Disney's Chicken Little
Posted March 26, 2006
Disney's Chicken Little, a tie-in game based on the movie of the same name, is a fun little action title developed by Avalanche that puts you in the role of the diminutive chick as he discovers that, yes, the sky is in fact falling—or rather, aliens are invading in flying death saucers. I haven't seen the movie, but judging from the rather large number of cutscenes taken from it, I don't need to; I'm guessing it's the same story, and anyway, the game does a good job moving from A to B without any advance knowledge.
Gameplay:
After selecting a difficulty mode (easy, normal, or hard), the game begins with a tutorial level that teaches the basics of jumping, double jumping, and defeating enemies with everyone's favorite child-friendly weapon, the yo-yo. One thing you'll notice immediately is that Chicken controls awkwardly—sort of like a watermelon on a unicycle. It's not like he crashes into things or anything, but he's a big-headed kid; you won't be doing any sharp maneuvers with him.
There's an obnoxiously hackneyed saying where I'm from: If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. Chicken Little is the video game equivalent. If you hate the platforming, there are plenty of other aspects to hold your interest. In fact, it's so varied that it almost feels like a collection of random Chicken Little-themed mini-games tied together by movie clips. In the main game there's dodgeball, baseball, driving, space combat, and more. You also have the opportunity to collect a set of five cards per level (there are more than 20 levels) and can redeem them to unlock unique two-player mini-games. Some of these are really quite a bit of fun, my favorite being one in which players dual in alien walking machines.
Overall, the presentation is pretty good, but there are some parts that could really frustrate younger players (say, kids under six), like the level where you're being chased by your school nemesis and the camera faces backwards, so that you can
only see a few steps in front of you. It's a common action game technique (Sword of the Berserk for the Dreamcast most notably comes to mind), but it's one I've never felt was particularly fair and so I could live without it. Also, like all 3D platformers, the camera is occasionally aggravating. Other than a few minor quibbles, however, I think Chicken Little does a great job with its license.
Graphics:
I'm guessing the models are borrowed directly from the movie, as they look identical to their film counterparts. The resolution is about what you'd expect from the PlayStation 2—the game is available for all three consoles, so consider that when buying.
In addition, there are a handful of odd graphical quirks. The most conspicuous of these is the fact that your shadow appears above you if you go under some surface. That's some kind of funky light right there. Ultimately, though, things like this are noticeable but relatively insignificant.
Audio:
There's nothing really impressive here: some standard video game fare and a few pop songs from the movie. But as with Shrek, I imagine kids might get a kick out of them.
Conclusion:
Chicken Little is better than most movie tie-in games. By keeping expectations realistic and play varied it succeeds in being a fun title for kids that will keep them occupied for awhile. Bonus points if they liked the movie. Recommended.
Gameplay:
After selecting a difficulty mode (easy, normal, or hard), the game begins with a tutorial level that teaches the basics of jumping, double jumping, and defeating enemies with everyone's favorite child-friendly weapon, the yo-yo. One thing you'll notice immediately is that Chicken controls awkwardly—sort of like a watermelon on a unicycle. It's not like he crashes into things or anything, but he's a big-headed kid; you won't be doing any sharp maneuvers with him.There's an obnoxiously hackneyed saying where I'm from: If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. Chicken Little is the video game equivalent. If you hate the platforming, there are plenty of other aspects to hold your interest. In fact, it's so varied that it almost feels like a collection of random Chicken Little-themed mini-games tied together by movie clips. In the main game there's dodgeball, baseball, driving, space combat, and more. You also have the opportunity to collect a set of five cards per level (there are more than 20 levels) and can redeem them to unlock unique two-player mini-games. Some of these are really quite a bit of fun, my favorite being one in which players dual in alien walking machines.
Overall, the presentation is pretty good, but there are some parts that could really frustrate younger players (say, kids under six), like the level where you're being chased by your school nemesis and the camera faces backwards, so that you can
only see a few steps in front of you. It's a common action game technique (Sword of the Berserk for the Dreamcast most notably comes to mind), but it's one I've never felt was particularly fair and so I could live without it. Also, like all 3D platformers, the camera is occasionally aggravating. Other than a few minor quibbles, however, I think Chicken Little does a great job with its license.Graphics:
I'm guessing the models are borrowed directly from the movie, as they look identical to their film counterparts. The resolution is about what you'd expect from the PlayStation 2—the game is available for all three consoles, so consider that when buying.
In addition, there are a handful of odd graphical quirks. The most conspicuous of these is the fact that your shadow appears above you if you go under some surface. That's some kind of funky light right there. Ultimately, though, things like this are noticeable but relatively insignificant.
Audio:
There's nothing really impressive here: some standard video game fare and a few pop songs from the movie. But as with Shrek, I imagine kids might get a kick out of them.
Conclusion:
Chicken Little is better than most movie tie-in games. By keeping expectations realistic and play varied it succeeds in being a fun title for kids that will keep them occupied for awhile. Bonus points if they liked the movie. Recommended.