‘Avatar’ game disappoints - Military Video Games, computer games - Air Force Times

‘Avatar’ game disappoints

More often than not, a video game based on a movie plays like a piece of merchandising, rather than delivering a quality entertainment experience on its own merit. There are some exceptions, of course, but most gamers will agree movie-based titles disappoint rather than impress.

So, how does Ubisoft’s “Avatar: The Game,” a third-person shooter based on James Cameron’s 10-years-in-the-making sci-fi epic fare?

Meh.

It fails to match the standard of the fantasy film or other Ubisoft Montreal series, such as “Assassin’s Creed” and others. But it’s not a disaster either.

The game drops you onto Pandora, a lush alien world torn apart by a war between the Na’vi, the moon’s indigenous people, and the RDA (Resources Development Administration), a human-run corporation keen on extracting Pandora’s valuable resources.

You play as Ryder, a young soldier tapped to protect the company’s mining operation on Pandora that’s destroying the habitat of the Na’vi, the blue-skinned, 10-foot-tall aliens who resent the humans’ destructive presence. You start the game as a human, but about an hour or so in you’ll have a choice to make: continue down the path as an RDA fighter to protect the company’s interests or transfer your consciousness to an “avatar,” a half-Na’vi, half-human hybrid who can ward off the RDA. This branching story line adds some depth and replayability, but the gameplay barely hovers above mediocrity because of lackluster and repetitive missions.

While fighting on each side, you’ll gain access to unique human or Na’vi weapons (primarily guns or bows and arrows, respectively), abilities (e.g., turn invisible, sprint, ground stomp), vehicles (dune buggies, motorboats, gunships, giant horselike animals) and many characters with whom to interact. But don’t expect much emotion or well-written dialogue from your peers in the game, despite it having voice talent from the film’s stars.

While “Avatar” is an action game at its core, there are some role-playing elements, as you can earn points for completing objectives and collecting items, and then unlock new weapons, armor, abilities and more. There are also optional side quests, a strategy minigame called Conquest, multiplayer modes for up to 16 gamers and an encyclopedia that teaches you more about this fictional universe.

But after playing the game for a few consecutive days, it’s quite clear the magic just isn’t here. The combat on this junglelike moon is decent, but hardly memorable, as you simply take cover and fire, move through the foliage until you come to the next hot spot, and repeat the process.

The game looks good, but the animation is a bit stiff and the vehicles can be tough to control. Overall, “Avatar: The Game” doesn’t deliver. While choosing a side to fight on is a great idea, and Pandora’s foliage and waterfalls are pretty, the flat characters, boring missions and predictable combat all take away from what could’ve been an excellent movie-based game.

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James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game

For Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, PC. http://www.avatarmoviegame.com. $29.99 to $59.99. Rated T for “Teen.”

Score: 2.5 stars (out of 4)