|
Activision’s latest Dreamworks-based game has hit store shelves.
In the Bee Movie Game, you’ll control Barry Bee Benson is trying to spice things up in his life of being a worker bee. He’s a curious fellow and begins wondering how humans get their honey, which leads him into the adventure. As expected, the game is inspired by the movie but adds additional sequences to elongate the experience. The game will often give you a bit of a backstory about a certain part of Barry’s life then have you play that specific portion. It works well and keeps things interesting.
The game begins with a simple tutorial showing you how to control Barry. In New Hive City, your hive, you can take control of cars you’ll find and even take control of cars other people are driving. It isn’t long before you’re outside of the hive and that’s where you see the city and the sense of being overwhelmed by how huge the city is compared to your tiny bee.
The main gameplay in the game isn’t very complex but works well. There is a simple combat system where you’ll have to attack dragonflies. You’ll also use a Pollinator Gun to help revive dead flowers. There are even some God of War-style timed button presses that you’ll need to escape dangerous situations (i.e. see a human). Once you’re back at the hive, you can work at Honex (the honey making facility where we can transport honey, fill pods with honey or catch honey or complete random side jobs such as fixing cars, competing in races, delivering food and driving taxis.
In addition to the main storyline, you’ll be able to buy new items and cars and even play arcade games with nectar you earn from the main storyline. The new clothes are very amusing and include a lawyer suit as well as some clothes to help you blend in with the environment. You’ll also be able to buy additional vehicles that you can then use to drive around in. The game also includes bee-themed versions of arcade games like Spacer Invaders and Frogger, among others. These games are playable with another person and the Xbox 360 version even supports Xbox Live Leaderboards.
Bee Movie Game manages to stay true to the style of the movie. The character models, especially Barry, are quite good overall. The game is vibrant and bright all around. The city landscapes are appropriately massive (you’re a bee after all), which makes the experience even better. The Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game have better textures, HD support and improved water effects compared to the PS2 and Wii versions, although those versions are fine for their consoles.
The audio in the game is also impressive. The game’s soundtrack is appropriate for the level you’re currently playing and is similar to what we’ve heard from the movie so far. The sound effects are good, too, thanks to all of the ambient noise that brings the city to life. The game’s voice acting is the star of the audio component though. It doesn’t seem as if Activision licensed all of the movie’s voice actors, but the main ones (Jerry Sienfield, Patrick Warburton and Matthew Broderick) are all included. Sienfield, in particular, does a great job.
The Bee Movie Game is obviously aimed at younger players and those who are interested in the movie. But even older gamers will find plenty of humor and solid gameplay to enjoy in the game. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Oct 31, 2007
|
