WALL.E

Sadly, Wall.E is yet another example of movie-tie-in-itis. Meaning, this game was made for the sole reason of cashing in on a popular license regardless of the content quality. Yes, I am being brutally honest here, but let's just think about the history of video games based on a movie and you will see an overwhelming majority of them in the lower end of the scoring spectrum with the occasional "acceptable" game and the incredibly rare "great" game based on a movie.

Our robot Wall.E is a genuinely cute and adorable character; again, if you haven't seen the movie you really should, it is endearing and fun and manages to keep the Pixar hit streak alive. Unfortunately Wall.E the PS3 video game is about as flat and uninspired a game you will play this year. The problem is, small children won't really recognize this and want their parents to buy it anyways. First glaring issue is that the dynamic chase camera that follows Wall.E has a mind of its own and that mind isn't a healthy one. The camera will often zoom in tightly causing you to not see dangers just off screen, it will also position itself inside of objects so you can't see anything and it will move erratically in an attempt to ensure Wall.E's destruction.

 
Meet my big brother, Bill.E.

The graphics also suffer from some apparent strangeness. Textures that appear to be rough and gritty cause Wall.E to slide around where smooth appearing textures give him great grip. A future wasteland of Earth apparently isn't all that wasteland-y as streets, buildings and other structures still exist when more than likely they would be mostly rubble. In all fairness, the designers are taking their cues from the movie itself, but the game lacks the same production value of the game. Again, that is a tough sell by any stretch since Pixar movies feature incredible animations but we've seen Ratchet and Clank on the PS3, and that was a beautifully rendered game, so we know its possible. Wall.E looks nothing like a current-gen system game should. Add to that the seemingly random slow down in frame rate that occurs at all the weirdest times (whether or not anything is happening on screen) and Wall.E is an abysmal experience.

As you play, you will use the basic skills that Wall.E has, namely the compacting of garbage into blocks. Now Wall.E can make four types of blocks and can even turn into one himself to navigate certain areas of the game. The blocks have certain functions since they can be charged to blow things up, made heavier for specific tasks, magnetized and made regular. All are used for throwing throughout the game and trust me when I say you will tire of this well-worn action. In fact, Wall.E is a pretty drab and not too much fun to control thanks to the lousy camera angles. However, there is a bright spot in the game and that is the times when you control EVE, Wall.E's girlfriend. EVE can fly, fire powerful lasers and stop in an instant. In fact, the game would have benefited more had there been more EVE controlling going on. Where Wall.E is a slow methodical worker, EVE is streamlined for action and it shows when you play her levels.

 
"Dating tip #4; If your home is a garbage dump, don't invite her back to your place."

As far as the audio goes, the sounds seem to be lifted directly out of the movie, little robot chirps and strange noises will provide instant giggles from small children, but even they will tire of the same noises over and over. A wasted opportunity to make the game more fleshed out.

In addition, Wall.E suffers from repetitiveness that is almost migraine inspiring. Each level seems to have you making blocks to activate switches to open doors to do it all over again, all while managing to avoid pratfalls and dangers that just don't get the juices flowing. Yes, the game follows the movie's general adventure, but I'm certain that there wasn't as much repetitiveness in the movie as there is in the game. In addition, there are some multiplayer modes to experiment with although I feel they do not add much to the value of the game. Racing matches and other hidden collectables don't legitimately warrant playing through the game repeatedly even though it is relatively short.

Gameplay: 5.7
Controlling Wall.E is no fun, controlling EVE is all sorts of fun, too bad most of the game has you controlling Wall.E.

Graphics: 5.0
They aren't all that sharp, they don't relate to the controls well and the third-person camera is an enemy.

Sound: 5.0
The same canned clicks, whirs and noises just don't cut it anymore, even for a kids' game.

Difficulty: Medium
You will have more problems with the technical issues of this game than anything.

Concept: 4.5
Another disappointing movie-to-game tie in.

Multiplayer: 5.4
Maybe there is some fun in racing around against a friend, but I couldn't really find it. The multiplayer mode feels tacked on and forced at the last minute of development.

Overall: 5.0
Wall.E is another disappointment in a series of movie/game disappointments. Kids will tire after their parents have long left the room but there will still be hours left to beat game.