[played on real PS1 hardware]
Over the years, I’ve seen and heard plenty of praise for the game based on Toy Story 2. Licensed games don’t exactly have the best reputation, but this is one of the few that’s fairly beloved… and initially, I didn’t get the hype. I first played it in 2022 by emulating the Dreamcast version, and the combination of my own impatience as well as the jank of that port meant I came out of the experience not really caring for the game. But now, nearly two years later, I’ve become a far more patient and forgiving gal, and I decided to pick up TS2 once more, eager to finally understand why it’s so fondly remembered. And considering that I ended up playing it twice, I’d say the game finally clicked for me!
Following in the footsteps of Mario 64 and many other 3D platformers of the era, Toy Story 2 takes the form of a collectathon. As Buzz Lightyear, you’re tasked with exploring various stages based on scenes from the movie, collecting Pizza Planet Tokens in order to proceed. In terms of moveset, Buzz only has a few abilities at his disposal, but the game does an excellent job at getting the most out of it all; the laser’s an efficient way of dealing with enemies, the double-jump and ground-pound make platforming feel a bit tighter, and the spin can help with close calls, although it’s a bit more situational than the rest of Buzz’s abilities. The physics and general feel are also just right, with Buzz having the perfect amount of weight to his movements. Grabbing onto ledges and swinging on poles can be a bit inconsistent at points, but aside from that, the game controls great!
There’s also a few power-ups you can unlock by finding a specific part of Mr. Potato Head in certain levels, and their implementation is alright. They’re mostly only used for one section or to unlock something in an earlier stage, which is a fine approach, but I wish there was a bit more to the backtracking to make it feel slightly more worthwhile (Alleys and Gullies does a pretty good job with it though, as you can use the grappling hook to scale up a part of the level you had no access to before).
For me, the levels of a collectathon are the most important part. I generally prefer stages that are small but still densely packed with secrets that can be fun to route on future playthroughs, and fortunately, Toy Story 2 captures this with some fantastic level design! Andy’s house and the surrounding neighbourhood set a great first impression, and the game never lets up from there; from the construction yard to Al’s Toy Barn and the airport from the movie’s climax, each stage is incredibly well-paced, stuffed with collectibles and never feel too drawn-out or repetitive. You’re mostly doing the same tasks on each level (like collecting 50 coins for Hamm, beating a miniboss and finding five items), but with how varied and fun the design was, I didn’t even notice until I looked more thoroughly!
In particular, I’d really like to highlight my personal favourite level, Elevator Hop, based on Buzz and the gang’s trip through the innards of the apartment building Al lives in. This scene’s expanded into a full level, where you start off by making your way through the vents and into the control room, and after solving a quick puzzle, two elevators are activated which go up and down at separate intervals, allowing you to access the rest of the stage. The threat of falling down is certainly present, but with the game’s lack of fall damage and some handy shortcut vents that’ll blow you all the way back up, it’s not too stressful. Figuring out the pattern of the elevators and how to further ascend upwards is really fun, which makes getting up there and finishing the tougher challenges feel even more rewarding.
I don’t have too much to say in regards to presentation, at least visually. For a PS1 licensed game it looks fairly decent, the textures are colourful but some of the character models are quite blocky by today’s standards (most notably with Buzz and Woody). The soundtrack is surprisingly excellent, though, perfectly capturing the vibe of the movie’s score whilst having an identity of its own. My personal favourite tracks are probably the ones for Andy’s Neighbourhood, Al’s Toy Barn, and Airport Infiltration.
I’m so glad I gave Toy Story 2 another chance, because it’s a pretty fun game! There’s a lot of really fun design on display, and as a licensed game, it perfectly captures the charm of its source material. If you haven’t played it yet, I’d certainly recommend it, especially since the game’s available on modern PlayStation consoles!
Over the years, I’ve seen and heard plenty of praise for the game based on Toy Story 2. Licensed games don’t exactly have the best reputation, but this is one of the few that’s fairly beloved… and initially, I didn’t get the hype. I first played it in 2022 by emulating the Dreamcast version, and the combination of my own impatience as well as the jank of that port meant I came out of the experience not really caring for the game. But now, nearly two years later, I’ve become a far more patient and forgiving gal, and I decided to pick up TS2 once more, eager to finally understand why it’s so fondly remembered. And considering that I ended up playing it twice, I’d say the game finally clicked for me!
Following in the footsteps of Mario 64 and many other 3D platformers of the era, Toy Story 2 takes the form of a collectathon. As Buzz Lightyear, you’re tasked with exploring various stages based on scenes from the movie, collecting Pizza Planet Tokens in order to proceed. In terms of moveset, Buzz only has a few abilities at his disposal, but the game does an excellent job at getting the most out of it all; the laser’s an efficient way of dealing with enemies, the double-jump and ground-pound make platforming feel a bit tighter, and the spin can help with close calls, although it’s a bit more situational than the rest of Buzz’s abilities. The physics and general feel are also just right, with Buzz having the perfect amount of weight to his movements. Grabbing onto ledges and swinging on poles can be a bit inconsistent at points, but aside from that, the game controls great!
There’s also a few power-ups you can unlock by finding a specific part of Mr. Potato Head in certain levels, and their implementation is alright. They’re mostly only used for one section or to unlock something in an earlier stage, which is a fine approach, but I wish there was a bit more to the backtracking to make it feel slightly more worthwhile (Alleys and Gullies does a pretty good job with it though, as you can use the grappling hook to scale up a part of the level you had no access to before).
For me, the levels of a collectathon are the most important part. I generally prefer stages that are small but still densely packed with secrets that can be fun to route on future playthroughs, and fortunately, Toy Story 2 captures this with some fantastic level design! Andy’s house and the surrounding neighbourhood set a great first impression, and the game never lets up from there; from the construction yard to Al’s Toy Barn and the airport from the movie’s climax, each stage is incredibly well-paced, stuffed with collectibles and never feel too drawn-out or repetitive. You’re mostly doing the same tasks on each level (like collecting 50 coins for Hamm, beating a miniboss and finding five items), but with how varied and fun the design was, I didn’t even notice until I looked more thoroughly!
In particular, I’d really like to highlight my personal favourite level, Elevator Hop, based on Buzz and the gang’s trip through the innards of the apartment building Al lives in. This scene’s expanded into a full level, where you start off by making your way through the vents and into the control room, and after solving a quick puzzle, two elevators are activated which go up and down at separate intervals, allowing you to access the rest of the stage. The threat of falling down is certainly present, but with the game’s lack of fall damage and some handy shortcut vents that’ll blow you all the way back up, it’s not too stressful. Figuring out the pattern of the elevators and how to further ascend upwards is really fun, which makes getting up there and finishing the tougher challenges feel even more rewarding.
I don’t have too much to say in regards to presentation, at least visually. For a PS1 licensed game it looks fairly decent, the textures are colourful but some of the character models are quite blocky by today’s standards (most notably with Buzz and Woody). The soundtrack is surprisingly excellent, though, perfectly capturing the vibe of the movie’s score whilst having an identity of its own. My personal favourite tracks are probably the ones for Andy’s Neighbourhood, Al’s Toy Barn, and Airport Infiltration.
I’m so glad I gave Toy Story 2 another chance, because it’s a pretty fun game! There’s a lot of really fun design on display, and as a licensed game, it perfectly captures the charm of its source material. If you haven’t played it yet, I’d certainly recommend it, especially since the game’s available on modern PlayStation consoles!