Toy Story 2 looks great on the Dreamcast. The graphics are crisp, clean, and colorful with
enough detail to pass for a reasonable representation of the film.
Toy Story 2 follows a successful but tiresome Disney Interactive formula: beat a level, watch a
film clip, beat a level, watch a film clip. Buzz is the central character and the only player-
controlled character. This game has too much Buzz and not enough Woody.
Woody has to be rescued, and the supporting characters (Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, and
Hamm) add to your list of chores. Hamm, of course, needs coins since he's a piggy bank. Mr.
Potato Head is always losing his body parts, which you must retrieve.
For some reason, the mission to rescue Woody requires that you collect Pizza Planet Tokens. To
be honest, that right there is a giant red sign that screams to us, "This game just takes objects and
elements from the film and throws them together in the most cliched form possible."
I have picked on Rare for the endless coin/gem/token game play gimmicks, so I can't let Toy
Story 2 slip off the radar screen, either.
I just don't understand why you can't control each character. The movie didn't have supporting
characters for decoration; they took action.
Why can't we control Woody in some levels, aiding him in his escape plans (however
unsuccessful), and eventually have Buzz and Woody meet?
Toy Story 2 would have been much better had it used the film as something in which to weave
game play. However, the playable portions rarely advance the actual plot. This is easier said
than done, but I don't really see any attempt to do this at all.
Lastly, the controls are so horrible (always falling off ledges, impossible to aim accurately) that
the target audience will only find this game frustrating. Toy Story 2 just won't find a friend in
you.
Publisher: Activision