I would have to say that I actually enjoyed watching and appreciating what Pixar has done with WALL-E. They fully created a sci-fi world and, to my knowledge, the first real sci-fi movie they’ve made in their history. The sound effects by Ben Burtt, who created the masterful sounds of the great R2-D2 from Star Wars, have given both WALL-E and EVA life. You will laugh and you will cry by movie’s end. I might even find myself seeing it again before it comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray. Having been a fan of everything Disney and Pixar, I knew I would have a wonderful time seeing this movie and, going into the game, it’s fair to say that you shouldn’t have too much of a problem enjoying WALL-E despite its faults.

The Little Robot that Could

Once you begin the game, you’ll be thrown back into the universe filled with its opening songs from Hello Dolly by Louis Armstrong to Down to Earth by Peter Gabriel. THQ and Heavy Iron Studios have created an entertaining WALL-E experience that can be quite enjoyable for the kids, but more of an achievement-gaining experience for the hardcore crowd.

You’ll be taken back to scenes from the movie and will even be seeing new stuff created just for the game. The game combines many different aspects of gameplay from action/adventure to shooter; it tries to keep things fresh to a certain degree. Early on in the levels, you’ll start off as WALL-E as you rely heavily on collecting items to solve puzzles and to unlock new sections of each level. WALL-E has his ability to crush garbage into cubes, giving you his most basic attack. You’ll find yourself throwing these garbage cubes at trash cans in order to draw bridges down or break down a wall to pass through.The garbage cubes have two uses. One, called the charge cube, helps you destroy enemies and charge up devices for rising platforms or powering a station to unlock the next section of the level. The second use is for plain garbage that can be used to knock down walls.

When you get to the later part of the game, you’ll get a fresh character change as you play as EVA, WALL-E’s one and only love. EVA is a sleek robot with a chirpy personality. She’ll guide you into the shooter aspects of the gameplay. You’ll even get the chance to control her laser as WALL-E through a level or two of the game.

There are a couple of problems, however, that I’d like to point out before I move on that unfortunately make the game suffer just a tad bit. The 360 version of the game suffers from long-- and I mean long-- load times. This makes for an uninviting experience as you would think a game of this value wouldn’t need such long loading times. It also seems like the game has a hard time keeping up with the little robot that could. You’ll be gliding around the map, for instance, and spot a few glitch areas where the camera will re-adjust itself to get back behind you, although you have almost full control over that camera. The frame rate is a bit wacky at times especially when there are weather conditions about that try to affect your advancement.

Graphics

This is one area that the WALL-E game falls short when in comparison to Pixar’s efforts, although that may not really be fair considering that in-game graphics aren’t usually as advanced as a Pixar film would be. WALL-E and friends are all nicely detailed and have that touch where you can react with the characters. Movie-goers might find this title a bit disconcerting in the graphics department if they are playing this directly after seeing the movie. The game also suffers from the “invisible wall” syndrome.I found on certain occasions where when I would propel WALL-E in one his jumps he would fly right back in an area I thought I was able explore and was not.

Sound

The beeps and boops of WALL-E and his friends are all here in the official game, direct from the movie. You should have no problem recognizing which characters are who even in the human voices. Sound design is ever important here, and their averages to go along with the unfortunate average feel of the game. There are low spots here and there that’ll get you confused as your playing through the level. The music soundtrack of the game isn’t a problem as its quality stuff; just the character sound design and gameplay effects suffer a bit in the long run.

Plasma Factor

There isn’t much I can say about WALL-E that instantly jumps out at me, although I would say that I’m glad there is a multiplayer attached to the title as the kids will certainly have a fun time with that… especially if you’re looking for something to keep them busy for awhile and they loved the movie. It supports 4-player split screen which is always a great thing in this industry. The overall tone is certainly in shape with the movie, and thankfully is priced at a slightly more palatable price tag of $49.99 USD.

Conclusion

WALL-E, a great movie in its own right, is certainly one of Pixar’s best. Unfortunately, the official game suffers from the “movie games suck” syndrome. You won’t be finding a gem in this title by picking this up. Again, this is a great game for the kids that should keep them busy for a couple of hours or so, depending on how long they can take sitting for the game. It’ll even be more fun if you join in with them. Otherwise, GamerScore whores will be looking to rent this and take this to the bank as it shouldn’t be too long for you to earn those 1,000 GamerScore points it boasts. Simply put, WALL-E is either a title to pass on or rent.