James Cameron's Avatar: The Game (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

Even if you only have a passing interest in movies you've probably heard of Avatar. Fanboys the world over have been blogging about the movie for some time now and the first footage was shown on cinemas at a special ticketed event. The publicity machine for the game though, really got going during this year's E3 and, unlike Titanic, given its rich source material there was always going to be a game for Avatar. The movie's out now (and getting positive reviews from the press and public alike) having taken over four years of creative input, but what about has the game?

Gameplay

In Avatar you play a young member of the Na'vi tribe named Nok who is charged with protecting his home planet of Pandora from the 'Sky People' (humans). Once a peaceful place, the planet is now under siege by a Military Group (RDA) who are invading to mine the precious metal Unobtainium. To make matters worse, the humans have developed a technology where they can disguise themselves as members of the Na'vi by creating a hybrid or Avatar (does that make sense to everyone?) and it's up to Nok to save his people and his planet.

You begin with little knowledge, few abilities and even fewer weapons but this improves as the game progresses and the shallow learning curve makes the game accessible to almost everyone. The game itself is broken down into a number of mini quests where you'll generally have to get to a location marked on your map. This is simple at first but later on you'll encounter many more puzzles and obstacles not to mention the various predators who roam the planet. It's surprisingly well designed and you'll always feel like you are making progress (even if you are not). You'll also need to develop as a Na'vi and while some of this is done automatically, other knowledge (or Lore) will have to be purchased. This will increase the power of your staff, your healing and the ability to fly on a Banshee from one area to another.

Controls

Everything, including your character's movement, is touch screen based and you'll only need the select button to skip the many dialogue sections but trust us, you'll use it.

Graphics

You'd think that a game based on a movie with such ground breaking visuals would in some way want to emulate that cinema going experience but, as far as the DS version is concerned, that couldn't be further from the truth. What you have instead is something close to high end Gameboy Advance graphics but I'm not going to criticize that. Why? Well it all actually works and the visuals throughout have a certain charm and clarity about them, which is essential when rooting out and interacting with items. In fact the only parts of the game that are a little disappointing are the 3D flying sections, which appear bland and uninspired by comparison.

Sound

The soundtrack is actually quite pleasant with a variety of jungle/orchestral hybrid compositions filling each of the levels. Elsewhere there's the usual mix of sound effects but given just how primitive your weapons are, everything sounds rather generic.

Dual screen

Your top screen is a map and the touch-screen is left for you to interact with and these interactions are incredibly smooth and problem free. They are all 'drip-fed' to you during the first few levels. You won't be able to access some areas until you have the required experience and the first thing you'll need to master is moving around, which is simplicity itself and you'll even be able to alter your speed after spending only a little time with this. It's then a case of selecting a weapon and tapping, or sweeping it, at an enemy, which takes some practice and can be problematic when multiple enemies are attacking you. There are other gadgets and equipment you'll need to master too before the game has finished but we won't spoil that for you as some of them are incredibly imaginative. Then as well as the 'on-foot' missions you'll also be able to 'pilot' a Banshee (should you have enough knowledge). This is a little disappointing really as it is a simple case of moving the stylus around the screen with no apparent objective other than to collect currency.

Final comments

The biggest problem with Avatar is that it borrows a great deal from Zelda and given that Spirit Tracks was released only weeks before this one, it's difficult not to draw comparisons. It has the familiar control system and the puzzle solving/combat game design is incredibly similar. Even with that considered though this is an entertaining and lengthy adventure with enough challenges and variety to keep you coming back for more. What's more, it's refreshing to see the developers opting for a more inspired design as opposed to the generic action platformer. If you are a fan of the movie (and a DS owner) this wouldn't be a bad choice just don't play it if you've just completed the latest Zelda game.

Pro: Lengthy Absorbing Adventure, Interesting Use of Camera.
Con: Far Too Many Dialogue Screens, Bland Flying Sections.
Final score: 6.8

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