Up the video game was developed by Heavy Iron Studios on the big consoles and Asobo Studios on dinky bois, and published by THQ.
It's safe to say THQ took its Disney contracts seriously because at least on a surface level, the quality is visible.
The game covers an interesting cliffnotes version of the film and captures a lot of the Pixar quality in overall presentation.
Gameplay takes the form of a Co-op puzzle platformer broken up by some log/bird riding, boss fights, and a random dogfight at the end.
I played the PSP version and quite enjoyed it, though I think if you have any interest in playing this for yourself, you should grab it on a console. The game was built for Co-op and I've no doubt it'd be enjoyable.
The core puzzle platforming levels that make up the majority of the game are reasonably solid. It's never particularly difficult but has a few tricks to keep players engaged.
Playing solo (though even the PSP had co-op through wifi which is beyond cool) the AI is surprisingly decent. The only real gripes I had were with some of the level designs and lack of polish in some places, but it was almost never the AI's fault. In solo mode you swap between the characters to use their different features to solve puzzles.
Mr. Fredrickson uses his cane to climb higher ledges, Russel can carry things, you occasionally take control of Dug and Kevin who have a long jump and a high jump respectively, dug can also go through doggy doors.
As you play through the game the boys also pickup some added tricks for dealing with dangerous animals and other minor problems.
The gameplay follows a similar progression to other successful B-games, by offering a ton of variety.
While a majority of levels were just co-op platforming and puzzles, there was enough of all the other level types to stop it ever getting stale, and there's enough different scenery on display to be interesting.
The collectibles are an interesting little bit of icing. I gave up on them by the halfway point but I can definitely see 100%ing this game if I played it as a kid and/or with a dedicated player 2. You compete to collect (or squash) bugs in each level. There's also butterflies for Russel and picture frames for Fredrickson which add a little extra gameplay if inclined, you get a little collection in the main menu from doing so.
There's nothing revolutionary in here, but like with many THQ projects of the time it's perfectly enjoyable. I finished it without ever getting bored or frustrated.
THQ games never fail to bring me back to something nostalgic with a perfectly competent clone of a better game.
I'd say they were taking a lot from games like cookies and cream here, but I'm sure there's a more prominent example.
I think it's easy to get cynical about these games, to say they served no purpose other than to cash in on the immediate success of the related property. And I won't try to claim that they definitely DIDN'T do that.
I'll just say that cynicism like that happens at a top level, below that is a bunch of game developers just trying to make something fun.
THQ games are fun to play, and that's all there is to it.
It's safe to say THQ took its Disney contracts seriously because at least on a surface level, the quality is visible.
The game covers an interesting cliffnotes version of the film and captures a lot of the Pixar quality in overall presentation.
Gameplay takes the form of a Co-op puzzle platformer broken up by some log/bird riding, boss fights, and a random dogfight at the end.
I played the PSP version and quite enjoyed it, though I think if you have any interest in playing this for yourself, you should grab it on a console. The game was built for Co-op and I've no doubt it'd be enjoyable.
The core puzzle platforming levels that make up the majority of the game are reasonably solid. It's never particularly difficult but has a few tricks to keep players engaged.
Playing solo (though even the PSP had co-op through wifi which is beyond cool) the AI is surprisingly decent. The only real gripes I had were with some of the level designs and lack of polish in some places, but it was almost never the AI's fault. In solo mode you swap between the characters to use their different features to solve puzzles.
Mr. Fredrickson uses his cane to climb higher ledges, Russel can carry things, you occasionally take control of Dug and Kevin who have a long jump and a high jump respectively, dug can also go through doggy doors.
As you play through the game the boys also pickup some added tricks for dealing with dangerous animals and other minor problems.
The gameplay follows a similar progression to other successful B-games, by offering a ton of variety.
While a majority of levels were just co-op platforming and puzzles, there was enough of all the other level types to stop it ever getting stale, and there's enough different scenery on display to be interesting.
The collectibles are an interesting little bit of icing. I gave up on them by the halfway point but I can definitely see 100%ing this game if I played it as a kid and/or with a dedicated player 2. You compete to collect (or squash) bugs in each level. There's also butterflies for Russel and picture frames for Fredrickson which add a little extra gameplay if inclined, you get a little collection in the main menu from doing so.
There's nothing revolutionary in here, but like with many THQ projects of the time it's perfectly enjoyable. I finished it without ever getting bored or frustrated.
THQ games never fail to bring me back to something nostalgic with a perfectly competent clone of a better game.
I'd say they were taking a lot from games like cookies and cream here, but I'm sure there's a more prominent example.
I think it's easy to get cynical about these games, to say they served no purpose other than to cash in on the immediate success of the related property. And I won't try to claim that they definitely DIDN'T do that.
I'll just say that cynicism like that happens at a top level, below that is a bunch of game developers just trying to make something fun.
THQ games are fun to play, and that's all there is to it.