Once again I'm faced with reviewing a video game based on a movie, in this case it’s WALL-E for the PS3 and the PSP.  Now reviewing this genre of video games is not my favorite thing to do, but my partner in crime, my 6-year-old son Nik, insists that we really, really, really need to review these types of games.  So we both wind up getting a chance to play the game, however I am the one who ends up getting charged with writing the review... Somehow I think he makes out on our collaboration, but who am I to argue with a 6 year old.  “Pick your battles,” my wife, Tonya, tells me.  Therefore, tonight Nik is charged with doing the dishes.

Now when we reviewed the Speed Racer video game, I tried out the game once, then we went to see the movie, after which playing the game was much more engaging.  When we reviewed the Kung Fu Panda video game, we hadn't (and still haven't) seen the movie and I think our emotional attachment to the game suffered.  Now with WALL-E, we saw the movie first, then a day later our review copies of the game arrived in our mailbox.  So the emotional attachments to the characters and storyline were there, the question was whether that would help engage our interest in the game.

Almost right off the bat I realized why I detest reviewing video games based on movies; I already know where the story is going and what the payoff is at the end, and I want to get there--NOW.  Unfortunately, in the case of WALL-E, being forced to fulfill a laundry list of challenges on a bleak, garbage-filled planet Earth with WALL-E really bites.

The Storyline

Without having to issue a "Spoiler Alert!" the story of WALL-E is the story of a future Earth that has been ravaged by pollution, trash, and mass consumerism.  So the omnipresent company “Buy n Large” steps in to send the human inhabitants of the planet Earth on a 5-year vacation amongst the stars while their Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class, or WALL-E, robots clean up the place.  Unfortunately, the vacation runs a little longer than expected by about 695 years, and one lone WALL-E unit is left cleaning up the place with his pet cockroach for company.  Day after day he sets off to stack the garbage, one block at a time, until one unexpected day a space ship lands to deposit an Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, or EVE, to determine if Earth is ready to support life again.  EVE's mission is to find a plant growing on Earth, WALL-E discovers that he is smitten with her, and so starts their adventure together.

Game Play

The PS3 and PSP versions are very similar in that game play consists of moving through levels with each level requiring a particular set of tasks to be completed before moving on to the next level.  The tasks aren't particularly challenging, however there are exceptions and I'll get to those exceptions later.  And though the overall arching story for the two games is similar, the individual levels and challenges are very different between the game versions.  However, in the end, the story in each version follows the plot of the movie.

Controls

In the PS3 version, WALL-E takes full advantage of the SIXAXIS wireless controller using Left stick to move WALL-E and Right stick to control the Camera.  Pushing the buttons results in a bevy of actions.  The game also takes advantage of the motion detectors of the controller to throw trash cubes, in the case of WALL-E, and fly EVE when one is playing her.  Now, I was brought up with the single joystick and red fire button of and Atari 2600, so it's taken me a while to adapt to moving game characters and camera movements at the same time, however, I think I'm nearing the top of the learning curve.  So, controlling WALL-E and EVE were only slightly challenging for me, which means that your typical adolescent and preadolescent could probably have them both dancing on the head of a pin.

I wish I could say that game control with the PSP was just as easy, but it wasn't.  Moving WALL-E is accomplished with the Analog Stick while the L and R Buttons control the camera angle.  Now here comes that game play exception that I eluded to earlier: Moving WALL-E through some of the levels of the game requires finesse that the analog stick has trouble delivering.  Right now, as I write this review, I am stuck on a level that I can't get through because the analog stick won't deliver the quick response needed to move WALL-E along.  Now I'm sure there is a trick but I can't seem to figure it out...  Therefore I, as a reviewer, have been bested by this game.  That said, Nik couldn’t seem to figure it out either, and he's supposed to be my Ace in the Hole.  The level involves chasing EVE in order to get her attention.  EVE flies, WALL-E cannot, moreover EVE flies over obstacles, which WALL-E has to jump, skirt, or go under.  At one point Nik informed me that he tried shooting EVE with WALL-E's laser to get her attention, I told him that, "Yep, I tried that also, but to no avail." Eventually, I figured we'll find a hint online to get us through this level, but until the, we’ve given up.

I should point out though, that the PSP version of the game does run you through a WALL-E evaluation course, which takes place 700 years prior to our story when all of the WALL-Es are alive and functioning.  This evaluation course allows the player to get hands-on experience with WALL-E… But there’s only so much practice that one can do.

Game Bonuses

Both games require you to collect items during game play to unlock special features of the game, which can include videos, behind the scenes at Pixar, and sound effects.  Artifacts like binoculars and a boomerang are sought out in PSP version of the game, while on the other hand, Pixar characters like Buzz and Woody are hidden amongst the garbage of Earth in the PS3 version.

Both games have multiplayer capabilities, but they are restricted to the mini games, and you'll need an additional game unit in the case of the PSP.  Tonya and I gave the multiplayer mini games a try on the PS3 and found the lack of a complete set of rules to be such a distraction that when we eventually figured out how to play the game, we were no longer interested in playing the game.

Game Misses

Both games employ auto save at key points during the game and there is no quick save, which means that if you die during the ‘final step’ before the next auto save, you’re sent back to your last save which can mean a repeat of the level, an annoyingly drawn-out repeat of the instructions for that particular segment, or a seemingly endless loop of the music for that segment.  At one point Nik told me he was glad we advanced because he was really getting sick of that song.

Speaking of songs, the PSP version features an endless loop of “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” from the musical Hello Dolly, which was featured in the movie.  Luckily, you can turn it off by clicking the downward directional button.  I’m sorry, but there are just so many times you can put up with: Out there/There's a world outside of Yonkers/Way out there beyond this hick town, Barnaby.

Overall Impressions

Nik liked the movie so of course he enjoyed the opportunity to play both versions of the video game.  However, like me, he found the analog stick on the PSP detrimental to game play so he preferred the PS3 version of the game.  Therefore, he's giving the PS3 version 90 Thumbs-Up out of his patent 100 and 50 Thumbs-Up for the PSP version.  As for me, well I can't say that WALL-E was my favorite Pixar movie, in fact I thought it was pretty much middle of the road. I feel the same way about the game, so I can only give the PS3 version of the game 4 Dancing Elephants out of 8 and the PSP version 3 Dancing Elephants because I think it's kind of important to actually be able to play the game.

Oh, and if you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out the reviews for the DS version of WALL-E by Kevin Cummings and the Wii version by P.D. Love.

Parting Thoughts

When I read Kevin's review I was really impressed that he had gotten all the way through WALL-E for the DS until found out via a correspondence that it was actually his 17-year-old son who championed the game and Kevin merely observed the action over his son's shoulder.  Not one to pass up on an opportunity like that, I offered to fly Kevin's son out to Chicago to finish up the review for the PSP version of WALL-E.  However, Kevin informed me that I would also be responsible for feeding the 17-year-old, so I had to balk on my offer.