Finding Nemo
PlayStation 2
Nostalgia Factor:
This is a milestone review in one very important way: it is my 4-year-old son's first video game! I took him to a local used game store about two months ago and said he could pick something out for himself if he was good. And this is what he picked out.
We came home, played the game for about fifteen minutes, and then he lost interest. He has not wanted to play the game since. As I said, this was about two months ago.
I decided to come back and finish off the game. I liked what I saw from the first few levels, and I kind of figured that this would be a quick and easy game to play through and review. So here we are: Finding Nemo on the PlayStation 2. Something I normally never would have played under regular circumstances. Let's check it out.
Story:
This must be the most loyal movie to video game adaptation I've ever seen. It follows the plot of the film pretty much beat for beat, with very few deviations. I'm not going to recap the entire movie here, but actual cutscenes are plucked directly from the film and put into the game in between levels. It really moves the action along from location to location quite nicely. It felt like I was playing along with the movie. As I said, this is one of the most loyal adaptations I've ever encountered.
Gameplay:
Basic gameplay consists of 2D side scrolling swimming action. The only thing I can really compare it to is Ecco the Dolphin. One of the buttons makes you swim faster. Another one makes you charge forward. You control one of the characters from the film (which character it is depends on the stage). You must make it from the start of the stage to the end of it. You collect items, you swim through rings, and you can complete little mini tasks within the stage, like dropping different colored rocks into the corresponding color's hole. Some stages are more open ended. Like, you have to find all the characters hidden in the stage. The stage I'll always remember is the one where you are in the fish tank and you have to find and collect all the pebbles and drop them in the filter to clog it up. You have to solve a bunch of mini puzzles along the way. Tough but fun.
The game has a gold star system, where completing certain tasks within a level earns you a gold star. There are 60 in the game in total. Some of these tasks include swimming through every ring in the stage, and defeating every enemy in the stage. At first I was really concerned about collecting as many stars as I could. But then I looked online and I saw that collecting all 60 stars unlocks a hidden photo gallery or something at the end of the game. Not really worth all that trouble. So I stopped trying to get them all.
Don't expect the entire game to be side scrolling stages. There are many different gameplay variations. Expect to participate in a lot of "races" where you are trying to make it to a specific destination before the other characters. These stages take place from a behind the back perspective. Picture the 3D swimming stages in Ecco: The Tides of Time. I hate having to keep comparing this game to Ecco, because they really are quite different. But there are similarities. Swimming through rings is one of them.
Other stage variations include a matching game where you flip over cards, slide puzzles, levels where you must bounce from one object to another, and levels where you are being chased and are swimming away towards the screen (ala Crash Bandicoot).
The game is surprisingly difficult. Some of the side scrolling puzzle stages, your goal can be quite obscure. I couldn't believe I had to look online for help a few times when playing this. I also found the slide puzzles to be tough, too. I hate those things. If you die in this game, it takes you back to the nearest checkpoint. While the game is tough, you have unlimited lives, so it never becomes too frustrating.
Despite the unexpected challenge, I beat the game in a little under four hours.
Graphics:
The game looks good enough. I'm not going to say it is going to win any beauty awards. I am not even going to say it has held up particularly well. But it looks good enough, and that is all that matters to me.
The cutscenes in the game look nice. As I mentioned earlier, they are pulled right from the movie. The actual graphics in the game are noticeably not as good. A little fuzzy and a little jaggedy. But they look fine. Not ugly, not pretty either. Just a very basic representation of the events of the film.
I suppose I do have to mention that Nemo looks kind of scary when they zoom in on him sometimes.
Sound:
This game has some great sound. A nice orchestral soundtrack that makes each stage sound epic in its own way. Voice acting is good. I can't tell if the actors are actually from the movie, though? Clearly in the cutscenes they are, but then during the in-game action they sounded a bit different, especially Dory.
Can't complain at all about anything, though. This game definitely excels in the sound department.
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Overall:
This game was better than I thought it would be. I came in expecting it to be terrible, but I had a decent enough time with the game. I won't say I was head over heels in love with it or anything. I can see that this isn't necessarily a "good" game. It feels a bit lazy sometimes. And it is definitely geared more towards kids than adults. It's a little bit like a mix between Ecco the Dolphin and Geronimo Stilton.
I would say this is a slightly above average game, but that is about as far as I will go. It does not deserve a grade in the B range, but it is better than a C. So C+ it is.
Will I ever play this game again? Normally, I would say no. But who knows, my son may take an interest in this game again. I can see myself firing this up with him and making it through some of the levels again. I'll keep my save data so I can try to snag some of those hidden stars I missed. It definitely gives the game some replay value.
So there you have it: Finding Nemo, a decidedly slightly above average game. Play it if you are a fan of the franchise or you have kids. They'll probably like it because it follows the movie so closely. But if you come in expecting a great, memorable gameplay experience, you are going to be disappointed.
THE GRADE:
C+
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