Toy Story

Crab Your Pull String and Get to work

Toy Story is a unique video game based on the upcoming holiday release of Disney's first-ever fully computer-animated feature film of the same name. In the game, you play the part of the pull string cowboy, Woody, as you fight through 19 action-packed levels of nonstop play. Your mission is to return Buzz and yourself home safely from the dangers of the outside world.

Woody has only two buttons to control his actions. One of these is used to make him jump and the other uses his whip-like pull string to stun enemies and knock down objects. The controls are surprisingly precise, and it's easy to maneuver Woody around in the toy-filled world. The levels are filled with horizontal ropes, trampolines, air pumpers and countless other obstacles that are used as a means of maneuvering yourself and others to unreachable areas.

The graphics and animation are rendered with close-to-movie accuracy. They contain all the qualities normally expected to be seen only on next-generation systems. The main character, enemies and the background all intertwine forming a good balance of superb visuals and smooth play.

Toy Story's claim to fame lies in its multiple viewpoints, which exploit the many game engines programmed into the title. The different situations surprise the player by submerging them in a new and different adventure in every stage.

From start to finish, Toy Story challenges the player with levels that always increase in difficulty. The first two is relatively simple to beat and fill their required space as an introduction to the general control of the game. Thereafter, the levels are difficult, with no continues or any way to save your progress. Your best solution to play longer is not to get hurt in the first place. Extra lives can be earned by locating the cowboy hats hidden in the level. Some 1-Ups can also be earned by grabbing all the 50 existing stars in any level or by reaching a total of 300. Any way you look at it, Toy Story is tougher than expected for its target audience.

Psygnosis really did their research in new programming techniques during the development of the game. It pushes the capabilities of the Genesis further than anyone would have expected a 16-Bit system to reach.

Multiple Game Engines

Besides the standard side-scrolling view, Toy Story features two other game perspectives that make it more than just a stagnate side-view game. In the remote control car stage, you must drive through an obstacle-ridden path while collecting batteries and hitting Buzz. While a racing stage that looks and controls like Mario Cart, your driving talent will be tested through the twists and turns of a racetrack. A first-person Doom-style maze also awaits your cunning as you search for your quota of little green characters. The changing perspectives and story line objectives wake up the game by adding a touch of originality to the cart. These engines were not just thrown in haphazardly to be used for advertisement but are well planned out. Each of them could easily bear the burden of having an entire game built off them. These multiple perspective stages are far more enjoyable and diverse than normally expected from a 16-Bit system.

Simultaneous Launch

Toy Story the video game is scheduled to be launched simultaneously with Disney's first-ever fully computer-animated feature film. The voice of Woody the draw-string cowboy hero is provided by Tom Hanks, while Tim Allen is the voice of Buzz Ughtyear, the latest spaceman action figure. The two form an alliance to survive in a dangerous outside world. The graphic artists and animation specialists that worked on the development of the movie lend their talents to the development of the graphics in the game. Keep an eye out for the holiday movie release date.