Customer Reviews

Wall-E

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

First and foremost Wall-E appears to be a port of the PlayStation 2 version of the game. As a result, the graphics suffer in much the same way that the do with the recent PC versions of the Iron Man and Hulk games. Wall-E gives you the ability to increase the resolution, but that's about it. Definitely no next gen graphics to be seen here.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Graphics aren't everything, most of the enjoyment I get out of games is derived from gameplay. The only time I consider graphics in the equation is when two games offer similar gameplay. If the gameplay is largely the same then most people would prefer to play the game with the better graphics. With this in mind, you might be better off with the 360 or PS3 version of the game; unless graphics truly aren't important to you.

Moving on to the actual gameplay. Wall-E has a very simplistic control mechanism. There's a button to jump (more on this later), a button to shoot a laser, a button to toss objects, and a button to skrink down to a cube form. Each of these buttons allow you to perform one of about 4 things you'll do for the entire game.

1) Shoot red boxes with the laser
2) Shrink to a cube to break the other two kinds of boxes
3) Throw an object to destroy an out of reach box or hit a switch that allows you to continue with forward progress
4) Jump over obstacles

Other that those 4 things there really isn't that much more to this game. An area typically has a door that can be opened by supplying it with a certain number of energy units. You traverse the level to destroy the boxes that contain the energy units until you have enough to open the door. There are also other boxes that con be destroyed, but the only function they serve is to finish the game with a 100% completion rating.

There are hidden objects among the garbage in each level, but again the only real purpose they serve is to check them off the 100% completion list.

Jumping can be a bit cumbersome in this game. I really wouldn't describe the behavior as a jump. It's more of a fall forward movement. The object is to build up speed and fall forward to the next platform where how far you fall forward depends on how fast you are going. The game includes half pipe and half pipe transfers (a la Tony Hawk) to gain momentum for larger jumps. The jumping can be a bit unpredictable and difficult for younger gamers, so much so that they have run the risk of making the game unplayable for their target market. The devellopers should have made this system better, or reduced the focus of jumping from platform to platform, as each level relies heavily on jumping puzzles. One missed jump can mean a frustrating climb back up to where you originally fell off.

Speaking of falling, Wall-E also has the tendancey to "weave" instaead of simply moving in a straight line. This usually happens when attempting to move forward without being lined up in the direction you want to go before youstart moving. There is an adjustment period where Wall-E arcs in the direction you want to move. This becomes a problem when attempting to cross things like narrow bridges. One slight weave or arc while crossing can make you fall off any one of the several ledges found in the game.

There are also mini games that allow you to doors that provide access to yet more crates to destroy. The mini games take the form of simon says, image matching (make the readout on the left look like the readout on the right), and the memory card game where you try to match hidden pairs. These mini games are clearly intended for children. I've also noticed that sometimes you will have a panel with multiple buttons and no indicator as to which button Wall-E's finger is currently hovering over. You just have to work out which button is currently hovered over through trial an error, which leads to all sorts of problems when doing the memory matching puzzle.

There are other games intended for a younger audience that are still fun to play as an adult, the Lego games come to mind. Wall-E is not one of these games, and I would recommend this game for a younger audience only. I didn't find it all that engaging after about 15 minutes. There is a high level of repetition and you hit that Wall very early on.

Break three types of boxes, hit a switch, jump through to the next section. Maybe find a piece of garbage or two along the way, maybe not. That's the game.

I received this as a Christmas gift because I liked the movie very much. I'm an experienced gamer (Quake, UT, etc) and this game has horrible controls. You HAVE to use the keyboard. Ever hear of mouselook? Plus the "camera" constantly rotates around Wall-E on its own and Wall-E's movements are in direct relation to the camera view. Forward isn't really forward in the direction Wall-E is pointing but rather where the camera is pointing. Given the constantly auto-changing camera views you can't get Wall-E (or EVE) to go in the direction you want him to go in. Many times this results in a dead Wall-E and causes endless repetitions of the same level. Save your money and do not buy this game!

My kids are 3 and 5 years old. Pixar did an incredible job making the movie meaningful and accessible to such young kids, but the same can't be said of this game. I would like to see a game that finds the middle ground between the crappy online games and this one. All my 5-year-old wants to do is be Wall-E, and make him move around and collect stuff in his little lunch cooler and explore. This game should have been aimed at a younger audience, with less emphasis on complicated (for a 5-year-old) controls/moves and more emphasis on fun. Do I enjoy playing it? Sure, but since it's just movie merchandise anyway, not Halo 4, why not cater to the audience that will get the most actual joy out of it?

My 8yo bought this PC game with his brithday money to share with his younger sibling (4) who is wall e mad. I wasn't expecting spectactular graphics or an amazing story line. I figured that it would follow the path of the movie more or less and have some fun games along the way.

Our first glitch was that the darned thing needs an xbox 360 controller for windows. If we had that why would we not be buying the xbox version of the game?? Anyway, without the controller, the game cannot be played using the mouse or arrow keys but has an elaborate system of keys on the keyboard that perform different functions.

Wall e wobbles all over the place instead of rolling in a straight line and the keys used to make the character move forward or backward are most erratic. Depending on your camera view you may have to press the left key to make the character roll forward! Very confusing.

I find the game extremely frustrating but both my kids seem to enjoy it. I doubt that they will finish all the levels since frustration will probably make them drop it soon. If you make a mistake (or your wall-e wobbles at the wrong moment) you have to back pedal and start over.
the movie was adorable and I guess it is too much to ask that the game be excellent too.

This product does not work on a Mac. My system far exceeds the minimum specifications, yet the game crashes my system in an unpredictable pattern. It requires a reboot of the system each time. THQ responded to my report by concluding I had a defective disc. Amazon replaced the disc and the replacement copy, which I reinstalled to make sure there were no remnants of the original installation, crashed in less than 6 minutes of play. Since THQ is blind to the defect, I don't expect it to be fixed anytime soon. Avoid this turkey!

We purchased this for our son, and he has found it completely engrossing. Considering the price paid, it was a massive bargain.

Wow... You've got to be kidding me. This PC game can only work with keyboard controls. What a waste.

I bought this game because I wanted something to do and I am NOT regretting it. Even my boyfriend, who is a video game designer, enjoys this game and often compliments just how good of a game it is. If you buy this, you will not be sorry.

My computer(PC)far exceeds the requirements yet this game constantly crashes or locks-up completely. The game is fun to play when it works but became to buggy to complete.

This is a fun game, but it has a few downsides. When the computer tells you to press the "Move" buttons or the "lazer" button, it does Not tell you which keys to press. If you read the instructions, you're safe. Plus, a lot of the levels are impossible to get through. One of the good parts of the game is you get to be Wall.e and Eve. If you play a lot of keyboard games you will be great at this game. In conclusion, I would recommend this game.