After creating killer robots and recreating the sinking of the world’s most famous ocean liner acclaimed Hollywood director James Cameron is back with his celluloid magnum opus, but is Avatar: The Game a worthy accompaniment to the box-office blockbuster? Read our Avatar: The Game to learn the answer.
Chances are you’re well aware of the release of James Cameron’s latest cinematic epic Avatar, thanks largely to the film being supported by a promotional juggernaut that would make George Lucas blush.
Naturally this includes an officially licensed video game, something that is traditionally frowned upon by serious gamers. However, in an effort to buck this sorry trend Avatar: The Game has been created under close consultation with Cameron himself and the famed director has reportedly gone to great lengths to ensure that it’s an intelligent expansion of his vision rather than a shameless cash-in.
Read our James Cameron’s Avatar for Nintendo DS review
To begin with, these lofty claims appear to have some credence. Avatar: The Game looks fantastic, with the vibrant alien world of Pandora literally bursting with life. Plants react to nearby movement, land-based animals cavort beneath the jungle canopy and bird-like Banshees cloud the skies above.
Avatar: The Game’s biggest draw is that it allows you to experience the battle for Pandora from both perspectives; you can choose to fight as the oppressive human RDA forces or switch allegiance and help the indigenous Na’vi to defend their beloved homeland.
What this means is that Avatar: The Game is essentially two titles for the price of one; both sides have different missions and ordinance, and while it should be noted that many of the locations visited are identical for both races, being able to view events from two radically different perspectives is undeniably interesting.
Sadly, that’s where the innovation ends. Avatar: The Game showcases disappointingly unimaginative missions; during the course of your quest you’ll have to endure plenty of dull “fetch” quests which only serve to artificially extend the game’s play time.
Combat is less than perfect, too; it lacks any semblance of tension as your opponents are so stupid you can often stand right next to them for several seconds before they acknowledge your presence. When you find yourself drastically outnumbered things can get pretty hairy, but more often than not you’re able to outwit your monumentally dumb foes with relative ease.
Possibly sensing the brevity of the main game, Ubisoft has attempted to beef Avatar: The Game up with a strategic “Conquest” mini-game and online multiplayer, yet neither element successfully manages to lift the flagging title out of the doldrums.
While Avatar: The Game certainly does an excellent job of replicating the tone of the film, the lacklustre gameplay sadly lets it down. Nice work on maintaining your vision, Mr Cameron – you just need to remember to spend a little longer on creating something that’s fun to play next time.
