Electronic Theatre In-depth Review: James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game

            Set to hit cinemas nationwide today, James Cameron’s Avatar is undoubtedly expected to do good things for the movie industry. Compared to Star Wars by both the media and industry luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, the writer/director responsible for such groundbreaking work as The Terminator, Titanic and making Jessica Alba a household name with the television series Dark Angel, appeared at Ubisoft’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) earlier this year to discuss the videogame based on his latest motion-picture. Suggesting the application of associated media – books, toys and videogames etc. – as part of the “radar universe”, his excitement for the videogame release was almost palpable.

            Videogames specialist press and long time fans however, are particular sceptical of titles based upon motion-picture releases. Any amount of praise from those involved in the production at any level will do little to affect their preconceptions. But of course, there are a number of titles that do defy the rule-of-thumb that videogame adaptations of motion-picture releases will be worth less than the plastic they are printed on.

            Set in the 22^nd century, the player will enter the shoes of “Able” Ryder, arriving on Pandora to take part in the RDA’s Avatar Program. The Avatar Program is a technology that allows you to project your human consciousness into the body of a Na’vi – the indigenous humanoid inhabitants of Pandora – in order to better survive within the planet’s hyper-natural eco-system. The storyline is said to be an accompaniment to that of the film – another story in the same universe, featuring a handful of the same characters. However, it does appear to be expected that the player will have seen the film, and so there are frequently moments in which pivotal events will remain unexplained.

            One of the points of attraction for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game has been touted as the pivotal decision a player must make, effectively deciding the fate of Pandora. After an hour or so of an introduction and combat tutorial, the player is faced with a dilemma – take out another Avatar working as a traitor against the RDA, or aid him by taking out the task force sent to kill him, disobeying an order from your direct superior. Your choice will greatly affect your journey through the game, with all that happens from this point on leaning to one side of the same story. The break marks the introduction moving to the adventure, much like the Origin Story in  Dragon Age: Origins, though that which follows is in no way comparable in terms of length.

            James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game plays much like Capcom’s widely appreciated Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, but with some interesting ideas to mix-up the third-person Action genre. Levels are delivered as tightly designed free-roaming expanses, in which the player takes part in a number of story missions as well as the necessary optional side quests to earn those all-important Achievements. The design of these landscapes varies dramatically, from the densely populated rainforests seen in the early previews to vast, cavernous regions. Objectives are balanced around the unique challenges the environments provide, and though typically involve arriving at an area and eliminating the resistance, their dressing-up with frequent radio chatter and skirmishes between artificial intelligence (AI) troops certainly makes them an engaging endeavour.

            The range of weaponry is interesting to say the least, offering new variants instantly as the player earns experience. The RDA storyline holds a number of impressive automatic weapons, whilst the Na’vi player will become accustomed to using skill rather then sheer force. This is also reflected in the vehicles and other indigenous species. The RDA have a number of boats, buggies, mechs and flying machines to aid their travels and aren’t particularly welcome on Pandora, whilst the Na’vi will co-operate with the creatures of their homeland for added speed and often be ignored by the roaming wildlife.

            The two differing storylines provide more than enough reason to play through James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game a second time, which is probably just as well as neither is particularly long, but together provide upwards of twelve hours of game time. The multiplayer obviously adds to the longevity of the game, and at present is a very popular pastime on Xbox LIVE. Without any difficulties in finding a match, players can select their own weapons, armour and skills before taking on any one of the five match types. King of the Hill, Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch all behave as expected, while Final Battle requires one team to defend three important marks, and Capture and Hold is a variant of the King of the Hill rules, with multiple “hills”. James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game obviously has a limited lifespan online, but while matches are available few will complain about the package offered. And even beyond all this lies the Conquest Mini-Game, which although far from being a unique selling-point for the game, is certainly a welcome addition and worthy of more than a few minutes attention.

            James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game is one of the earliest 3D stereoscopic videogames created, and the first delivered on disc through traditional retail outlets. As such, it would be difficult not to take into account the groundbreaking new feature – and groundbreaking is exactly what it is. With a decent surround sound system and stereoscopic visuals, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game appears to take on a life of it’s own, with the bustling environments and inconsequential details suddenly becoming an overwhelmingly beautiful artificial construct. Though it has little effect on the gameplay itself, with more power over the player involved in- rather than the flow of the action, 3D stereoscopic gaming is looking set to become the next evolution of videogaming, even at this very early stage. And in doing so, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game is undoubtedly a pioneer in this respect.

            Without 3D stereoscopic visuals, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game still presents an engaging and lively atmosphere. Though far from the graphical quality of top-tier releases such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the Gears of War series, it would be overly critical to refer to James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game as “average”. The sound quality is also commendable, with most of the voice-acting emotively delivered, though there are certainly a fair share of irritatingly repeated sound effects from wildlife and bystanders.

            As a videogame based upon a motion-picture release, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game undoubtedly exceeds expectations. The combat is fast-paced and the stunning environments provide some interesting battlefields. The odd misfiring mission is an irritating blemish, but with a number of other distractions included on the disc player’s won’t be left without an entertaining option to pass away an hour-or-two. As one of the very first 3D stereoscopic videogames ever released, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game is a minor revolution all of it’s own, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that it’s an enjoyable and rewarding videogame experience in it’s own right.

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