UP

UP - (Multi-Format)
Developer: THQ
Format: Multi-Format
Genre: Action


The latest movie licence game fails to hit the heights



Carl, Russell, Dug the dog and Kevin the prehistoric bird leap from the Disney Pixar movie of the same name into a videogame version inspired by events of the film. Yes folks, we're venturing deep into movie licence territory here, the predictable landscape of cash-cows and turkeys. This latest offering fits in perfectly - delivering just enough entertainment to be of worth to fans of the film; whilst also retaining enough mediocre qualities to make sure the rest of us won't waste too much time on it.

Much of the game involves Russell and Carl romping through the wilderness in search of merit badges. Fortunately, each character has their own unique abilities. Carl (the ageing old man from the film) can push rocks over with his walking frame while Russell is a dab hand with a rope. The game can be played co-operatively with two players or as a single player game with the computer handling AI duties. Fortunately, switching between characters is a breeze with a convenient drop in feature that is ideal if a friend drops by. There's even audio clues for younger gamers should any of the very straightforward puzzles require a bit too much head scratching.

But in truth, very little head scratching is required. This is a paint by numbers puzzle platformer. With the exception of having to frequently fight off packs of dogs by timing blocks just right (an annoyance in later levels) and the occasional boss battle, there really isn't that much to the game - in terms of actual gameplay.

The visual style captures the essence of the film, helped further by authentic voice acting from the cast and little filmesque clips to push the narrative along at a gentle pace. But don't be in doubt, UP is a bog-standard movie conversion - that is short in both length and ambition. An extension of the film perhaps, but not a particularly valuable addition to anyone's game collection.