Night at the Museum 2 (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

The summer period is when the movie industry sees some of its biggest releases and many of those releases carry with them a game to tie into their potential fan base. Many of these tie-ins, unfortunately, don't live up to either the movie or the price band they carry but it is on the odd occasion that we do get a good one though. And so here we have a game developed by Pipework which sets out to capture the feel and content of Night in the Museum 2 and, thankfully, they've managed to develop a decent title out of it, with Ben Stiller returning as Larry Daley as he has to use the golden tablet to stop Kahmunrah from unleashing the armies of the dead upon the world.

Gameplay

The Night at the Museum movies aren't exactly heavily involved in action. Nor do they contain much that would lend it to being a fleshed out game. Yet developer Pipework has brought together what the movie has and hasn't tried to fill it out with stuff not contained within the movie, which is great because all too often movie tie-ins try to add to the story or experience by providing content that just doesn't sit with the original workings of the film. The game covers 14 stages, each linked together so there's no going to an interim menu before progressing onto the next level. While some may see this as a problem, it adds to the feeling that this is accompanying a movie and where they don't go to a break after every scene, this doesn't either with only loading screens providing short breaks to the gameplay.

The 14 stages cover several gameplay types but none of them are pushed too far to leave the target market, in this case children, out in the cold. It covers the likes of platforming, puzzling as well as vehicular sections and although they aren't prolonged, Pipework have designed each stage so that they stay for just the right amount of time. For example, one particular section of platforming has you working your way across a series of planes suspended over a hangar. It's not a particularly hard sequence of the game but it's a great example of how short and sweet sections of gameplay can hold the player's attention. The game never over stays its welcome, and this can easily be seen by the fact that it only lasts about 3 hours. And while it's not a long duration for the money you will end up playing, what you get is a very enjoyable experience. Everything blends together well enough to make it one of the better movie tie-in experiences.

It employs some nice mechanics as well. Larry doesn't fight any of the enemies you'll find in the game. Instead, he's entrusted with a golden tablet which contains magical powers gained from 9 ingots which slot into it. These powers are manifested by his flashlight and key chain and while the use of mundane items does detract a little from the experience, the overall experience is good because it utilises some great ideas, such as taking control of animals or commanding the heavens to cause lightning to strike certain targets, that could be fleshed out more if incorporated into other titles or further in subsequent titles if they were to make more games based on these movies. The game also contains a decent amount of unlockable content, be it art work or factoids or the actual audio displays which are present through the game's levels so while the main adventure may be short, there's plenty to collect once you've finished. It also carries a very factual side to it with the exhibits being able to be interacted with so while the game provides a good level of fun, you'll also learn little snippets about the exhibits and their history which is a very nice touch.

Controls

Making use of the Wii-mote and Nunchuk combination, you control Larry with the usual analogue stick controls, with the B button being used to jump, A being used to investigate areas or items when you approach them, the C button being used to bring up the flashlight and the Z button being used to operate the key chain. The d-pad is also used for the camera control as well as selecting which power you want to use in flashlight mode. It's a very simple layout that takes no time to get use to and there are never really any problems with them other than when in the flashlight mode where you'll end up having to shake the controller just to get the game to recognise where you've moved the cursor to. It's a small inconvenience from an otherwise decent set up.

Graphics

Strangely, this game has been developed firstly for the Wii with the other console versions coming off of this design to have their respective graphical assets implemented later on. It's great to see developers using the Wii as the lead platform and if it were to happen more often, perhaps we'd get more titles that look as good as this. Stiller is the only actor from the movie to provide his likeness and he's replicated well, if in an exaggerated state but it adds to the humour that the title exudes at times. Environments are big and detailed and the Smithsonian, where the vast majority of the title takes place, is well represented in its architecture and displays. It's not all good though as the game does suffer from some slowdown issues which can plague gameplay, bringing the title to a stutter before going back to normal. It does let the title down because the game's presentation is of a high standard, with good quality animatics spanning certain parts of the game, and it's something which could have, and really should have, been ironed out during the development but it just seems that it was left as it was so as to get the title to market to coincide with the movie.

Sound

Again, like the graphics, Stiller is the only actor to provide voice work and it's of a good quality. The other voice work is also good, with those brought into voice the other characters often giving Stiller's character a rough ride. The back and forth between the characters through their conversing is believable and is very much akin to the movie. The music accompanying is also of a decent quality, with it being just the right kind of music to suit the game and its situation.

Final comments

Night at the Museum 2 is certainly a surprise. I had my qualms about playing it but after completing it, I can away suitable happy with what I'd played. It's by no means a spectacular title as there are things that could be done to improve certain areas, such as the graphics and controls, but what you get is a title that is short and sweet; it knows exactly when you've had enough of one thing and brings in the next for you to go on with and the short run time means it doesn't out stay its welcome and stays fresh the whole time, although the short run time is going to ultimately be a deal breaker for many. It's no Goldeneye but it's one of the best movie tie-ins I've played in a long time. If you're unsure about buying it, I'd definitely recommend it for a rent.

Pro: Good clean fun that never out stays its welcome, good graphics and sound
Con: Some control and frame rate issues dog the game throughout, very short
Final score: 6.5

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