We’ve said it for a very long time; movie-tie in games suck. No matter which way you try to spin it, movie-tie in games usually end up flopping out. There are ones that are so bad you wish they never saw the light of day, (I’m looking at you Iron Man). There are some rare exceptions though that makes you wish studios would take note. What may come as a surprise to some is that these are games based off of kids movies and to top it all off; Disney/Pixar movies at that. Read more below for the rest of the review.

So, this brings us to Toy Story 3, a game and movie that continues the adventures of Buzz, Woody and the gang. It would be wrong to give away the story here, so I’ll leave that up to you if you decide to venture and watch the film, a great film mind you. Of course, you must be wondering where I can possibly go next in this review. Well, I’m here to talk about the game itself obviously. There are plenty of areas to explore and play through in places like Andy’s room, or even the Sunnyside Day Care Center. Every area in the game is completely open to the player’s decisions and leaves you with plenty to do. With a lot of small unlockable items dropped everywhere it’s not too hard to let curiosity get the best of you. It’s easy to run around and soak in the space around you. The items range from coins too items you can use to customize your world in the Toy Box.

Toy Box mode is where the game really gets its high marks. It’s a place where you can run around at will and do whatever you want. Something I’m sure the kids will enjoy especially. There are big open spaces for running around and completing side missions and lasering your next victim. In the Playstation 3 version of the game you’ll be able to play as the evil Emperor Zerg figurine.  In this expansive world of the Toy Box you’ll be able to customize everything from the toys themselves to the buildings around you. You can add things like a barbershop or even a jail. As the Sheriff of the town you’ll also have the task of running around and drop kicking any masked robbers you find in the streets. You can collect gold from completing missions or digging around the world of course to buy more stuff.

Now, there is one thing that irked me about the game which I’m sure I’m not the only one that noticed. There are a few times during certain levels, particularly in tight levels where the camera gets in odd angles. There were plenty of moments where, thanks to the camera, I fell to my death whether it is off a ledge or into the barrels of space. However, thanks to this being a kid’s game you’ll have plenty of lives to finish the job. You’ll end up right back where you started. When it comes to the games presentation, you’ll notice it looks almost exactly like the movie. All the toys are about as close to their counterparts in the movie as you can get. However, the voices though might be a little irritating to those who like a sense of authenticity with movie licensed games. You won’t find Tim Allen or Tom Hanks reprising their roles in the game unfortunately save for the less minor characters. Toys like Slinky and even Ham the piggy bank are both reprised with their original actors.

There is enough material in the game to give experienced players a good challenge. The difficulty curve is too extreme for the little ones either, so you can always hand over the controller to split the gaming time. The levels are certainly designed to give you some thought with each puzzle that comes your way. There are only three characters to choose from for your adventure for most of the maps: Woody, who also has an ability to swing to multiple locations using his pull cord, Buzz Lightyear who has some lasers in his arsenal and Jessie who is the more nimble of the bunch helping you reach high points in the maps. There isn’t much of a reason for you to go back and replay certain levels, as most of them are pretty straightforward save for the areas you get stuck in.

Verdict: Overall, Toy Story 3 is a game that you can enjoy with your kids and family in tow. The difficulty is skewed so that even the most light-hearted gamer can get a handle on it and enjoy it till the end. It’s certainly a recommendation for a rental and up to you if you decide it’s worth the full purchase.