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 Tron:
Evolution (Playstation 3)
Tron Evolution is has an
interesting storyline set just before the events in the new film. The
single-player mode is a basic third-person action combat where players
battle foes and collect objects. There's a mix of strategy and combat as
you traverse the worlds, with the ability to walk on walls and take
magnetic rides over gaps. Unfortunately, the camera angles make it
difficult to see where enemies are attacking and the complex controls make
combat difficult. The online modes are slightly better than the main game,
with some fun multiplayer battles. Unfortunately, Tron Evolution's poor
execution falls short of the mark and makes a disappointing game that
doesn't live up to the excellent Tron: Legacy film. |
Taking place immediately before the events
of Tron: Legacy, the new spin-off title Tron: Evolution casts the players
as an unnamed rogue program fighting the evil Clu's attempts to take over
the grid. As the player goes through this adventure, they'll encounter
many of the iconic characters from the movies including Tron and the
insurgent warrior Quorra. The iconic Light-cycles, Recognizers and other
Tron elements also make appearances in the game. The PS3 edition of the
game has two main components to choose from. The first is a single-player
adventure which takes the player through an extended story where your
objective is get through the levels and collect items for your database to
unlock Clu's devious plans. There's also an extensive multiplayer mode
where you can engage in disc-combat with other warriors online, race the
light cycles against multiple opponents and battle against other grid
tanks in cyber warfare. Players can also unlock additional items such as
an image gallery of character and ship models, additional background
information and more. The game is fairly easy to understand in terms of
set-up and layout but there's an additional option for PS3 owners that
allows you to use the new Move controller for a motion-controlled
experience. Unfortunately, this isn't implemented as well as it could have
been and trying to get anywhere with these controls is an exercise in
frustration. It's poorly designed motion controls render the game
borderline unplayable, with normal moves and combos merged together, while
movement is completely inaccurate, making the Move feature feel like a
tacked-on novelty that wasn't play-tested nearly enough. Things improve
when you use the standard dual-shock controller, but many problems remain
in this mode as well.
Tron: Evolution's single player gameplay
is flawed, but persistence does offer some rewards. Moving around is
fairly simple, though some of the wall-running sequences are difficult
since they require you to press buttons and jump on pads at just the right
moment or else plunge to your death. Some areas are a little bit vague as
to your next objective, but you can call up your little 'bit' to point you
in the right direction. Most of the levels are quite large and there are
some large gaps that might seem impossible to traverse. Fortunately, the
program has some magnetic abilities that can be used to propel him across
these sections as well. When you encounter fores, your main method of
attack is the disc, which you can throw at opponents in a variety of ways.
You can aim at opponents, but you can't always target the closest one
which is annoying. It can also be used at close range to attack nearby
foes and also works to block shots, but the system is a bit hard to
master. Disc combat is a bit hard to get the hang of, but it gets better
with practice. The main problems revolve around the camera system which
makes it difficult to see where the enemies are attacking from. You can
spin the camera around and try for a better viewpoint, but since the foes
usually attack in groups, making them difficult to counter. Its difficult
to adjust the camera this while simultaneously blocking attacks, which
makes things even more frustrating. Going back to the disc combat for
moment, blocking shots is difficult to perform thanks to the timing issues
and works inconsistently. This makes Evolution a frustrating experience.
In order to help you along, you can use one of your program's combo moves
which can inflict a lot of damage instantly. There are a variety of these
that you can use and most require you to hold down multiple buttons to
charge them up. Its best to use these from a safe distance since your
vulnerable when charging them up.
Your combo moves can only be performed a
certain number of times before your energy bar is drained and you need to
find a nearby pod to run over in order to fill this back up. However, some
enemies are impervious to certain attacks and it takes some trial and
error to find out their weak spots. One of the more frustrating aspects of
combat occurs when you perform attack after attack and produce only
minimal damage while your opponents can nearly deplete your life bar with
a single shot. You can run over power-strips on nearby walls, but you
can't always reach these in time. It definitely becomes really annoying
after a short time, when you find your character suddently 'derezzed'
steps away from the bars. Having to constantly scramble towards these and
try and survive the attacks is the only strategy in certain sections,
which makes the game much harder than it should be. You can't escape some
attacks, and can only sustain the damage and hope to get back to the
energy bars in time. There are many sections in the game where you'll
probably become stuck. The best thing to do is to keep trying these areas.
Its unfortunate that these sections require you to play through them
multiple times, where success seems to more about luck than skill. This
approach makes for a frustrating and tedious experience and detracts from
the game's more engaging areas.
 Slogging
through these combat sections does reward players with some additional
items and also unlocks extra modes for online play. The online game has
three main types which are disc-based multiplayer combat which takes place
in an arena. This section is the closest to the main game except you need
to destroy as many opponents as possible within the time limit. Various
types of games are included with team and single player matches available.
Going deeper into the game allows you to compete in light-cycle contests
against multiple opponents, and while the controls are a little bit mushy
in this section, it's probably the most enjoyable part of the game.
Finally, you can enter the arena and battle against the infamous tanks in
a combat arena where you have to destroy as many opponents as you can.
Unfortunately, the tank section is again undermined by a counter-intuitive
control scheme that makes it difficult to move or fire with any sort of
accuracy. The online modes can be accessed directly or by using terminals
scattered in Tron: Evolution's levels. While they're fun diversions from
the main game, their somewhat disappointing controls make the online mode
in Tron Evolution feel cheap and tacked on. These online mini-games add
some replay value, but its unfortunately, not of the quality that would
keep you interested for very long.
There are problems with many areas of
the gameplay, but one area where the game delivers is in its excellent
aesthetics. The developers have done an excellent job in recreating the
feel of the movies' exotic cyber-locations. The game is very dark and it
environments pulse with light energy and style all its own. Despite the
camera problems, there arre some sections that look quite excellenty. Many
of the familiar iconic characters from the film make appearances in the
main game, such as Quorra. You'll also encounter other cool Tron locations
such as the End of Line club and will see frequent appearance from the
dreaded Recognizers. The game looks fairly decent and moves at a
consistent frame rate and the characters in the main quest animate
smoothly. Tron: Evolution's best part comes in the form of its Daft Punk
soundtrack which is truly excellent and definitely sets an excellent mood
for the gameplay. Unfortunately, these visual effects and polish aren't
really enough to save the game itself. Tron: Evolution has all the
hallmarks of having been rushed to market. Its inconsistent controls make
it frustrating to play and its poorly paced levels ramp up in difficulty
very quickly then quickly change pace. The game isn't as much fun as it
could have been because of its poorly designed interface. In the end, this
makes the playing the game more of a chore than it should have been. Tron:
Evolution has the occasional moments of enjoyment, but squanders its
license with frustrating controls, repetitive gameplay and a generally
disappointing execution. What's most disappointing about this release is
that it's gameplay isn't as good as the unofficial sequels, Tron 2.0 for
PC and its Xbox counterpart, Tron 2.0 Killer App that were released nearly
a decade ago. In the end, this makes for a very disappointing release that
doesn't live up to the greatness of the 'Tron: Legacy' film and squanders
its potential. In our honest opinion, you'd be better off hunting down
those two older titles and waiting for the inevitable DVD/Blu-Ray release
of the much better films to come along than playing this cynical exercise
in frustration.
-
Michael Palisano
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