If you've played Wall-E on the XBox 360, PS3, or Wii, you might be
surprised to discover that the PC version is a completely different.
It's actually a port of a separately developed PS2 version made by
Asobo Studio, and I advise suspending judgment until trying it out.
Even the demo does not do justice to the retail game, as it lacks any
areas in which Wall-E is free to explore.
Wall-E for the PC is primarily a platformer. As a platforming hero,
Wall-E (who is essentially a small trash compactor robot on treads)
stands unique in some ways. He doesn't jump upward but rather forward,
and relies on building up speed (visible via an on-screen meter) and
using hills and ramps to gain ground. He can drive up and down certain
ramps like they're skateboard half pipes. He has a laser, can turn
himself into a box, can compact trash into boxes, and can throw boxes.
He can play music to recruit the help of nearby Reject Bots. These and
other abilities are used fairly creatively to solve puzzles and defeat
enemies throughout the platforming portions of the game.
The gameplay is remarkably varied in that not every chapter plays as a
platformer. Some chapters are timed races, a few involve flying as Eve
(Wall-E's high tech robotic object of affection) and some are on-rails
shooter sequences. Even during the platforming sequences, there are
mini-games involving overriding security panels, and sometimes Wall-E
plays as Frogger when transversing a dangerous area. It's to the
developers' credit that they mix things up enough that one doesn't get
bored easily, although some of the platforming areas can take about
30-60 minutes to complete with no means to save.
Surprisingly, the engine used in Wall-E for the PC is better than many
PC games I've played. Once reconfigured via the launcher, it can
display some good high-resolution anisotropic filtered texture detail
while still pumping out a respectable frame rate even on my sub-par
(ATI X1600XT) PC system. (Although a VSync setting is surprisingly
missing, resulting in some tearing unless perhaps you force it from
outside of the game.) The game also never crashed on me once. Also via
the launcher, I was able to configure it to run using a Saitek P880
GamePad, though I never did figure out how to make the door lock
mini-game selection key work with it.
Chronologically, the campaign follows the story of the movie, but there
are many little changes and additions here and there, including a
prologue and epilogue not in the movie. I want to congratulate the
level designers on the excellent job they did on the worlds in the
game, as there's many memorable chapter environments ranging from
gritty industrial to pristine technological. The only blemish I can
cite are that some of the high tech props are too bright (perhaps
intended for TV screens) and that the background music is somewhat
simple, too short, and sometimes a bit inappropriate.
From what I've read and seen, the next-gen versions might be a little
better in terms of character and cutscene detail. The characters in
Wall-E for the PC look and play decently enough, but the cutscenes
don't have the same emotional clout as was in the movie. They tried,
but I think the limitations of the PS2 and development time restraints
presented a definite limit to how well they could do. There is, at
least, some excellent unique vignettes that play when Wall-E recovers a
human artifact.
In terms of replay value, Wall-E for the PC has its ups and down. You
can revisit old chapters to earn more points if you've yet to destroy
all the crates or find artifacts in that chapter. Points are spent on
"cheats" (largely cosmetic) and concept art. However, once this is
done, there's really no compelling reason to go back and play those
chapters because there's no difficulty level to adjust. There's also a
number of mini-games that are unlocked with chapter completion, but
these are primarily multi-player in nature -- good if you've people who
want to play with you, but otherwise probably won't get much use.
Without multiplayer, you can probably get about 10-15 hours out of
Wall-E.
Overall, Wall-E for the PC won't impress the hardcore gamers, who are
ever-hungry for something new and innovative on the largely starved PC
market. However, this game is a capably executed platformer with a
decent balance, good production values, and varied gameplay. For a
movie title, that's outstanding. At a $20 price tag (half that of the
largely identical PS2 version) it's a value that's hard to beat.
