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JAMES CAMERON’S AVATAR

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Developer:UbiSoft Montreal
Publisher:UbiSoft
Systems: XBOX 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS, PSP, and PC

I picked up a copy of JAMES CAMERON’S THE AVATAR this week to check out whether or not the King of the World was able to deliver the exception to the rule, the good movie-to-game adaptation. This was a guy known for investing years in developing technology just for a movie. Cameron is the guy who convinced the world and the movie studios that 3D was still a viable format. If anybody could deliver a fantastic cinematic gaming experience, it should be him. I went in with high hopes but low expectations. I ended up somewhere else.

This AVATAR (not to be confused with the AIRBENDER) is a video game adaptation of the film touted for its technical excellence. Not only is the movie viewable in full 3D, this game is also designed for the third dimension. This feature requires the gamer to have a 3D television and special glasses to play. Because of these limitations the majority of gamers will not get to take advantage.

Unlike the majority of movie-game adaptations, JAMES CAMERON’S THE AVATAR was released weeks before the film hits IMAX theaters. It provides the first glimpse into the world of Pandora (excluding movie trailers and featurettes). I figured this would be my way to figure out whether or not the movie was worth seeing before critics review the movie or the plot gets spoiled.

Surprisingly, this game is less of an adaptation and more of a spin-off. The story does not focus on the movie’s main character Jake Skully. Instead, players choose their own avatar (oh, how clever) and use this body to explore the world of Pandora. While much of the story appears to parallel the movie, at the two hour mark of the game a plot twist splits the game into two separate experiences. Like TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN before it, JAMES CAMERON’S THE AVATAR lets the player pick a side. Be a good little liberal and fight with the Na’vi as an alien, or f*ck shit up as a bad ass space marine. Just be aware that there is no turning back after you choose your own adventure.

During my first run-through, I decided to live life through the eyes of an anorexic smurf and I played to save Pandora. When I made this decision I wasn’t completely aware that the game was splitting into two different stories. I just assumed that the Na’vi path more closely resembled the movie and when I was playing this game I wanted the closest experience to the movie. In retrospect, after spending 10 hours with other punk-ass aliens, I’d probable prefer to be the space marine.

Overall, I found the storytelling to be incredibly lacking on this path. There’s no romantic storyline (as there appears to be in the movie), poor voice-acting, and meaningless collection quests. The delivery of the dialogue was as boring as it comes and the verbiage spoken is ridiculous. The digital encyclopedia included was interesting but is not a substitute for a smart script. I was hoping for something emotional. I was looking for some flavor of a good action movie. I was left with bored session actors reading cue cards.

The glue designed to keep the story moving was an endless barrage of monotonous collection missions. It became so borrowing and repetitive that I wound up sprinting from one area of the map to the next. Instead of spending my time fighting the marine fodder, I cloaked my avatar and ran until I got to the next destination. If this was intended as a stealth feature, it requires zero skill and feels more like a cheat than gameplay.

Thrown in for variety, there are a couple of dragon-riding missions. Too bad the flight controls are far too stiff and the mission design lacks sensible logic. Here’s a simple example of how stupid the design of this game is: the game provides a vine for players to climb to a platform. From that platform you can jump on the top of a gunship and take that mother down. Logically then, if the game provides a flying beast, the player should then be able to fly up and land on the gunship. Or, at least to fly up and land on the platform next to the gunship. Nope. In this game the player has to use the vine and the dragon is just a useless vessel of a transport. Why bother including a flying portion in the game if everything about the game design contradicts it?

Graphically this game has issues with collision detection. There were several occasions where my avatar was running through the jungle and my guy obviously was running through plants and not running into them. While this game does have some gorgeous looking scenery, having your character walk through physical objects like a ghost is a bit distracting. I also wish that there was a bit more variety when it comes to the enemies. The grunt enemies are especially repetitive and it would have been nice to battle a motley crew of badies.

After completing the Na’vi storyline, I gave the space marine (RDA) storyline a shot. I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment. And, surprise surprise, the story and the gameplay is better in this part of the game. Sure, there is plenty of nonsensical collecting and invisible barriers (again in the flying missions). Nevertheless, there is something a bit more entertaining when you’re busy slaughtering the natives. If you do plan on giving this game a shot, definitely play the RDA storyline first (be the bad guys).

If you’re looking for an original gaming experience with a spectacular story, JAMES CAMERON’S AVATAR is not your game. If you’re looking for insight in the movie AVATAR, this lunch of plastic isn’t your game. If you’re just looking for a distraction with decent controls and lots of sprinting, this will probably fill the void. Just make sure you that you play the RDA storyline and save the Na’vi portion for later.