Adapting a great
movie into a great game is often hit or miss. For every great game that is
based on a movie there is an equal number of bad games released that are based
on a movie. It seems to be a challenge in trying to capture what was so special
about a movie and having it play out in a video game. Some games try to be a
recreation of the movie, with the game playing as close to the movie as
possible. Other games try to create new adventures based on events in the
movie. The Polar Express game is the later; a game based on events in the movie
but with only a marginal connection to the actual movie itself.
The Polar Express
movie is a wonderful, fantastic tale about a magical train and a young boy’s
journey to the North Pole. The little boy is having a hard time believing in
Santa Claus and on Christmas Eve is offered a trip aboard the Polar Express to
the North Pole. During the movie the little boy experiences some wild and crazy
adventures on the train and at the North Pole. Not to spoil the movie, but the
main story line of the movie focuses on the boy’s belief in Christmas and
Santa. I enjoyed the movie and believe it could become a Christmas classic for
years to come. Now the game on the other hand doesn’t live up to those lofty
claims but it’s a game that younger gamers should enjoy.
For those who
haven’t seen any scenes from the movie need to know that the movie is a CG
(computer graphics) movie with some amazing animation. All of the animation in
the movie is very lifelike and since the movie is digital the transfer to the
game is amazing. You might believe the scenes from the movie are being played
on a DVD not a CD-ROM. In fact the game presents several scenes from the movie
during the game, usually right before a stage that will usually tie in the scene
with the game. It doesn’t play the entire movie and in fact it doesn’t spoil
the movie for those who haven’t had a chance to see the movie. Some key scenes
in the movie were removed to preserve the magic and surprise for those wanting
to see the movie later.
The first scene
from the movie starts off the game and your gaming journey aboard the Polar
Express begins. Now the scenes from the movie are amazing but the graphics
within the game aren’t even in the same league. All of the characters are in 3D
and their textures look good but compared to the movie the characters look
awful. If there weren’t any scenes from the movie included then the graphics
probably wouldn’t be that bad. But, it’s hard not to mention the big
differences between the graphics, especially the character models, when compared
to the scenes from the movie. It’s a night and day difference. The rest of the
graphics in the game, especially during the racing sections, were decent with a
steady frame rate and some great detail.
The basic premise
of The Polar Express is really about mini games. There isn’t just one type of
gameplay mode that you play; instead the game is composed of several different
mini games. The games vary from racing games, side scrolling platform, and even
rhythm dancing games. In fact only a few of the mini games were actually based
on events in the movie. The developers have created mini games based on the
“premise” or “theme” of the events in the movie. For example there is a section
in the game where your character is skiing with another character in the game.
There is a scene in the movie just that has this idea but the way the game
presents this is completely different. The game has you racing against the
train as you ski down a mountain. This wasn’t in the movie but that isn’t to
say it’s a bad idea. I can see how some parts of the movie had to be changed to
make a better video game but some of the ideas weren’t even mentioned in the
movie. For example there is a boss battle in the game that has you fighting
against a Scrooge doll. Leading up to this battle with Scrooge has you fighting
different dolls by having you throw stuffed animals at the dolls. There are
several stages of these battles that you have to go through before finally
facing Scrooge, but none of these events are in the movie.
Now taking
creative freedom with a movie based film has to be done. But sometimes creating
new events and ideas for the game can be a detriment to the movie and to the
game. Fighting the Scrooge boss was an OK idea but having to go through all of
the mini games to finally fight Scrooge was tedious and monotonous. None of
these tie in with the movie so it felt as if I was playing a game not based on a
different movie. The battle with Scrooge felt like it was early in the game,
but in fact it was around the half way point of the game. This game is very
short and most players will be able to finish it within two or three days. I
finished the game within two days but had 75% of the game done within the first
night. That was only after maybe 2 or 3 hours of gaming.
Older gamers will
probably zip through the game without a problem but younger games might take an
extra day or two. The game gives you 5 continues to start but you can earn an
additional continue by collecting coins. After you collect 20 coins you earn 1
continue and by the end of the game I had collected 9 continues. The lowest
total of continues I had at one time were 2, so the game is very generous with
the coins. The game does try to reward you for playing the game over again by
offering unlockable content. You can collect toy parts that can build toys that
unlock bonuses. You probably won’t be able to collect all of the toy parts the
first time you play the game but each stage can be replayed once you’ve finished
the level.
Since the game is
composed of mini games there is some variety when it comes to the gameplay. I
would consider the racing games as the best mini games included within Polar
Express. The controls were nice, tight and very responsive during the racing
segments. The mini games where you controlled the little boy were varied
depending on the level. Some levels would have you throwing toys or even
playing tennis with some of the toys. The controls were well done on these
levels with the only negative in your character being slow when picking up
items. Controlling the little boy could become a problem especially when
jumping. Sometimes the boy would hang on an edge after a jump and other times
he just didn’t make the jump as well as he did just a second ago. The rhythm
games included were a nice change of pace and something I’m a sure younger gamer
would enjoy. The rhythm and timing of the music were similar but the segments
would drag a little because the same patterns would repeat several times.
The Polar Express
isn’t a bad game based on a movie license. In fact if the game wasn’t so short
and so far removed from the movie then I could say that it’s a good game. The
graphics for some of the stages were nicely done, the controls were responsive
during the majority of the game and the scenes from the movie looked amazing.
But instead of just bashing the game I really believe this game is all about
what type of gamer you are. Older gamers just won’t get it and will probably
because bored or frustrated with the different mini games. I do believe that
younger gamers will find the game entertaining and enjoyable whether they’ve
seen the movie or not. Sometimes we have to believe in something even if it
doesn’t exist. Just because you stop believing doesn’t mean that it (in this
case, a decent game) doesn’t exist.
Gameplay 6.0
As I’ve mentioned
earlier the game takes creative freedom with developing gaming ideas from the
movie. Some work while others just don’t cut it; but then again I strongly
believe this opinion will vary depending on the age of the gamer. The mindless
repetition of some of the games will drive some gamers insane. But the racing
segments and even the Metal Gear based segment were a nice change of pace from
the other mini games. Some of the games felt like they went on forever but the
game is over way too soon. The controls were well done for most of the games
but there was an occasional hick-up along the way.
Graphics 6.5
As I mentioned
earlier the scenes from the movie look amazing but the character models during
the actual game fall well short of the detail from the movie. The graphics for
the racing segments were nicely detailed and the frame rate was always steady
and smooth. If there were more segments showcasing the graphics of the racing
scenes then the graphics would score higher. But it is so hard to watch the
graphics after seeing the beauty of the movie.
Sound 6.5
The sound effects
in the game were satisfactory and the voice acting was decent as well. I don’t
believe any of the actors from the movie voiced the characters within the game
(however the voiceovers from the movie scenes were left in tack). During the
ending credits it shows Tom Hank’s brother did the voice over work for Tom’s
characters. He did a good job but he just doesn’t have the same aura about him
that his brother does. Probably the biggest problem with the voice acting was
the lip-synching was always out. The characters would always keep moving their
mouths after the actors stopped talking. The music in the game was very well
done with some great orchestra music that fit great in the game.
Difficulty - Easy
Everyone, young and old, shouldn't have any
problem finishing this game. For those that are really determined they might
even finish the game the first time they play it. At least there is the option
to unlock the bonus features so that gives you the incentive to try the game
again.
Concept 6.2
The game is based
on the movie but with big changes that will probably surprise everyone that has
seen the movie. The gameplay is standard stuff that won’t shock anyone with its
originality. But the biggest surprise will be how the developers included their
ideas into the game. Sure there were a couple musical numbers in the movie but
is that enough to justify a rhythm dancing mini game? Or how about playing
tennis with a jack in a box? But once again these ideas might seem crazy to me
but to a young child these could be some great ideas.
Overall 6.3
The Polar Express
really isn’t a bad game. It’s just a game that includes some crazy ideas that
weren’t included in the movie. For someone that didn’t see the movie then it’s
just another game. While some of the mini games are repetitive, there are still
some entertaining parts of the game, namely the racing segments. If the game
wasn’t over so quickly then who knows what other crazy ideas could have been
included as well.
