What makes Ace in Action unique is the fact that it doesn’t have to rely on trying to squeeze the original story into various tired gameplay mechanics; instead it’s a completely original story that’s fully supported by the in-game narrative progression. Without decent source material, it’s difficult to somehow propel other license-based products above mediocrity, but thankfully Ace in Action edges away from this mould and proves to be rather enjoyable. The basic premise is thus: you are playing a video game in which Chicken Little is also playing a video game with his friends. Your companions include the ever-paranoid pig Runt, and the confident, sassy ugly duckling Abby. These little heroes are the basis for the movie adaptation of their adventures from the original movie, and Chicken Little is playing the movie-game adaptation featuring their space-adventuring counterparts. Confused? Yeah.
Almost fried.
All you need to know is that Ace in Action features a high-flying space adventure with a cast of crazy characters, sporadically intertwined with the real (ie. fictional) world of Chicken Little as the gang reacts to the video game goings-on. From here, we can safely move on to the gameplay. Ace is the major chicken hero/badass, and his missions involve a combination of run-and-gun action with platform jumping. Abby’s levels (the characters swap the controller around as the missions change) feature space shooting in a fully controllable hovership, while Runt takes on all manner of heavy artillery in his armoured ground tank. It should be noted at this point that Ace in Action draws heavily from the Ratchet and Clank series, so much so that one might find the blatant similarities a bit too brazen on the developer’s part. Well, it could be worse – Ratchet and Clank is at least some damn fine intellectual property to be drawing inspiration from.
The problem with Ace in Action is that while it plays out in a very familiar and beloved formula, Ratchet and Clank does pretty much everything better. Ace’s laser cannon is upgradeable (as are all weapons and vehicles for each of the characters), with bonuses able to be purchased mid-mission using collected acorns (called "acornium") from downed foes and smashed crates. There simply isn’t enough variety, though – the selection of weapons pales in comparison to Ratchet and Clank, and eliminates a large amount of replayability by reducing weapon/enemy experimentation, as well as experience-based damage and functionality upgrades. Improving your gear is still a necessity, and the money doesn't flow as full or as fast as expected - so don't go blowing all your corn on some flashy CG movie bonus, or you'll find yourself in more than a tight spot in later levels.
Duckwing makes a return.
Despite a large amount of extra content disappointingly absent, Ace in Action still dishes out some great fun found within all missions and modes. Enemies are varied and Challenging, the hovership features some cool situation specific abilities, and Runt’s tank is an absolute dream to control. The main story takes place over four planets, with six missions apiece. Accompanying the campaign is a bunch of unlockables, including concept art, music tracks and the aforementioned character upgrades. It’s a shame that most extras are unlocked solely via purchasing with acorns, rather than some kind of achievement-based system. This means that for anyone after all the goodies, expect to do a bit of level grinding for the extra cash.
Missions play out in disjointed unison. For example, Ace may land on a planet, blast some robots and then become accosted by deadly force fields. The control then switches to Abby, who needs to take out some power generators in deep space which regulate the force fields that bind Ace. Runt can then clear the road for Ace to continue on, or come to the rescue at the most appropriate time - especially when the situation seems overwhelmingly difficult. There’s three missions under the belt straight away,a nd despite the brief description, all are fairly long, and extra bonuses are granted for speed runs once the player becomes accustomed to the level layout. Multiplayer isn't especially fleshed out, but again the group gaming afficionados will hardly be running to a Chicken Little game for fun. It's a minor addition sporting a points-based contest, with extra levels featuring the hovership and tank available for purchase using acornium.
Chilled to the chicken bone.
Rounding off the package, Ace in Action features nice graphics in plenty of areas, but sometimes the design and proportion of some locations is a bit off-putting. Ace has plenty of large open environments to adventure through, but sometimes the gameplay shrinks to a little too much corridor shooting. Naturally the PS2 shows its age, but cutscenes are rendered very well, and the animation could have been pulled straight from the film. The sound effects aren’t anything special, but it’s good to see that all of the original voice actors have returned specifically for the game. Zach Braff, Steve Zahn and Joan Cusack all reprise their roles – and a special appearance is made by the captain of corny himself, Adam West – who actually handles the title role of Ace superbly.
So finally, there’s the question of whether Ace in Action ranks as a purchase. Probably not for everyone, even though it’s a great effort from the development team. It’s a cliché to drag out the tired “kids will enjoy it” analogy, but it’s true for one simple reason – Chicken Little is an appealing character to the young-uns, who can enjoy the fun no matter what may be happening under the hood. Older adventurers will probably be a bit underwhelmed by the gameplay – but it’s a damn sight closer to being great than plenty of the children’s licensed games out there have ever come. It isn’t bad by any stretch, but Ratchet and Clank does it much better, and has been doing so for a long while now. If more of the same stylish action and humour is what you’re after, go nuts with a solid rental – it will certainly provide enough quality gaming to put a smile on anyone’s dial.
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