Bee Movie Game allows players to take control of a cute, little honeybee called Barry B. Benson, a bee that wants more to life than making honey all the time, and has the daring to try it. Bee Moviemarks the long-awaited return of popular funny man Jerry Seinfeld, who provides the voice of Barry B. Benson. The game follows Barry as he goes about day-to-day life in New Hive City. Essentially, it plays out like a kiddie version of Grand Theft Auto as players are freely able to explore New Hive City, talk to other bees, play mini games or complete odd jobs to earn money to purchase new clothes for Barry to wear, unlock new arcade games to play and fill up the garage of Barry’s house with a fleet of shiny, new cars. If the kids have had enough of the sandbox-styled exploration, it’s only a matter of going into Barry’s house to move onto one of the game’s story-based missions to get the game moving along.
Barry gets his motor running.
The arcade games included are worth the price alone in that even older gamers will get a kick a kick out of them. The six arcade games included are Bee Movie themed versions of old arcade classics such as Space Invaders, Frogger and Galaga - that will really get parents’ nostalgia flowing!
As well as buzzing around the hive, Bee Movie Game also allows players to venture into the treacherous outside world. If you thought that there was a lot to play with in New Hive City, you’ll still have a bundle of tasks to accomplish while you are outside the hive. While outside, Barry is able to fly to specific locations to complete a series of twenty-one storyline missions - which are triggered in Barry’s house back at the hive – and it is in these missions where the gameplay really takes shape. Some of the outdoor tasks include: using your stinger to engage in airborne combat with enemy wasps, turn on bee vision to find and pollinate the abundance of colourful flowers on display, dodge heavy droplets of water as you navigate the rain, and bugging humans by buzzing around in their faces.
"I am the Pollinator!"
Many movie-licensed children’s games are filled with this type of gameplay action, but the Bee Movie Game is able to break away from the pack because of one simple element, the ability to fly. Of course while Barry is in the hive he can walk around if as much as he pleases, but the ability to take flight as he’s exploring through the outside world will keep the kids entertained for hours as they soak up the fun of zooming around all over the place.
Although Barry can do a lot of things while he’s on the go, the control scheme has thankfully been kept simple in order to not alienate the game’s target audience. Throughout most of the game, the top left-hand corner of the screen will show kids what controls they have to use to perform the task that they are working on. While it may not be necessary for all kids, it ensures that those who aren’t completely sure of how to play won’t pout and throw the controller away in a frustrating tantrum. The game also uses fast-paced interactive action sequences to keep the game moving along. These too are quite easy to control as a picture pops up in the middle of the screen telling kids which button to press to progress through the scene.
The interactive scenes help break up the gameplay.
For all of the good things that it does, the Bee Movie Game is not without its faults. It contains a few clipping issues, but its most critical fault comes on the PlayStation 2. When saving on the PS2, the game has a habit of locking up and freezing. While this can easily be remedied by hitting the reset button, it can cause your save game file to be corrupted - which can prove to be very frustrating, especially when you're on the cusp of completing the game. We advise that you save the game on multiple memory cards to protect yourself against this occurrence.
When looking at it, it's plain to see that the graphics of the Bee Movie Game do a great job of transplanting the movie’s CG style into the game world. Across the platforms there are marginal differences between the systems. On Xbox 360 and PC, the game is privy to better textures, water effects and HD support. But the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions are fine examples of what those consoles can push out.
The most notable graphical aspect of the game is its massive city landscapes, which really do make you feel like you are experiencing the thrills and dangers of a massive world through the perspective of a tiny, insignificant bee. The character models are quite pleasing and do a good job of capturing the image of their film counterpart. Overall, the Bee Movie Game has done a commendable job of replicating the bright, vivid world of the movie onto a game disc.
In the sound department, the game has gone to extensive lengths with its voice cast. While not all of the movie’s voice actors have returned for the game, the principle cast of Jerry Seinfeld, Patrick Warburton and Matthew Broderick have returned, and they do a superb job of delivering their lines in a natural, upbeat tone; ensuring that not only will kids easily be able to recognise their favourite characters, they’ll get a chuckle or two out of them as well. The music is equally impressive as a combination of dramatic and whimsical instrumental pieces round out the game’s score.
With its simple to control gameplay, colourful graphics to match the movie and the vast amount of arcade games, tasks and storyline missions kids aged twelve and under will be in a buzz with what the Bee Movie Game has to offer.
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