My Week In Movies - Was Phantom Menace The Best Title They Could Come Up With?

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace 3D (1999/2012) I don't care what people say, I've always found this to be an enjoyable film. The secret to having a good time watching this flick is to not pay any attention to the plot. The stupid plot involving the Trade Federation and negotiations and all that blibber blabber is all just a meaningless framework for the real story of the film, and that's the discovery and early years of the boy who would become Darth Vader. And for everyone who complains that Jar-Jar Binks is too silly to be in a Star Wars movie let me remind you that the series also features funny robots, a Muppet, a village of teddy bears and that blue guy that plays keyboards in Return of the Jedi (Yes, I mean Max Rebo. He's awesome!) The 3D effects added for this release make the picture look beautiful but sadly not a single thing pops out of the screen. I think I speak for everyone when I say I wouldn't mind a lightsaber singeing my eyebrows. The bottom line for parents is that it's awesome to be able to let our kids experience all these films on the big screen...the way Qui-Gon Jinn would have wanted it.

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star (2011) You can't possibly imagine a worse film released by a major movie studio. You can't make a movie with the premise that a guy with "little talent" wants to be a porn star and then have the silly proceedings be so plot driven. Nobody cares about character AND the most screen time semen has ever had in a movie. You gotta pick one or the other.

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011) Now, this also sounds like it would be a horrific mess of modern film making but it's actually a very well done story about friendship and the transition from your carefree 20's into the more responsible 30's and 40's. A group of friends spend their last summer at their beach house by throwing the ultimate party. The theme for the final party will be an orgy. While the flick does contain graphic nudity and relations, this is not a silly sex comedy or skin flick - it's a pretty darn funny movie with a great ensamble cast including SNL's Jason Sudekis.

Dance Flick (2009) I first saw this slightly better than average parody film in June 2009.

Eight On The Lam (1967) I discovered this older comedy on Netflix. Bob Hope plays a cash strapped father of seven who finds $10,000 in cash. He then gets framed for embezzlement at his job. Since he's been living the good life when his new found money, he assumes that no one will believe him that he didn't steal the money. So he packs up the seven kids and hits the road to hide out and clear his name. Phyllis Diller plays the kid's nanny who stays behind and tries to throw off the cops investigation. Oh, her boyfriend is a cop - and he's played by Jonathan Winters. I loves me some Jonathan Winters. Score! Good stuff.

The Spy Next Door (2010) This kiddie action movie is the cinematic equivalent of making a pitcher of Kool-Aid with an improper sugar to water ration. You can tell this movie could taste good, if they let Jackie Chan do his thing but they've stirred in to many stunt doubles and overdosed on cliche kiddie storylines. Spy Next Door? More like Spy Next Bore! Am I right people?

Street Fighter (1994) Last week, Licence To Drive made the leap from Movies I Love to Movies I Don't Love. This week, Street Fighter got reclassified from Movies I Love to "What???" I saw this video game based movie when it hit theatres for two reasons; 1) It featured international pop sensation Kylie Minogue and 2) it was written and directed by one of the 34 writers of The Flintstones movie. I remember really liking this movie, to the point where I bought the laser disc when it came out and I picked up a copy on DVD at a yard sale last year. The kids wanted to watch it the other night because they are on a video game movie kick and...WOW! What a jumbled mess of a movie. I'm not sure what I ever saw in this film (besides Kylie Minogue) but I can't imagine ever watching it again. Horrible.

Sonic Meets Flo

For whatever reason, the kids and I are big fans of Flo the Progressive Insurance Gal. We're always excited when we catch a new chapter in her never ending adventures in some sort of weird insurance store where you buy insurance off a shelf. Anywho, the latest commercial from the insurance company features Sonic the Hedgehog (of video game fame!)

Good iGrief

This is one of those things where I would seriously consider buying an iPad just so I can experience this...

What I'm Into Right Now

It's quite easy to paint me as a man woefully detached from the society in which I'm geographically inclined to operate. So much so that I often play up the role of being an angry curmudgeon just to help explain to people why I really don't care for the latest dealings in a certain celebrity's life or the latest reality show. All the same, I thought it would be fair game to bring you all up to speed on what I do spend my time on when I'm not purveying all your lovely blogs and a never battle against the oncoming waves of movies being release.

So, without further ado these are the various things I'm into right now:

 

Things People Have Recommended To Me That I'm Catching Up On:

So there you have it. Pretty much the gamut of my viewing/reading/playing catalog at the moment. Got any recommendations of your own? Or anything non-movie related you're checking out and really passionate about? Share it in the comments!

Reason #6,821 Why I Need A Daughter

...and my boys will spend the entire Christmas season wondering if this game will really be under their tree or not!

Virtual Disneyland In Our Homes

So apparently Microsoft and Disney have teamed up to make the world we live in a more awesome place. First up from this partnership is a video game for the XBOX Kinect which allows you to visit and explore the Disneyland theme park in all it's detailed glory. I'll be honest, this is the first release for XBOX that's made me think about getting my hands on one.

Here's a preview presentation of the game from the latest E3 video game convention:

Two words: Awe some!

Airplane! Slots - Striker Rich!

This might be the coolest thing ever in a casino - a slot machine based on the movie Airplane! It neatly captures the characters from the film in cartoon form as well as other moments from the movie and some universal icons of air travel. One of the nice touches on the wheels is the tray of already eaten poison fish. (I had the lasagna.) Auto pilot Otto serves as the game's Wild Space. There are plenty of chances to interact with the machine in bonus games, none of which I hit while I played. I did however win $10.00, and since I was only fooling around with the machine to see how it all worked - I cashed out and bought a sandwich with my winnings! Below are a couple of videos of the game...

My Week In Movies - Let's Go, 2011

Super Mario Bros. (1993) The poster says "This Ain't No Game," but what it should say is "This Ain't Nothing To Do With The Game!" My kids were pretty excited when they learned from their old man that at one time somebody had made a Super Mario Bros. movie with "real people." I remember thinking the movie was pretty clever when I saw it in the theatre 18 years ago. Unfortunately, this is yet another movie that I'll have to move off the list of movies I saw when I was younger and really liked to the list of movies that I can barely sit through anymore. This jumbled mess of a motion picture has little to do with the classic Nintendo video game which it's based upon. Instead, we get a fairly confusing tale of two plumbers who get sucked into another dimension and have to save the world from the ruler of an alternate universe where everyone evolved from dinosaurs instead of apes. Sound confusing? It is. It's one of those movies where they've created this whole other world and while it's supposed to be futuristic and really cool - it's just plain weird and confusing. The filmmakers didn't even include any of the iconic sound effects from the game. The only thing this film has in common with the video game are some character names. Bob Hoskins (of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? fame) plays Mario and John Leguizamo is his brother Luigi. Hoskins is a British actor and Leguizamo is usually associated with Latino roles. Casting these two as brothers, is only the beginning of where this movie goes wrong. Still, without it's association with the source material it's an okay popcorn movie. My kids seemed to enjoy it. Rated PG for some action, silly violence and a few off-color words.

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009) You might not know who the Sherman Brothers are, but you sure know their music. They are mostly associated with Disney movies starting with Mary Poppins and continuing with The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh and so many others. This recent documentary, put together by children of the subject matter, offers a history lesson and a look at the tensions between working siblings. A rivalry that has gone fairly undetected by Disney fans up until now. There are plenty of juicy rare clips as well as plenty of toe tapping tunes. At more than one occasion, you'll be surprise to discover that "they wrote that song too!" Although the movie starts off teasing a dark side to the brothers' that never really pans out, The Boys is a fascinating and entertaining documentary. It's non-fiction film making done right! Rated PG for some adult themes and a few mild curse words tossed off in conversation.

Francis (1950) If you know me, ya know I like my movies feather-weight. I'm not much for story or any of that nonsense, I'm just looking for some laughs and smiles. I'm starting to discover, the further back in Hollywood's history you look there are some super light weight movies that have less story than a Police Academy marathon. Which brings me to the Francis the Talking Mule series. There were seven movies made in the 50's staring Francis, a talking Army mule who only spoke to Donald O'Connor and then a few other people if the situation called for it. This is all a precursor to Mr. Ed, the more famous talking horse which was produced by the same people as Francis. In the first movie, hilariousness abounds as Francis befriends Peter, a young Army soldier. Francis gives Peter insider information which helps Peter further his career in the Army. Of course when Peter gives his buddy Francis all the credit, good times ensue! Good stuff!

Francis Goes to the Races (1951) I liked Francis so much, I watched the sequel the next night. The second film picks up right where the first one left off and moves briskly along. Since we've already met Francis at the top of the film, the laughs start off quickly. Here, Peter and Francis end up at a race track and Peter gets mixed up with some mobsters when they discover Peter has some insider tips on who's gonna win each race. Guess who gave him the tips? I'll give you a hint...it's someone who can talk to horses! More fun! Can't wait to get my hands on the third instalment. Not rated but does contain scene involving a drunk mule.

The Fox and The Hound (1981) It's kinda lame that my kids had never seen this semi-classic but they've seen the silly direct-to-DVD sequel a handful of times. The Fox and the Hound is a beautifully made movie. It's very moody and quiet and comforting. I was a bit disappointed to discover my copy is not widescreen. Rated G.

Cavegirl (1985) Here's the plot of this gem...a nerdy high school kid (who looks like he's in his early 30's) goes on a field trip and somehow gets zapped back in time to the caveman period. There he meets a beautiful young bikini-clad cavegirl. Instead of trying to find a way home, he invests all his time and energy into getting the cavegirl into bed. He even builds a bed. They actually attempted to make this movie funny throughout, but most of the gags fall flat. The cavegirl is very easy on the eyes, but the rest of the cast is hard to stomach - both their appearance and their acting. Rated R for language, nudity and sexual situations.

Red-Nosed Rip-Off

Usually it's hard for me to write a review of a video game because there is just so much in a game and I don't know what to include in a review and what to leave out. However, reviewing Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (just out on Wii and also DS) should be a piece of cake as the title contains maybe 15 minutes of content. You would think that a video game which has licenced one of the most iconic films in this country's holiday psyche would be rich in detail and pay tribute to that original 1964 television special. You would be wrong. Even though this game advertises itself as having something for the kids and also the parents who grew up on the special, the makers of this game have made very little effort to include much of the show in their game version.


Let's get this out of the way first; this is a mini-game collection consisting of only four games! Which, I believe, makes it a "mini mini-game collection." The games can be played individually or in a story mode. Story Mode simply takes the four games and links them together with footage of Sam The Snowman (the TV special's narrator) waddling towards the screen trying desperately to link the four games together in some sort of narrative way. The animation of Sam is recycled four times. The biggest crime of all here, is that there was absolutely no attempt to duplicate Burl Ives' voice as the Snowman. Again, Burl Ives' voice in the original special is perhaps one of the voices most associated with Christmas. Even my four year old son, who hasn't seen the show since last Christmas, beat me to the punch pointing out the new voice was a fraud.


Upon hearing the "new" Sam the Snowman I was worried to hear how the voices of the other characters would be butchered, however not a single other character in this game ever utters a word. The only dialogue in the game comes from a generic elf and Santa Claus...and anyone can pull off a convincing Santa impression.

The games in this holiday collection are decidedly simple to appeal to the youngest of players, but some of the games are so simple and lack any sort of competition or challenge that anyone old enough to pick up a Wiimote will find it hard to stay engaged.

Each of the games can be played as single or double players and that's nice to keep the fighting down with the little ones. First up, Rudolph and Co. have to bounce packages into Santa's bag or get the decorations to the tree. There's a game just like this on last year's far superior We Wish You A Merry Christmas game. Next, is a game which sort of plays like a mini-version of Just Dance where you have to mimic the movements illustrated on the screen to help kneed dough to make Christmas cookies. As with most Wii games based solely on movement, the register of movements is questionable.

The third game has you helping to paint toys. This game seems to not require any skill as the points seem to magically appear regardless of how you play. Finally, you hop on Santa's sleigh and toss presents onto the rooftops. Here is the disc's only challenge as it did take a bit of precision timing to drop the gifts into the small chimneys.

There are a few references to the original TV special sprinkled throughout the title. Some of the toys from the Island of Misfit Toys pop up, and the Abominable Snowman makes several appearances. But overall, this game belongs on the naughty list for not really living up to the franchise which it represents. I imagine most people will be disappointed with this quick cash grab. You'd be better off not being invited to play in these reindeer games.

On Tuesday He Ate Through 800 Wii Points

I found very little on the interweb's about the new WiiWare title The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABC's. I assumed right from the get-go that I wasn't the target audience for a video game based on a beloved children's book. And I had a feeling that even my two children might be a little old for this title. But the thought of having Mr. Hungry Caterpillar living on my Wii menu screen and the thought of getting one of the first reviews for this game out in cyberspace (thus increasing my traffic, making this the most popular website in the world and possibly leading me to fame and fortune) I figured it was worth the 800 Wii Points ($8 US) to download the game and see what it's all about. Worse case senario: my kids learn a little something while they stare at the idiot box.

Let's just say first that The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABC's is a charming little title and a unique way to engage the smallest members of the household in Wii play. For those of you out of touch with your childhood, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the main character of the classic 1969 children's book written and illustrated by Eric Carle. In the book, we follow the caterpillar as he nibbles his way through several pages of food items. In the book, there are actual little holes in the pages where the caterpillar has made his way through. This WiiWare title, does not incorporate the little holes into your television screen. In fact, this game doesn't have much to do with V.H. Caterpillar at all. I guess we should also mention that this game isn't really much of game either...it's more of a interactive work book. But it's still cute.

The download should have been titled something more like "The Wonderful World of Eric Carle" as his illustrations from many of his popular books are the centerpiece of this game. (Ok, I'm still going to call it a game.) We went on an Eric Carle spree earlier this summer and checked out most of his books from our local library, so my kids were excited to spot familiar characters and illustrations from several books that we've enjoyed. I did read somewhere that Eric Carle created all the artwork for the game.

Caterpillar is divided up into four games...or sections. The Alphabet features a big, bubbly listing of letters A to Z. When a child points and clicks on a letter, a picture opens up of something that begins with that letter. The word for the object is also on the screen and a girl says the letter and the word. It enforces word recognition and all that good stuff. The pictures are animated and the crowd went wild when the aforementioned caterpillar popped out of A is for Apple. In a bold move by the game developers, the queen has been retired and now Q is for Quetzal. (That's some kind of bird.) There's no objective to this exercise besides having fun and a little learning. Kids can click around as long as they like.

Colors, Colors, Colors is the game pictured above. This is like a video game version of a lottery scratch-off card. When the game starts, the entire screen is a solid color. With the Wiimote you scratch away at the color trying to find the picture that is hidden somewhere on the screen. The game has four levels, which do not get harder but each round introduces a new color. Again, there is plenty of beautiful Eric Carle artwork to look at.

Animal Stamps lets kids pick out different stamps and create a picture on a pre-made background. And there's also What is This? which shows kids three objects and then shows them a word. Point and click on the correctly matching image to move to the next picture. This exercise would be very educational if there wasn't a narrator saying the word. For my four year old, I put the game on mute and had him try to figure out the words and he had a good time getting most of them right. I, myself, even scored a 9 out of 10 with the sound off!

Again, The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABC's doesn't have much to do with the starving caterpillar, but it's a fun, cute game for the tots. If one were to register a complaint about the title, it's that after plopping down $8 bucks for this simplistic game there are places in the program where you need to spend more money to unlock additional features of the game. My kids were disappointed because the Animal Stamps game had a level devoted to 10 Little Rubber Ducks (a huge hit in our house earlier this year) but it costs an additional 700 Wii Points/$7.00 to unlock it. In the Alphabet game you can also purchase "verbs" to go with your letters. That just seems like a complete waste of money in my book!? What makes verbs so much better than nouns that they need to cost more. Snooty verbs!

Eric Carle's illustrations look magnificent on a big screen TV. If you appreciate his work, and have a child under kindergarten age and he/she can point a Wii controller at the TV with any precision The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABC's will be a dandy of an addition to your Wii library. It's available for download from the Wii Shopping Channel in the WiiWare department.

Classic Commercial Sunday - Mickey Mouse Is In the House

The Best Cartoon Video Games

Hey! Did you know that I like classic cartoon characters!? I like them in my movies, I like them on my breakfast cereal, and I like them in my video games. More often than not, a cartoon based video game is slapped together quickly - sometimes the game doesn't even have anything to do with the cartoon. For instance, Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular where you have to help Snoopy and his brother Spike carry a stack of pizzas over a finish line...in Italy?! Other times, cartoon gaming experiences are pure joy! Here's some of the best video games based on cartoon properties that I've ever played...

The Little Mermaid (NES) Here's a game where you'd think it was going to be only for four year old girls. But instead, the great game developer Capcom created this multi-level intricate platform game where you swim Ariel through six levels of undersea peril. This was the first video that I played all the way through and beat. That was about 20 years ago and I still talk about it...pretty sad, eh?

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (NES) Here's another Capcom Disney game that I beat. Based on the Disney Afternoon series of the same name, this game allowed two players at the same time running through the city and picking up and trowing everything in sight. This was a fast paced game with alot of tricky obstacles and challenging enemies. Even though the cartoon show took some liberties with the Chip `n Dale characters, the video game stayed very true to the spirit of the show. Just don't get me started on how we all got gypped out of a Rescue Rangers movie.

Popeye (Arcade) This might be the first arcade video game to feature a classic animated character and I think most video game aficionados would agree that Popeye is one of the all-time classic old school games. Popeye has to catch the little hearts that Olive Oil is tossing out. He's got to catch them before they reach the water at the bottom of the screen. Standing in Popeye's way is his ol' nemesis Bluto. Luckily, Popeye can always grab a can of spinach and punch Bluto square in the face, or he can hit a punching bag and drop a bucket on Bluto's head. The game even works the obscure Sea Hag character into the mix! Even the cartoons forgot about the Sea Hag!

Donald Duck in Goin' Quackers (Playstation/PS2) This game really blew me away because it's just as challenging and complex as any Mario Bros. game you'll ever play. There's level after level of frustrating situations to make Donald mad. One of the neatest features of this game is that they worked in the animation of Donald's trademark temper tantrum. There's also a full cast of supporting characters from Donald's hometown of Duckburg. An all around really well-done game that took me months to beat...but I did it!

B.C.'s Quest For Tires (Commadore 64) Perhaps the best game ever that you can play with the arrow keys on your keyboard. Thor the caveman must ride his stone unicycle while jumping over rocks, animals and holes in the ground all on his way to save his girlfriend from an evil dinosaur. Good times! A better game has never been put on one of those gigantic black floppy discs.

Sorcerer's Apprentice (Atari 2600) Mickey Mouse has starred in at least a dozen video games over the past few decades, this is one of the earliest and the only one I've ever really gotten into. Based on the sequence from the 1940 film Fantasia, this primitive game was made up of two screens. The first, pictured here, involves Mickey shooting and catching stars. I never really got this stage and never spent much time playing it, but if you exit the screen to either side you got to the meat of the game. On the other screen you had to stop the walking brooms from making their way to the bottom of a staircase and dump their bucket of water. The more brooms you missed, the higher the water lever rose in the room. Quick, simple game play that was also addictive and fun. (There's a new Wii game around the corner called Epic Mickey that looks pretty darn cool!)

Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle (Colecovision/Atari 2600) You have no idea how bad I wanted this game when I was younger! After years of lusting over it, I finally got to play it on a neighbor's Colecovision. It was pure video gaming heaven for this young Smurf fan. Not only does this game incorporate the world of the Smurfs into it, the game is made up of the greatest basic objective in all of video game history: run through a forest, jump over things, collect things. It's all as simple as that! Later on in high school, somebody mentioned that they had this game and I made them dig out their old Atari games and find it for me so I could finally sit and play it. Another check-off on my bucket list! (Here's a link to the old commercial.)

The Simpsons: Road Rage (PS2/Game Cube) The Simpsons have had a long career in video games since the show debuted 20 years ago. I remember playing a game called Bart vs. the Space Mutants quite feverishly back in the day, and The Simpsons arcade game stands out as a classic. But I really loved this 2003 variation of the hit game Crazy Taxi. Road Rage is almost the same game except that it's filled with The Simspsons brand of humor and wonderful cast of characters. The game looks an awful lot like the TV show and you get to drive around town exploring all the nooks and crannies of Springfield. Probably one of the games I've logged the most hours on in my adult years.

Tiny Toons 2: Trouble in Wackyland (NES) In my book, when you mix amusement parks with video games there is much goodness to be had. Using a theme park as it's center, this game was a collection of mini-games based on different theme park rides. There was a roller coaster game, bumper cars, a train ride, and a log flume. They were all pretty addictive, if I recall correctly. I'm not sure how well the game captured the spirit of the Tiny Toons cartoon but it sure was a fun game.

The Flintstones: Rescue of Dino & Hoppy (NES) Like others on the list, The Flintstones have popped up in more than one video game. This Nintendo game was my favorite as it was built around the simple side-scrolling platform engine that I've come to adore in video games. Of course you've got Fred and Wilma and the whole cast of characters from one of my all-time favorite TV shows and there's lots of rocks and boulders to smash. I don't think I ever got past the end of level 2 where you had to beat Joe Rockhead at a game of basketball. Thanks Joe Rockhead!

Darkwing Duck (NES) Finally one last fantastic Disney Afternoon inspired game from the folks at Capcom. Darkwing Duck was a show I really enjoyed and I loved the video game just as much. I consider this one of my all-time favorite video games. The game play is so smooth and fun, with lots of things to shoot at and grab hold to and jump on and over...it's just alot of fun. The game also incorporated the entire world of the show very nicely. I easily burned way too many hours playing this in my Community College days. Tell well spent if you ask me!

Please share with us any toon games you've loved over the years...

Wii Wish You A Merry Christmas

I've been a little preoccupied lately with my 13 doctors appointments a week, but I wanted to tell ya'll about a great new game that's out for the Wii. Now if you're a hard core gamer or someone who likes a real challenging video game - this is not the title for you, but if you've got kids - especially younger ones - We Wish You A Merry Christmas will probably be a big hit with your family. This fun little title creatively gets everyone in the holiday spirit. It's essentially another mini-game collection tied together by a common theme but there are some nice touches here that separate this game from the pack. There's no ultimate objective in this disc except to have fun and get in a Christmas mood.

When the game starts up you'll find yourself in a warm and cozy living room all decked out for Christmas. There's a roaring fire, a Christmas tree, and even a radio playing Christmas carols. In one section of the room, you'll find the disc's game collection. There are six different games that can be accessed, each one a slight variation on a classic video game. Deck The Halls is a puzzle game where you match 3 ornaments of the same kind on a moving grid. Hot Chocolate has players taking and filling drink orders for thirsty elves. Candy Cane Lanes is almost identical to the bowling game in Wii Sports except with a Christmas overlay and elves instead of bowling pins. In Santa's Sleigh you'll catch and deliver presents to homes on Christmas eve. Present Catch is a clever updated version of Pong and Reindeer Games (my favorite, and pictured below) lets you fly a reindeer high into the sky. The games are all easy but also addictively fun to play and can be enjoyed by even the smallest members of the house.

In addition to the games there are also a few activities. There's a place to write an electronic letter to Santa, a sticker book for creating various Christmas scenes, and Elf Hunt which is a fairly elaborate version of one of those Look and Find Books neatly adapted to the Wii. Back in the living room area of the game you can actually go in and decorate the Christmas tree, throw logs onto the fire and roast marshmallows and tune the radio to your favorite Christmas song.

I think the neatest feature of We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and the one that gives the game it's most value, is the Advent Calendar. Sitting on top of the virtual fireplace is a traditional looking Advent Calendar. Each day between December 1 and December 25 when you turn the game on you can open another door of the advent calendar and you'll get a surprise. My kids LOVE this! Everyday they can't wait to find what they'll unlock next. So far the kids have been treated to extra ornaments for the tree, new pages and stickers for the sticker book, bonus games of Elf Hunt, and even some Magic Sparkles which change the color of the fire in the fireplace. It all sounds so simple and not like something that kids who are used to using the Wii to fight the Joker or destroy the Death Star would even be interested in but when they unlock new ornaments they can't wait to zap on over to the tree and hang them. It's been a fun addition to our holiday season this year!

You should be able to find We Wish You A Merry Christmas tucked away among the more popular video games at your local game slinging establishment for about $20 bucks. It's some wholesome family entertainment and a unique way to get the kids pumped for December 25.

Game Review: Toy Story Mania

When I heard about Toy Story Mania coming to the Wii, I was pretty excited. The new game is based on the ride Toy Story Midway Mania at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. While there have been games before that have attempted to turn the theme park experience into a video game (Adventures in the Magic Kingdom for the NES and Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour for the Playstation) Toy Story Mania promised to really bring a Disney World ride into my living room. If you haven't been on the Toy Story ride it's basically a ride that zips you around from screen to screen where you play very brief video game versions of popular midway games. (For more, you can check out a blog post I did when the ride opened at The Blog Wore Tennis Shoes.)

So, obviously when you play this new Wii version you're not going to be riding around, you'll most likely be sitting on your living room sofa. And also unlike the theme park attraction, you won't be waiting in line for at least an hour before your chance to play for a couple of minutes. Video games are designed to give you an experience that

will engage you for hours of game play. Toy Story Mania works hard to further the experience of the ride.

The games featured in the ride are faithfully recreated here. Almost all the games in the ride involve simply shooting or tossing things onto the screen to collect points as quickly as possible. The Wii adaptation also adds to the mix a set of additional objectives to each game. In addition to scoring a certain amount of points, there are more intricate goals like shooting five of the same target in a row, or looking for a special colored target or simply wiping out all of one kind of target. Completing all of the given objectives will unlock the game in a free play mode, otherwise you must experience the different games in a preselected lineup divided into five themes.

In addition to the shoot `em games from the ride, the game designers have added a handful of new games to the mix which use the Wii technology to their benefit. Some of these games have been thrown in to give the smallest of Wii players the chance to master a game. A few of the new games require nothing more than shaking the Wii remote to master the game. In one instance, Toy Story's resident swine Hamm is seen dancing on a stage and players are asked to mimic his actions by shaking their Wiimote in a certain direction. Even with the Wii controller sitting on a table in another room of the house, you're guaranteed to rack up a hefty amount of points. The games are pretty simple and not very challenging. Other new games like a labyrinth maze where you'll need to tilt your controller to move the maze table are quite unique.

All the gang from the Toy Story movies are here and each of the games fall into a theme connected to one of the characters. There's plenty of outer space fun with Buzz Lightyear and the aliens, Woody and Jessie host a variety of wild west games, Bo Peep, Rex, and most of the rest of the gang are all on hand as well. Some of the character voices are the same, most notably Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear but Tom Hank's brother Jim stands in to provide Woody's voice. Since many people have seen the Toy Story films numerous times over the years, the voice substitutes are quite noticeable.

There's also five 3-D games that you can unlock. The disc comes with two pairs of the old fashioned red-blue 3-D glasses. The effect is not nearly as effective as the polarized grey lens glasses used at the theme parks (and at the local multiplex).

While this new disc does transfer the imagery and the game play of the theme park ride very well, it does not give you the same overall experience. To achieve a complete experience like the ride you'll need to unlock all the shooting gallery style games and then set up your own lineup of games in the Free Play Mode.

Overall, it's a fun game - not really worth the $50.00 MSRP - but it's a good game for kids and fun disc to have at a party. The various games are all simple to learn and play. Those not looking to duplicate a recent vacation memory and more interested in playing with the Toy Story characters would probably be better off waiting for the Toy Story 3 game hitting shelves next summer with the release of the new movie.

Classic Commercial Sunday - 9/6

I spent many childhood hours playing this great game...