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| Wall-E | 
 enlarge | From: THQ
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $14.00
You Save: $5.99 (30%)
New (12) Used (2) from $14.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 2553
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows Xp, Mac Os X
ESRB: Everyone
Media: CD-ROM
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.7 x 0.6
MPN: PCSTHQ49333
Model: 49333
UPC: 752919493335
EAN: 0752919493335
ASIN: B0014CQ3RC
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: new new new
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| Customer Reviews:
 E is for Energy August 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It is absolutely amazing that my five year old daughter has learned what "energy" is and why it is needed while playing this game. After she and I played the game for hours, I asked her, "What is Wall-E getting when he goes [mimicking the funny noise Wall-E makes when charging]?" She immediately replied, "Energy!" Why does Wall-E need energy? I asked. "Because Wall-E needs to jump, " she answered. That specific answer was never mentioned to her by me. Establishing the relationship between energy and action in an intuitive way for a child makes this game absolutely priceless.
 Crashes repeatedly on Mac July 23, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This product does not work on a Mac. My system far exceeds the minimum specifications, yet the game crashes my system in an unpredictable pattern. It requires a reboot of the system each time. THQ responded to my report by concluding I had a defective disc. Amazon replaced the disc and the replacement copy, which I reinstalled to make sure there were no remnants of the original installation, crashed in less than 6 minutes of play. Since THQ is blind to the defect, I don't expect it to be fixed anytime soon. Avoid this turkey!
Recommended for younger audiences only July 14, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
First and foremost Wall-E appears to be a port of the PlayStation 2 version of the game. As a result, the graphics suffer in much the same way that the do with the recent PC versions of the Iron Man and Hulk games. Wall-E gives you the ability to increase the resolution, but that's about it. Definitely no next gen graphics to be seen here.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Graphics aren't everything, most of the enjoyment I get out of games is derived from gameplay. The only time I consider graphics in the equation is when two games offer similar gameplay. If the gameplay is largely the same then most people would prefer to play the game with the better graphics. With this in mind, you might be better off with the 360 or PS3 version of the game; unless graphics truly aren't important to you.
Moving on to the actual gameplay. Wall-E has a very simplistic control mechanism. There's a button to jump (more on this later), a button to shoot a laser, a button to toss objects, and a button to skrink down to a cube form. Each of these buttons allow you to perform one of about 4 things you'll do for the entire game.
1) Shoot red boxes with the laser
2) Shrink to a cube to break the other two kinds of boxes
3) Throw an object to destroy an out of reach box or hit a switch that allows you to continue with forward progress
4) Jump over obstacles
Other that those 4 things there really isn't that much more to this game. An area typically has a door that can be opened by supplying it with a certain number of energy units. You traverse the level to destroy the boxes that contain the energy units until you have enough to open the door. There are also other boxes that con be destroyed, but the only function they serve is to finish the game with a 100% completion rating.
There are hidden objects among the garbage in each level, but again the only real purpose they serve is to check them off the 100% completion list.
Jumping can be a bit cumbersome in this game. I really wouldn't describe the behavior as a jump. It's more of a fall forward movement. The object is to build up speed and fall forward to the next platform where how far you fall forward depends on how fast you are going. The game includes half pipe and half pipe transfers (a la Tony Hawk) to gain momentum for larger jumps. The jumping can be a bit unpredictable and difficult for younger gamers, so much so that they have run the risk of making the game unplayable for their target market. The devellopers should have made this system better, or reduced the focus of jumping from platform to platform, as each level relies heavily on jumping puzzles. One missed jump can mean a frustrating climb back up to where you originally fell off.
Speaking of falling, Wall-E also has the tendancey to "weave" instaead of simply moving in a straight line. This usually happens when attempting to move forward without being lined up in the direction you want to go before youstart moving. There is an adjustment period where Wall-E arcs in the direction you want to move. This becomes a problem when attempting to cross things like narrow bridges. One slight weave or arc while crossing can make you fall off any one of the several ledges found in the game.
There are also mini games that allow you to doors that provide access to yet more crates to destroy. The mini games take the form of simon says, image matching (make the readout on the left look like the readout on the right), and the memory card game where you try to match hidden pairs. These mini games are clearly intended for children. I've also noticed that sometimes you will have a panel with multiple buttons and no indicator as to which button Wall-E's finger is currently hovering over. You just have to work out which button is currently hovered over through trial an error, which leads to all sorts of problems when doing the memory matching puzzle.
There are other games intended for a younger audience that are still fun to play as an adult, the Lego games come to mind. Wall-E is not one of these games, and I would recommend this game for a younger audience only. I didn't find it all that engaging after about 15 minutes. There is a high level of repetition and you hit that Wall very early on.
Break three types of boxes, hit a switch, jump through to the next section. Maybe find a piece of garbage or two along the way, maybe not. That's the game.
Misses the mark. July 13, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
My kids are 3 and 5 years old. Pixar did an incredible job making the movie meaningful and accessible to such young kids, but the same can't be said of this game. I would like to see a game that finds the middle ground between the crappy online games and this one. All my 5-year-old wants to do is be Wall-E, and make him move around and collect stuff in his little lunch cooler and explore. This game should have been aimed at a younger audience, with less emphasis on complicated (for a 5-year-old) controls/moves and more emphasis on fun. Do I enjoy playing it? Sure, but since it's just movie merchandise anyway, not Halo 4, why not cater to the audience that will get the most actual joy out of it?
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