Generation Next Gadgets

Good

Looks alright

Can be bearable in short bursts

Bad

Broken, boring and lackluster gameplay

Terrible framerates

Horrible plot

Avatar took ten years to make and cost nearly $300 million (or more) but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good movie. I enjoyed the action, enhanced by 3D but got thoroughly bored in the middle when the movie just seemed to drag on aimlessly. And then there were the clichéd characters populating the horribly clichéd plot.

But all said and done it was an enjoyable blockbuster choc-a-bloc with high octane moments that could have translated into an awesome game. Add in some cinematic moments a la Uncharted 2, incorporate a few RPG-esque elements and top it all off with solid shooting mechanics a la Gears of War and you would have had an awesome game to complement the movie. Instead we get a game that’s dull, boring, broken and repetitive. Enter Avatar: The Game (but I strongly suggest you don’t).

Like I mentioned earlier, a riveting plot was not one the movie’s of the stronger points so I really didn’t expect the game to boast of one but I did not expect such a snooze fest either. No explanation is given to you regarding the planet Pandora or the evil RDA corporation except for a one minute monologue by Sigourney Weaver’s character. Voice acting is dull and drab and I had to skip a lot of the in-game cut-scene to prevent my brain from falling asleep. Oh and in case you haven’t seen the movie yet, here’s the lowdown on the world of Avatar in a nutshell. Evil white man invades beautiful yet highly dangerous planet to suck it dry (from its valuable resources you pervs). Evil white man faces opposition from local blue colored cat like humanoids so he tries teaching them his way but they tell him to shove it. White man gets pissed and starts owning the Smurfs with brute force who later on under the leadership of another white man in a Na’vi Avatar (hence the name) fight back sending Evil White man and his congregation away from the planet.

As far as gameplay is concerned, Avatar: The Game is broken up into two parts. You start off with the Marine (RDA) campaign and after a painfully long and not to mention boring tutorial of sorts you’re given the option to align with the Na’vi or stay faithful to the humans. Thinking that as the Na’vi I’d get to do all kinds of cool stuff I betrayed own kind but little did I know how stupid that move was.

As the Na’avi you’re tied down to melee weapons and bows and arrows that are no match for assault rifles. The Na’vi have the ability to camouflage with the environment and this ability renders them invisible momentarily during which they can perform stealth kills. It’s an interesting mechanic and if performed well could have been totally badass making you feel like a predator. But it’s not! Both factions have certain abilities at their disposal like auto-healing, the ability to run faster and whatnot but they are such generic powers you’ll more often than not forget about them.

If you’ve seen the movie you’ve seen the Na’vi’s agile nature and while they’re hopping all around the planet you can’t but help think of the Parkour mechanics from Assassin’s Creed, another Ubisoft game. Sadly the Na’vi in the game are anything but fluid; in fact they move around like Robocop and have extremely clunky animations for jumping, running, climbing or dodging.

But don’t feel too bad if you find yourself aligning with the Na’vi since the RDA campaign isn’t particularly enthralling. As the marines the game plays out like an archaic third person shooter without a cover system, the ability to zoom in and the ability to sprint. So it’s a losing battle no matter which faction you align with.

Avatar isn’t an ugly game per say but then again it’s no Crysis (although it could have been considering both settings feature lush tropical environments). There are times when the visuals really stand out but then they’re brought down by broken gameplay and awkward stiff animations. If that wasn’t bad enough the game suffers from some terrible frame rates making the experience even more painful. The game supports Stereoscopic Vision which means if you have a 3D TV (and chances are you don’t unless your dad’s a millionaire) you’ll be treated to some nifty 3D visuals but that’s a totally useless addition since 90% of the gamers out there can’t afford that technology yet.

Avatar: The Game could have been awesome. Taking gameplay elements from a multitude of games Ubisoft could have crafted an engaging action/RPD hybrid had they actually sat down and worked on this game. What’s surprising is the fact that James Cameron actually worked with Ubisoft extensively on the game so I wonder how this hap hazard game passed his seal of approval. Either way Avatar: The Game has joined the ranks of countless movie-to-game adaptations that should be avoided like the plague unless you’re sprouting money from every orifice.