| Author | Review |
|---|
HWNDarkside
569,450
TA Score for this game: 1,849
Posted on 01 December 10 at 17:31, Edited on 03 December 10 at 17:45 |
This review has 37 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Let's get the history lesson out of the way first. Tron was awesome. Seeing the computer-generated universe on the big screen in 1982 was an event comparable to seeing Star Wars for the first time IMHO. The plot was a bit ropey, the script a bit dodgy, but COMPUTER GRAPHICS IN A FILM??? WOW!!
Unfortunately in 2010 it's a bit like having a really nice photo of your mate's gran from back in 1954. She might have been hot as a hell back-in-the-day but chances are you wouldn't touch her a shitty stick today (although I must confess to succumbing to her charms before playing the game - just to jog my memory)
Forward to 2010 and here comes Tron: Legacy - the much anticipated reboot - and it looks even better than your mate's gran did 60 years ago. It could turn out to be a turd but at least it looks good.
And "good" is the best way to describe the movie tie-in game - Tron Evolution. With a story that supposedly fills in the blanks between the original and reboot and some very pretty eye candy, it never really manages to push boundaries in any of the facets of its gameplay.
The Good Stuff then. The 3rd person parkour action works perfectly well, combat is the right side of frustrating, the collectibles aren't too challenging or time-consuming, there are no glitches, and you'll finish the story in around 10 hours - hopefully with a smile on your face. It is extremely pretty at times and the music is so good I'm tempted to plug the laptop into the TV to record it. Upgrades and levelling up are handled very well - with the ability to take your character into on and offline modes with all your stats carrying over - a nice touch.
The Average Stuff. Light Cycles are criminally wasted on simple point-to-point sections. Light Tanks offer some reasonable opportunity for carnage. There is just enough variation across the story mode to prevent it becoming repetitive. Multiplayer is functional if uninspiring and it doesn't have to be grinded for achievements.
The Bad Stuff. Well, none really, which is pretty good for a movie tie-in.
Achievement-wise it's not too testing. Insane difficulty is a breeze once you're fully levelled up and all the other stuff doesn't require much grinding. Expect your 1000 to pop around 20-25 hours.
I've given the game 4 starts overall. You can't really fault any aspect of it other than it's unrelenting persistence just to be "good". If you don't like Tron you can deduct a star – but even then it's still a decent 3/5.
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THMSTRCHF
85,514
TA Score for this game: 1,849
Posted on 18 January 11 at 00:09, Edited on 25 January 11 at 23:55 |
This review has 18 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
(Edited to contain my multiplayer review)
I was born six years after the first TRON movie hit theatres, so I wasn’t able to enjoy the fantastic digital world presented in that Disney flick when it was initially released; I did, however, get to view it when it aired on the Disney Channel sometime around the 20th anniversary. I think I was 13 at that time and I had seen better movies with far better visual effects, art direction, and writing—but there was something oddly alluring about the dated picture that pulled me in and kept me fascinated with the world of the programs and their struggle for liberation from the MCP (Master Control Program) and their belief in the Users. It was a movie that didn’t attempt profound storytelling, favoring flair and fun over meaningful messages (although one could argue that the flick had dealt with corporate corruption or the dangers of technological advancement, just as one could argue that it had strong religious meanings with the programs looking to Kevin Flynn, the User, for salvation—it, like any piece of fiction, is really up to the viewer to determine the meaning and, for me, it was just a fun movie).
TRON is a franchise heavily rooted in videogame references and has a history of successful videogames (fun fact: the original TRON arcade cabinet was a bigger success than the film upon which it was based (you can get the original arcade game on XBLA, but I wouldn’t recommend it because it is pretty wonky with a standard controller)). Following the 20th anniversary of the film, Disney had Monolith develop TRON 2.0 in an attempt to get the franchise some more footing to see if a film sequel would be a wise decision at that point and, while TRON 2.0 was a critical success (it’s an awesome game, btw, so if you haven’t played it, check it out—even if it’s no longer considered canon), it was a financial disappointment and the franchise faded back into its cult status and obscurity. It wasn’t until 2008 that the franchise would get back into the spotlight with a dazzling Comic-Con teaser that was met with thunderous applause and rabid fanboyish excitement (I wasn’t there to experience it, but I had a pretty hardcore nerd-spasm when I heard about it and watched the crappy shaky-cam footage on YouTube). The positive reception of the teaser led to the green-lighting of the film and two years later we got the absolutely awesome TRON: Legacy (I loved Legacy and think it’s a marvel to watch with a fantastic soundtrack—critics be damned!).
With TRON: Legacy released and Disney hoping to reestablish the franchise as a moneymaking behemoth, there is, of course, a game tie-in, TRON: Evolution. I was a bit wary when it was announced because it has the stigma of being a movie-game with the development cycle tied to being completed by the time the film comes out—I knew I was going to play it because I’m a major TRON geek, but I braced myself to be disappointed with ugly visuals, broken gameplay, and a substandard story. Disney’s own Propaganda Games taking the helm of this game and that was the another warning sign for me since they’re a studio with only one game under their belt (the lackluster Turok reboot). However, while I will make no claims that this is a great game or a game of the year contender, it is by no stretch of the imagination a “bad” game.
TRON: Evolution does away with the first-person gameplay of Monolith’s 2.0 and favors, instead, a Prince of Persia-esque platforming system. It doesn’t really have the brain-teasing puzzles that are present in a PoP game, but there’s an abundance of wall running and death-defying jumps. Level exploration is linear with a defined “point A to point B” structure of progression, but the environments are vast and there’s plenty of combat to keep you occupied on your journey. The platforming works fine and I honestly found it to be more enjoyable and fluid that the most recent installment in the PoP series (The Forgotten Sands).
Adding variety to the game’s progression are the light cycle and light tank scenarios—while it would be easy to complain about how heavily scripted these scenes are or how disappointing it is that it’s basically a race to get to the next area with no frills, I found both of them to be enjoyable and a much needed distraction from the platforming (as I said, the platforming works fine, but there’s no real puzzles to speak of, so the variety added here is essential). The light cycle sequences aren’t really anything to write home about and consist of you driving forward on a predetermined path while avoiding explosions, derezzing environments, and other programs on light cycles—it’s heavily scripted and not innovative in any way, but I found it to be fun with some heart pounding intensity as I raced toward my destination desperately dodging foes determined to derez me. It’s the kind of videogame sequence that’s fun for the first time, but more predictable with each subsequent playthrough. The light tank sequences are similarly structured on a predetermined path with scripted enemies and such, but they evoke nostalgia as they are obviously heavily inspired by Space Paranoids (an arcade game created by Kevin Flynn and seen in action in the first movie, for those of you who don’t know). A good comparison would be the Metropolis level in HALO 2 where you have to get across the bridge in the Scorpion as Banshees and Ghosts try to take you out—the light tank sequences in Evolution have you blasting through Recognizers and the armies of CLU to reach the end of the scenario. Again, it’s nothing spectacular or original, but the variety is a benefit, it works well, and I found it to be enjoyable as both a gameplay element and a nod to the original fiction.
Combat in the game has you using your Identity Disc to dispatch foes through a blend of melee and ranged attacks. As your character upgrades to higher versions (i.e. levels up), more combos and disc upgrades become available to assist you in derezzing enemies. Combat works well if you’re not a rabid button masher, there’s a needed finesse to pulling off a proper combo and constantly just tapping buttons in hopes to progress beyond the combat scenario is going to end in tragedy for you, program. The array of attacks that you can unlock become more flashy and (T-rated appropriate) brutal—the game is, however, lacking a finishing move (unless I was just doing something wrong) with downed enemies. I think it’d be neat if you kneel over your downed enemies and land a derez-dealing blow with your Identity Disc, but that seems to be nonexistent.
Graphically, I found Evolution to be hypnotically beautiful. It uses the same visual style as the new film (which some might find odd considering it takes place during the time of Flynn’s disappearance, but you have to remember that this is a new system created after the MCP and the same system Sam is pulled into—so, really, it makes sense), so the environments have a futuristic black and blue sheen that some may find bland and barren, but I love the look of the movie and, therefore, the game. So, the armour and environments all look great; some of the faces, however, could have used a little more loving attention as they come off creepy and robotic. Character animations are fluid and refined, however some combat and platforming strings have an unwanted jerkiness to them—it doesn’t break the game but it could/should have been ironed out. Regardless of those complaints, Evolution looks like a highly polished game with high production values and a beautiful visual style.
TRON: Evolution’s story takes place in between the two films and chronicles the disappearance of Flynn and TRON as well as CLU’s uprising. I won’t delve into details in case you haven’t seen Legacy, but Flynn’s been gone since ’89, CLU (which is really CLU 2.0 since the original was derezzed by the MCP in the first movie) betrayed his maker, and TRON stayed to fight CLU and his minions so that Flynn could escape—he hasn’t been seen since and is presumed dead. The story isn’t a Shakespearian masterpiece, nor does it try to be, it’s more of the “here to be fun” kind of storytelling that is common to the franchise, but it does well to expand the universe and gives fans like myself something to talk about and geek over. I don’t need my TRON story to be filled with allegories and meanings, I need it to be fun and expand the fiction that I know and love, and Evolution succeeds in that task.
Evolution’s soundtrack is strong with a cast of talented actors bringing the story to life and a booming score that does a fantastic job of accenting the action—the score can easily stand on its own as a great addition to the TRON music-verse but it’s made even more memorable by the two Daft Punk tracks that are included. The cast of actors carry their roles well with Bruce Boxleitner and Olivia Wilde reprising their big-screen roles of TRON and Quorra respectively; Jensen Ackles of Supernatural fame lends his voice to Gibson; Fred Tatasciore takes over the roles of Kevin Flynn and CLU and does a fine job sounding like the Oscar winning actor who made those characters who they are; and, of course, Nolan North plays a voice role. It’s not going to win any awards, but the cast all do a fine job bringing their characters to life and making the world presented more believable.
With all that said, you must be wondering how long Evolution can keep you engaged, right? Well, Evolution employs RPG elements to improve your character and your version continues to grow in both the single-player campaign as well as the online modes. There are a total of 50 versions (character levels) at the point of this writing and the game features downloadable content to expand the experience (which will likely be restricted to online maps). There’s also an unlockable difficulty beyond the three you can choose to play when you first pop the game in. Evolution’s campaign consists of seven chapters that can take you anywhere between 6-15 hours to play (it all really depends on what difficulty you play on—if you play on easy, you can zip right through (provided you actually know how to play games), if you play on hard or insane, it’s going to take you a bit more time to get through the game’s challenges). If you’re a fan of the TRON universe, you’ll likely be more inclined to replay the campaign multiple times; for the rest of you, it’s likely to be a “one and done” sort of deal and you’ll be better off sticking with a rental instead of purchasing the game. There are also collectibles scattered throughout the environments that completionists and fans will spend extra time seeking out to gain the achievements or more insight to the world of TRON and the game’s story.
The multiplayer package of TRON: Evolution features a small variety of game modes: Disintegration (which is essentially a free-for-all deathmatch), Team Disintegration (it’s like standard Disintegration, but less free-for-all-y and more team-y), Bit Runner (which is similar to HALO’s Oddball but instead of a skull, you’re trying to hold onto a Bit (if you saw the original movie, you’d know Bit… Bit, unfortunately, isn’t in Legacy) which also sucks your life and energy), and Power Monger (which has you trying to control power nodes... like the capture points in Battlefield 1942 or STAR WARS: Battlefront or some other game with a similar game mode that I haven’t played or can’t think of). There’s not really a wide variety of games to choose from, which is disappointing, but, let’s face it, you’re only going to be playing Disintegration mostly so you can try to get as many light cycle derezzes as possible. There’s nothing truly innovative with the game mode offerings, but they’re all fun and the added TRON charm gives them that extra oomph to keep you playing a little while longer.
Initially, there are only four maps available, which is a really weak number of maps for a multiplayer mode, but new games come with a redeemable code for two more maps (as well as a multiplayer skin) and I went ahead and bought the recently released map pack for 400 MS Points which has five maps, one of which is the original light cycle grid from the first movie! So, I’m up to 11 maps and it only cost me the five bucks (five bucks for five maps, that’s the way it should be). The first four maps aren’t bad, but you might get sick of them pretty quick because gamers like variety—Circuit Board is my favorite of the original four maps but even I can only play that for so long. It’s probably the nostalgia, but Classic (the original light cycle grid in the $5 DLC) is my favorite map of them all (seriously, it has everything from the classic Recognizers to the hole in the wall where Flynn, TRON, and RAM escaped… playing in the vintage light cycle added to all that and you have hours of fun marinated in glorious nostalgia).
I think the developers knew that this game wasn’t going to have much of an impact on the multiplayer front compared to other titles out there, so the approach to finding a game is more along the lines of just join and play (you can even switch teams during a match) than the more “serious” competitive games like HALO or CoD. There are no ranked matches and there’s no real punishment for leaving early other than losing the XP you earned during that match (your character’s version and XP carry over from single player to multiplayer). There’s also no regulation on what version characters can be in what matches or filtering it to find a more fair fight for yourself, but it doesn’t really matter because they did a pretty decent job of keeping things balanced (I have a level 50 character and have had my butt handed to me more than a few times by characters half my version).
You have character loadouts (you can have up to three different loadouts, but only one slot is available from the beginning with the other two needing to be purchased upon a version upgrade) that allow you to equip two disc mods, an enhancer (enhancers can either benefit only your character, or your entire team—this is another one of those balancing things because if a version 10 has a version 50 on the team and that version 50 has an enhancer equipped that grants all teammates added damage or damage resistance, then that version 10 is on a much more level playing field), and what light cycle you want to use (they all have their positives and negatives, but I usually stick with the Gen 5… the Gen 2 is awesome because it’s vintage and the fastest on the grid, and I like the way the Gen 4 looks because it’s like a cross between the original light cycles and the new ones, but Gen 5 is a balanced derez dealing machine… all of this makes me wonder what the Gen 3 looks like). So, with only being able to equip your character with 2 disc mods, one enhancer, and a light cycle, you can’t really overpower your character to the point of invincibility; being able to enhance your team as a whole also gives your less advanced programs the boost needed to play more evenly with the higher versions.
Combat works in multiplayer the same way it does in single player with that same blend of ranged and melee disc combat and you get XP when they derez. Instead of leaving behind energy shards in multiplayer, they leave behind some extra XP that anybody can pick up; so, if you want full credit for your kills, be quick to pick up the XP shard. Energy is refilled in multiplayer differently than in single player in that you are running along energy panels (similar to the health panels) instead of vaulting over glowing energy thingies. My biggest complaint with this is that it took me a while when I first started playing the multiplayer modes to realize this, but that was more a User error than anything else. With team games, there are also colored panels—if you use the opposing team’s panels, you will lose health… unless you have the enhancer that allows you to use their panels.
The real fun in the multiplayer modes comes from the vehicular combat. The vehicle maps all feature tanks that you can rampage in, yeah, but the light cycles are what you really came for, isn’t it? The light cycles drive on the grid as they do in Legacy, allowing you to ease in to turns and such (the original light cycles could drive like real-world bikes, too, but not on the game grid) while leaving behind a deadly wall of light for your opponents to run into—you can also do the famous 90 degree turn. Seriously, light cycle battles are some of the most fun I’ve had online in a game in quite some time… it’s a thrill when you are playing a game of chicken with an opponent and you both do a quick 90 degree snap and you’re racing head-to-head just hoping to get far enough ahead to cut the other player off to run him (or her, I guess… girls can play games too) into your light wall. It’s an absolute blast. While I will say that it’s not really canonical that you can drive through your own or your teammate’s light walls, it was a smart decision in game design (especially since the new light walls are translucent). My only real complaint is that sometimes you can’t make the quick turns you were going for—like, if you double tap the quick turn button too fast, you’ll end up only doing one 90 degree turn and likely end up crashing into the wall you were hoping to avoid. Still, it’s fun.
There’s probably going to be a lot of guff about this review since I actually liked the game and so many people are predisposed to hate it since it’s a movie licensed title or the “real” critics gave it abysmal to mediocre reviews, but I stand by my beliefs. TRON: Evolution may not be truly innovative in any sense, but it provides plenty of content that I found to be a joy to play, an excellent soundtrack, beautiful visuals, and enough TRON fiction to keep the fans happy for the time it takes for the next film or game installment to be released. Evolution is by no means a great game, and I won’t declare that it is, but it is a good game—the mechanics work the way they should with fast-paced, fluid gameplay in beautiful environments with a strong cast and awesome musical score.
I really would like to see them continue the game series independent of the inevitable film sequels to allow the developers more time to add more features and functionality to the games. I would love to see some free-roaming exploration added to the game on top of the action/platforming already in there as well as a BioWare-esque conversation system—just imagine how awesome it would be to truly explore the world of TRON and be able to interact with other programs and fight for the Users or become a rogue program that is a hazard to the system. That kind of freedom would be an awesome addition to the franchise. TRON 2.0 failed to get the sales it needed because it was a game based on an IP that had done nothing new for 20 years—not enough people knew what it was! With TRON: Legacy out and the brand reestablished, people know what TRON is now and the games should be able to stand on their own and it’s likely that they would be more successful than Evolution is going to be if they’re not carrying the baggage of being written off as a movie-game.
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Saint Devourer
175,507
TA Score for this game: 1,404
Posted on 26 February 11 at 19:21 |
This review has 11 positive votes and 4 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Programmed by Kevin Flynn, a faceless Monitor makes his way through a crowded square. Herded masses of Basics and ISOs are all ears when Clu, a Program in Flynn's likeness, begins to give a speech of total unity amongst Programs. He speaks with total and confidence, although his voice is not that of Jeff Bridges, and rallies the crowd into a cheering frenzy. That cheering comes to a halt when a mysterious hooded figure, traced with a bright neon yellow color, emerges on the stage. Chaos quickly ensues as the figure reveals itself as a virus and quickly spreads his digital disease amongst the crowd. On the stage, the virus sets his eyes on Clu and tosses his light disc towards him. That light disc is interrupted mid-air by the Monitor's own.
Tron: Evolution throws you into a boss fight with the main antagonist less than 30 minutes into the game.
On the stage, you are one-on-one with the virus known as Abraxas. This is where the game teaches you the basics of light disc combat. The Monitor has a number of combos, accessed by various combinations of light disc and melee attacks. These attacks vary depending on whether the player is running or blocking, creating a large number of available moves. In addition to his combos, he has a total of 4 different special discs, each with a very different effect.
However, the acrobatic element of the combat makes it truly interesting. The Monitor takes many cues from the Prince of Persia; he is able to leap, wall run, and vault, all during battle. The game even rewards the player for doing this: running up certain surfaces will reward the player with a health or energy recharge, which starts to become desperately needed during the games latter battles. Unfortunately, later battles become extremely taxing and unforgiving, with the player being forced to gain health through this manner several times in one single battle.
The acrobatics are not exclusive to just the combat, however, they are the Monitor's primary means of navigating the city. Being blessed (or programmed) with a high level of mobility, the platforming is very reminiscent of Prince of Persia games before it. The Monitor can jump from wall-to-wall and chain together mobility move after mobility move. However, touchy controls frequently lead to a long fall and a quick derezzing. This becomes more and more common as the platforming becomes more complicated and requires more precision, something the Monitor is incapable of. To make matters even more frustrating, the camera makes a habit of changing right before a jump. Thankfully, these frustrating segments are riddled with checkpoints.
Sometimes the Monitor is forced to ride a light cycle, generally on a worn down road that falls apart as he drives across it. These light cycles handle like they're on ice, offering little to no grip for the player. These segments were easily the most rage-inducing in the game. With the way I had to drive filled to the brim with potholes and narrow passageways, I was forced to slow down as much as I could, completely breaking the immersion of being chased. At least the light tank sections were better done than the light cycle sections, but they still controlled somewhat awkwardly.
Not surprisingly, the world of Tron: Evolution is generally very, very blue. Various hues and tints of blue form the basis of the majority of the environments you'll be trekking through, with the only breaks being the orange and yellow hues of the enemies you face. While it looks great for a little while, it quickly tires on the eye. It's true to the universe, sure, but it left me wanting more.
As the Monitor, you were programmed by Kevin Flynn to unravel a conspiracy around a missing ISO. As the plot slowly unravels, the player meets up with contemporary characters, including Quorra (whose model isn't exactly flattering to Olivia Wilde) and Tron (voiced by Bruce Boxleitner), as well as a few new characters who vary from a flamboyant bartender to a trouble maker. Quorra becomes your impromptu sidekick who tends to do all of the talking for you, since the Monitor follows the “silent protagonist” trend. Thankfully, the plot is at least sensible and realistic within the confines of the Tron universe.
As you progress in the story mode, you earn experience for defeating enemies and completing objectives, which will earn you a new version (or level, in layman's), netting you memory to be used to upgrade your character. Memory can be spent on a variety of things, including special disc upgrades, base character enhancements, or even modifiers to be used in the game's multiplayer mode. This progression remains constant throughout the singleplayer and multiplayer modes, with experience earned in either gametype carrying over to the other. This minor addition doesn't seem like a lot, but it provides enough incentive for players to try out the game's multiplayer modes.
The multiplayer tosses players in a Game Grid full of other players (or bots, depending on the online population), where they compete against each other in various game modes. The modes fall under the standard fair, with deathmatch and team deathmatch type modes highlighting the game's arena-based light disc combat, which works surprisingly well in an online component. However, the downfall of Tron: Evolution's multiplayer is that it doesn't have any lasting appeal. The maps and gametypes included simply do not offer enough variety to prevent players from getting bored of their current offerings.
To top it all off, Tron: Evolution's singleplayer isn't very long at all, somewhere within the vein of 6-8 hours. Much like the Monitor himself, Tron: Evolution has a distinct lack of personality. The entire experience felt corporate; a formulaic adventure in a universe that they failed to expand on. Not to say it wasn't at least a little fun: the combat was a blast and when the platforming worked it was great, but there simply isn't enough in it for it to be a memorable experience.
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TheDarKnyht
132,785
TA Score for this game: 781
Posted on 02 January 13 at 17:04, Edited on 02 January 13 at 17:05 |
This review has 7 positive votes and 0 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
TRON: Evolution is an immersive action game set on the digital grid. Explore TRON’s cities using free running and battle a dictator’s seemingly unstoppable army as the powerful System Monitor. It serves to fill in some of the gaps between the first movie and the second.
I was given Tron: Evolution as one of my Christmas gifts this year. Tron being a movie I loved from my childhood, and I have many fond memories of playing Tron: Deadly Discs on the Intellivision when I was little. I missed this game when it first released and was happy to finally get a chance to play it.
Gameplay: The game plays in a format similar to the newer Prince of Persia titles in that you will spend a lot of time parkouring from location to location with battles interspersed within. The combat is done through a combination of throw, melee, and special attacks along with a jump and defend button. While it can be fun, I found that I rarely used the defend action and mostly kept myself on the move between recharge objects so that I could unleash special attacks on the enemies.
There were a few areas that were difficult (mainly the on foot tank battle), but most battles were fairly easy. This was even more so once I unlocked the stealth ability and could easily hide from attackers. In some ways this ability completely broke the game's combat sections as you could easily attack then quickly hide and move. (Thanks NoiseCrime for point this out in the guides).
The game also features light cycle and light tank sections that serve to break up the monotony a little. Of the two I enjoyed the tank sections more, as there was more to do other than race through the section of falling debris.
Controls: The controls tend to be the source of frustration more than anything else. Most of my deaths were not at the hands of the AI, but at the controls causing Anon to dive to his death or do something else equally hazardous to his health. When everything works it is great, but too often it didn't. This seriously hurt a game I otherwise enjoyed.
Sound and Graphics: The game uses the same great soundtrack by Daft Punk. It is not so much in your face that it drives you nuts, but it is there and sounds good. The graphics are standard for a Xbox 360 game. While the stylized look of Tron: Evolution fits in the world it is potraying, there is not a lot of variety to the environments as you progress (everything is highlighted in Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow or White depending on where you are).
Multiplayer: My experience with multiplayer was a mixed bag. I enjoyed that progression carried between the two modes, and appreciated that the game will fill a Multiplayer deathmatch with AI when no one is around (which is most of the time). There was also two other modes that did not include AI that I was not able to really play since the Multiplayer is very dead.
However, it also had no issues with dumping a level 1 character into my Level 12 match and a Level 50 Character into my Level 18 match. Both resulted in bad experiences. I felt bad crushing a kid that had no clue what he was doing, and I had absolutely no chance against the Level 50 guy who did the same to me.
Achievements: Most of the achievements are easy with a few that you must grind. There are a few that require at least one other person in a multiplayer match with you (and must be present at the end). The Light Cycle achievement being the most painful since multiplayer is dead and 200 kills are hard to come by in the game itself.
Overall: Overall I enjoyed this game. It is not a perfect game, but as far as licensed games go this is one of the better ones I have played. I think that is partially because they didn't follow the movie step for step and try to game-ify it, but forged deeper into the mythos surrounding the movies.
Rating: 3.5 of 5
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apostleX2
83,112
TA Score for this game: 1,849
Posted on 25 January 11 at 02:00 |
This review has 10 positive votes and 6 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
I just wrapped up 100% Completion on TRON: EVOLUTION. I'd consider it's difficult level as moderate, but not truly difficult. It was more of a time consuming quest than a "major skills needed" adventure. I knocked back quite a few hours grabbing these achievements. It was fun. The Multiplayer was actually the best aspect of the game and I could see myself playing it again in the future.. if I can ever allow myself to just "PLAY" without being on a quest for achievements.
My son and I were pulled in to this game only because we fell for the movie tie-in angle and after loving TRON: LEGACY so much wanted to play any game on the topic. I'm glad the game was worthy.
There were a few times of stress when shitty controls and complete system lock-ups made me want to throw my controller through a window. The control was difficult at times and could easily give you an unwelcome and undeserved death. I imagine that more time in production might have cleaned up this since I'm it was rushed to meet the release of the film in early December 2010. With the exception of these few issues you will have a fun experience.
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Sonic Sleuth
211,170
TA Score for this game: 169
Posted on 18 April 11 at 05:26 |
This review has 6 positive votes and 4 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
As a young child I loved lesser Disney movies, especially those that dove into sci-fi, like the family-oriented space adventure "The Black Hole." When the Mouse House unveiled the 1982 computer graphic fantasy "TRON", my seven-year old eyes couldn’t wait to take it all in. It was about a city of “programs” that were pitted in gladiatorial games to please the Master Control program, a corrupt pirate software code that had taken over the grid. I loved this movie as a kid. I even loved the arcade versions of the game that had you actually participate in the gladiator games, and variations of the light cycle game has been seen in countless other titles. After waiting two decades for a suitable sequel, I was excited to play this TRON: Evolution. With all that build-up… boy, was I disappointed.
As the game begins we find the beloved Flynn, the hero of the original TRON, tasking the gamer with tracking some virus activity in the grid. The game begins as all games should begin - with your character chasing down the beautiful Olivia Wilde (well known as "Thirteen" on House, M.D.) through the glowing streets of the grid. This sequence familiarizes the player with the controls of the Security Monitor program, which is the faceless and voiceless character that you will control throughout the third-person action game. Well, let me rephrase that, control probably isn't the correct word. You drunkenly steer your Security Monitor through the world of TRON, leaping off ledges to your demise over and over. The controls are so awkward that I hadn’t even made it through the tutorial before I leapt to my death an unexaggerated thirty-three times. Couple that with the fact that the check point had me sit through the explanation of what I was supposed to be doing, wasting ten or fifteen seconds each time I fell to my death. The action from the outset will remind gamers of "Mirror's Edge", or other wall-jumping chase games… but with unrefined controls. Despite the cool setting and hot girl, TRON was not off to a good start.
One downside of a world with a fairly static appearance is not knowing where you've got to go, or where you've been. TRON: Evolution implements a "bread crumb" system similar to Dead Space or the Fable series to alleviate this discomfort… but it's not very usable, since the path disappears quickly after you enable it. It serves the purpose of moving you back in the right direction, but nothing more.
The levels are atmospheric and represent the TRON world well, with the traditional glowing blue walls. Unfortunately, you have to stare at the same TRON blue for about three levels, for roughly three hours. If you make it past the indigo insanity, you'll find Disney mixes up the later levels with some red and green, just in time for Christmas. Still, the levels all look approximately the same and it wears on the eyes after a while. Hey, I guess that’s the way the TRON world looks, so nothing much could be done about it. The in-game character models are nice, and frankly better than the cut scene graphics, which look as though they had been designed by someone who forgot to wear his glasses throughout the entire coding process.
Alright, I know what you're asking… "What about the light cycles?" I hate to say it, but the light cycle sequences are hindered by controls that respond like Security Monitor had guzzled a twelve pack of TRON: Light and decided to get behind the wheel. In addition to the iffy controls, there is no room for error while blasting through the grid in your light cycle. Objects will appear in your cycle's path, and at times the road disappears with no warning, often leaving you to correct your path at a moment's notice. This generally ends with our program flying off the side of a cliff into deletedsville. While it's great to have some variety in the action, the controls turn the light cycle sequences into a world of pain. Thankfully, the light tanks make an appearance as well, and it's a lot of fun blasting away at rogue programs. Again, the control scheme was my worst enemy, as I found myself more than once headed down the road backwards trying my hardest to figure out how in the world I turn the tank around. I'm hammering the controls pretty hard, but with action this fast-paced, the game is just too unforgiving.
To be fair, the original TRON arcade controls took some getting used to as well - but the 2D top-down graphics lead to less confusion than today's 3D worlds. Additionally, third-person games often shine or fail based on the usability of the floating camera, and TRON's third-person camera will fail you when it counts - more than a few times I found myself looking at a wall instead of my enemy. Weak control combined with an imperfect third-person camera equals frustration.
It's not all bad, mind you.There are some interesting multiplayer modes that finally feel like the TRON world, and in an innovative twist, they can be reached during the single-player game. While completing the game, Security Monitor will utilize upgrade stations which allow you to upgrade status and equipment when you gain a “version” or level. A real downside of the multiplayer mode - I played through till 24 hours after the game's release and only encountered a handful of human players. In fact, I played four different online games on release night and only encountered one other human player. On the plus side, Disney allows players to enjoy these games with bots, but for achievements like It’s only the beginning and I think I like this, they must be played with at least one other human player. I'm happy to report that if you can find one other schmuck to enjoy TRON: Evolution with, you can earn all the online achievements and play all the multiplayer game modes, unlike many games which require six to eight players to being an online match. Sadly, it appears Disney realized TRON would bomb, and adjusted the online play accordingly.
When the credits rolled I realized that it hadn’t been a horrible experience, despite my high hopes, and I had some fun with the game. It was nice to revisit the TRON world another time, even considering the similarity of the levels and the wonkiness of the controls and camera. I even considered playing more multiplayer to get my “version” up to a higher level… but the credits are rolling, and there is no way to skip them, save exiting and reloading the game. Disney made my decision for me… time to move on to something else.
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