PSP World

Avatar: The Game PSP Review

We're going to keep this review short because there really aren't many good things to say about James Cameron's Avatar: The Game on PSP. This misadventure joins a growing number of sloppy, rushed games whose sole purpose appears to be to cash in on hype surrounding a big movie, usually related to a comic book or fantasy franchise. Just because Avatar made for a great display of 3D movie technology does not mean that a stealth-based action game based on the film would also automatically be a success, and this PSP game proves the point well.

The story in the game diverges considerably from that of the movie. Instead of controlling a Marine, you actually take on the role of one of the Na'vi (a warrior named Rai'uk) whose village has been destroyed by the evil Resource Development Administration. Naturally, you thirst for vengeance, and the PSP game follows the warrior's quest to kill all those responsible and recapture stolen artifacts. Since the Na'vi are no match for high-tech weaponry, most of the game requires the player to use stealth tactics to dispatch foes.

So far, so good, right? Well, things quickly start to fall apart once we get to the actual gameplay. Although Avatar the Game carefully mimics other successful 3D action adventure games in terms of visuals and level design, the developers missed many key ingredients that made titles like Jak and Daxter so successful. First of all, the most important element in these types of games is undoubtedly the controls, and Avatar has some pretty bad ones. The worst thing about them is that despite the wide array of face buttons on the PSP, the designers chose to make some important actions - such as crouching - case specific. That means that you can't crouch when you want to, only when the game thinks it is the right time for your character to kneel. Jumping and scaling things are also sometimes handled with context prompts that take away from the feeling of having free movement. Essentially, levels just boil down to linear obstacle courses with a bunch of enemies between you and the finish line.

Another problem with Avatar the game is how it handles the stealth aspect. In Metal Gear Solid, players get a useful minimap or other visual indicators to show them what enemy soldiers are doing, how alert they are, and which direction they are looking. Not so in Avatar. The only real visual clue that stealth is required happens when your character begins to crouch automatically and the screen blurs around the edges. Enemies are also frustratingly inconsistent. Sometimes they can spot you when you are seemingly hidden and other times oblivious to your presence when they should notice you there.

The third area in which Avatar's designers failed to learn from more successful 3Dadvetnure games is the all-important camera. When these games are at their best, camera control is so effortless that you don't even notice it. In Avatar, you will find yourself wrestling with the view just to accomplish the basic tasks each level gives you. The camera can be locked on targets by holding down the L button, but the game handles this automatically, sometimes selecting the wrong target to focus on. You also can't freely look around, but only center the camera directly behind the player character, something you will repeatedly need to keep doing in order to get a good view of the action.

Just like in Jak and Daxter, on-foot levels are broken up by some on-rails flight sequences. These are handled fairly well, except for one inexplicable design decision: taking down banshees involves the use of the Quick Time Event (QTE). We hate QTEs on principle alone, but the worst (or best) thing is that they didn't even change the button sequence so after you master the first takedown they are all exactly the same after that.

With limited replay value, the almost broken gameplay elements described above and a less than inspiring story, there is no way to recommend Avatar: the Game. What we can do, however, is suggest you pick up the superior Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier or if stealth is really your thing, wait for the new Metal Gear Peace Walker instead.