Planet 51

I don’t know what it is about me and games based on kids films, but I’m just not very good at them. I tend to see the film, decide I like it and then suddenly think it’s a good idea to play to game to go with it. I then get so frustrated with little things that I can’t seem to do, and wonder how kids can do them. Maybe I think about it too much, I don’t know. So when Planet 51 for the Wii landed on my doormat, I initially got excited, and then remembered all of my past experiences with such games!

Planet 51 is one of the latest animated films to hit the big screen and the plot follows Captain Charles T. Baker on his mission to Planet 51. Baker ends up in the house of Planet 51 resident Lem, and it is up to Lem to get Baker back to his spaceship. The game follows a similar pattern, with subplots along the way to allow for new challenges and tasks, which makes it less easy to follow as a story. The game and the film are set in an outer space version of 1950s America, so it’s all quite pretty with cool forms of transport.

You’re launched straight into the action when you pick “Adventure” mode, and unfortunately there is little time spent on explaining any story details, so you are left to assume that you are playing the role of Lem. Initial tasks teach you the controls; which are slightly unusual as the Wii Remote is turned on its side turning it into more of a classic controller. It feels quite nice to hold the controller that way actually and for this game it works. If only the controls were more accurate then there might have been a success here. The control pad moves your character whether they are on foot or in a vehicle, but sometimes the responsiveness is too sensitive. On the opposite end of the scale, the camera tilting (done by moving the Wii Remote around) is less speedy. Whilst in a vehicle, the Wii Remote tilts to steer, which is mostly very slow to react, and sometimes the camera whizzes off somewhere. I will probably pick up more on the control system later.

The bulk of this game is spent completing missions, some of which can be very frustrating (mostly due to the controls) and others can be great fun. The longer you play, the more you realise that it’s such a massive game in terms of places you can go. Most tasks see you take to the road and drive around the planet, which is actually very fun and possibly a bit of a guilty pleasure for those of use who aren’t under twelve years old. New vehicles are unlocked after completing new missions and once you gain your first car, then the fun really begins. There are close comparisons to Grand Theft Auto games that I really wasn’t expecting, and suddenly this went from being an average game based on a kids film to being actually quite fun. Actions such as crashing into lamp-posts will be punished by alien police if they happen to be passing, and while in Grand Theft Auto you have to steal cars (often quite violently), Planet 51 sees Lem politely asking permission to “borrow” other aliens cars.

Finding your way around is simple with the GPS system. It guides you to wherever your next task takes place and by pressing the “-“ button you can find out exactly what it is you’re supposed to be doing. This is useful because more often than not, there are no warning as to what your task is and you’re left driving around scratching your head. There are no time limits in reaching your destination (unless of course you’re actually on a mission) so you can afford to have a bit of fun driving around and “stealing” cars first if you wish.

I’m afraid I have to bring up the subject of controls again because their unpredictability really leaves a big gap in Planet 51, and takes away so much potential. When carrying out tasks that are supposedly designed for children, the frustration takes over and you can’t help feeling that it should be more simple to carry out the missions that involve intricate controls such as one of the first tasks that involves chasing after someone and bumping into them. It’s unnecessarily difficult and not in a good challenging way, just in an annoying way that would make any gamer, young or old, want to give up. Well that’s how I feel about it anyway, maybe I just have a short fuse.

There is a multiplayer option to extend gameplay, and there are three games to play: Races, Car Crusher and Hot-Bomb. These are fairly basic and don’t offer much more than the main game, but it’s always nice to have the option, especially for younger players.

I think that the graphics in this game are decent. The characters move around fairly well, the background is well animated and colourful, and the vehicles are also very well coloured and are interesting to look at. At the very least, the graphics do nothing to distract from gameplay, even if they don’t make a lasting impression. The music and sounds also fit in well with the overall theme of the game. The voices of the characters are not annoying as some can be in games based on films, and the dialogue is generally kept to essential information, which allows the game to flow.

In theory, Planet 51 really does make good use of the Wii Remote and the game has a really fun concept. The best part of the game is driving around to face different missions and making your own amusement along the way. The missions are also fun and would be a lot more playable if the controls would play along with you. It is clearly made for a younger gamer, the same audience as the film should attract, but I think players younger than about 10 may struggle with the controls. I honestly would have played of my own accord if the camera would have followed me when I turned a corner in Lem’s new car! With a bit of tweaking, this could have been a very good game for children, older siblings and parents, but I think kids can see past the problems that this game has, and just enjoy the driving and the missions.

+ Lots of different missions to complete
+ Ability to drive freely around the planet and have fun
+ Unlockable features give a reason to play on

- Poor controls let the whole game down
- Some tasks require a few too many attempts
- Not enough of the storyline is explained

Score – 6/10