The game I have today is the next in the series, released on the tail end of the Xbox 360’s

lifespan. How many sequels, especially Pixar sequels, can you say that about. It might

have done this game some good, however, as it’s…achem…light years better than the

last game in the series. This is Toy Story 3 for the Xbox 360.

Toy Story 3 is an interesting game that follows a similar style to the game released more

than 10 years earlier. The main difference is that you have some different characters

and abilities to choose from, but you still pick from a few different levels and get missions

from toys inside them to complete. Some of these are actually told as stories to the

other toys, with different characters playing the role of villains while guys like Woody

or Buzz try to stop them. The freedom you get in choosing what to do still makes it

pretty unique among video games based on movies, even though the second game did it 10 years

earlier. It just hasn’t caught on with other franchises.

Toy Story 3 actually controls really well, not just for a movie game, but for any game

at all. Jumping and attacking both feel sensitive but smooth, and camera control is actually

not an issue at all. The ability to get a horse in one section also makes the game a

lot more fun, but the best additions are the sections that allow you control a few different

characters. Throwing Woody up to a desk so he can reach something that the other characters

can’t adds something different to a game that could’ve gotten a little repetitive.

Toy Story 3 is also the perfect difficulty for its target audience. Now, I’m not that

audience, so I found the game to be pretty easy, except for a few jumps near the very

beginning, but the kids this is meant to appeal to shouldn’t have any problem with it. Missions

can also be marked with an arrow on your compass so you don’t get lost, and although they’re

all pretty easy as well, they’re quick enough for short attention spans.

Oh, and did I mention that you can just pick up other characters and chuck them through

windows? It’s extremely entertaining. You can do it to anyone. Oh, you just gave me

a new mission? Here’s how I feel about that, get in the water! One mission also told me

to get a lost donkey back to his owner by pushing him off a cliff, as he claims that

donkeys always land on their legs. Remember kids, if you see a lost donkey, push it off

a cliff. Using the same visual style of the movies

also helps to make Toy Story 3 a really good looking game on the 360. It doesn’t try

to do too much, and the frame-rate in cut-scenes is really smooth. Voice acting is also great,

as is the case with most Pixar games. I especially liked Kristen Schaal’s performance.

I didn’t know exactly what to expect with Toy Story 3, but I was pleasantly surprised

to see that the game not only used some elements from the last game, but improved them to create

a great title for kids to play. This is one of the only movie games I’d say is a must

play for fans of

the film.