Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Pros • Gratuitous Eye Candy • Moves at top speed	Cons • Crap camera angles • Awkward way in which stages progress • Ineffectually blends genres • Ho-hum visuals • It’s not ‘Buzz’ speaking
Bottom Line To the garbage chute, and beyooooond! If you thought Toy Story 2 wasn’t the be all, end all, boy does Activision have a nasty surprise up a-waitin’ for ya. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command’s a racer… no, wait, it’s a platformer… actually, um, it’s a shooter with elements from all of the above. Ah screw it, the titles’s just crap, from the top of its hastily thrown together presentation to the bottom of its itty bitty, personality and gameplay deficient toes.

Activision scored a minor coup when they snagged the Toy Story license. This brand name begat several titles on several platforms, most of which were highly enjoyable and hopefully profitable to boot. Frankly, the company deserves a pat on the back for figuring out how to put past franchise follies *cough* A Bug's Life *retch* behind them. But Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is based on a spin-off series, not the original box-office moneymaker. And if the franchise comes off looking a bit dodgy, this title's no animated gem either.

Buzz hunts criminals; it's his raison d'etre. Yet the cops and space robbers shtick is overdone. You'll find that every stage's goal is to catch up with a criminal and pound him to a galactic pulp. Both the courses and Emperor Zurg's cronies blur into a bland, faceless blob several levels in. All that's required of the player is that they race over a linear path until a final showdown with the baddy introduced at the current stage's beginning goes down. No matter how many coats of paint developer Traveller's Tales slaps onto the scenarios, each mini-adventure boasts little, if anything, to recommend it over the last.

Most inhumanely, the hero is consistently taunted by the presence of his arch-enemies. Gunfire's ineffective against them until the confrontation point is reached, simply for frustration's sake. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for dodging obstacles, fragging lesser enemies, and trying to catch up to said hooligan before time runs out or they get away. But power-ups make everything better; hence the reason plasma guns, shields, extra ammunition, health boosters, hoverboards, grenades and jet packs are ripe for the pilfering. Still, it's not like playable vehicles or fancy weaponry could really spruce up this mish-mash of inbred genres.

Thus, fun's a rare commodity in Buzz's latest escapade. Tricky, narrow ledges and outcrops throw your game off. Camera angles work against the forces of good whenever possible. Cinematic scenes have no bearing on, or direct relation to, the game itself. Gleaming coats of colored paint were used to smooth over glaring gameplay errors, such as when you lap the competition and actually have to wait for a boss to catch up. Plus it feels like actions are forced, not undertaken for sake of enjoyment.

Nor will it matter which system's disc one opts for. Cartoon graphics may bring worlds of fire, ice, and technological advancement to life, but they're resolutely mundane on all platforms. The Dreamcast looks like a half-cocked port of its PlayStation cousin, running a bit slower in exchange for its barely enhanced visuals. Moments of pixelated glory (note the sarcasm) arise frequently, even if the frame rate's acceptable. But worst of all, across the board, Buzz's voice just isn't the one you've come to know and love. Cushy sound effects just can't replace the sense of familiarity lost because of this atrocious oversight.

Perhaps it's time for a certain publisher to let well enough alone. One Toy Story inspired product every few years is more than enough to satisfy the yokels. Obvious attempts to cash in on former glories don't go over spectacularly with educated audiences - there's a reason why the associated film's the proud recipient of a straight to video release. Star Command, do you read? Sans Woody and co., Buzz's space age adventure clocks in as a catastrophe of Challenger sized proportions.

Info & Screenshots