
basically consists of a series of uninspired mini-games, many of which you’ll
probably want to quit out of before even finishing.
Multiplayer is uninspired at best.
Those hoping
for a decent presentation to the story will also be disappointed. The game’s
pre-rendered sequences look nice, but are very quick and really require one to
have seen the movie to truly understand what is going on.
Speaking of
quick, the game is extremely short, and can be completed in well under four
hours.
At least the
game tries to extend its life with a ton of unlockables including concept art
and alternate costumes.
Overall,
Wall-E on Wii isn’t a terrible game, despite its many flaws. The game design and
concept is simple, but fun. If you loved the movie, the game might have even
been worth a shot if not for the poor technical presentation that hinders every
other aspect of the game.
Go out and
see the movie. Don’t bother with the game.
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Gameplay: 6.0
Gameplay is
simple and, at times, fun. Unfortunately the potential is never reached as the
gameplay retreads itself instead of developing, and the whole affair is over
extremely quickly.
Graphics: 5.5
The great visual
style of this film is squandered with bland environments and underwhelming
character models. Worst of all, however, is the very poor frame rate.
Sound: 5.5
The sound effects
and voices from the film are great, but the music repeats ad nauseum. The sound
is also riddled with bugs, such as dropped sound effects.
Difficulty: Easy
Objectives are
fairly straight forward and decent controls help to avoid too much frustration.
Concept: 6.0
There are some
good ideas in Wall-E that never really come to fruition thanks to its extremely
short length and poor technical aspects. The cube puzzles are enjoyable enough
and the shooting and flying sections aren’t half bad.
Multiplayer: 4.5
Multiplayer
mini-games are clumsy and tacked on.
Overall: 5.5
Wall-E on Wii
isn’t a terrible game, but it feels like a rushed one. Developer Heavy Iron
Studios has some good ideas here, but the poor graphics (particularly the frame
rate) and sketchy sound really hold back the overall package.
