There was a time as far back as the 16-Bit era when great films became great games. If you don’t believe me then I encourage you to dust off your SEGA Mega Drive copies of Disney’s Aladdin or The Lion King - don’t worry I’ll wait here.
Well? Yep, told you so. What’s more, videogame adaptations were usually reserved for the most successful titles, with the requisite budgets spent to achieving a worthwhile home entertainment experience. Fast forward to present day however and nearly every big-budget flick receives a six-format videogame title and the worst movies somehow become inspired videogames (Chronicles of Riddick, X-Men Origins: Wolverine). So yes, it’s fair to say that I haven’t seen Planet 51. Judging by its box office receipts thus far ($37m from its $70m budget as of this writing), neither have you. So as we are becoming smothered with a weekly line-up of CGI flicks and in turn, their uninspired videogame tie-ins cluttering the shelves, has this nostalgic alien adventure got enough ingenuity to surprise even a jaded modern gamer such as myself?
To their credit, publishers SEGA chose quite smartly for their tie-in developer. The Planet 51 movie is actually the most expensive ever produced in Spain (by Madrid-based Illion Animation Studios) and fellow Madridista’s Pyro Studios have taken the reins of the videogame adaptation. Pyro are most widely remembered for the stunning “Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines” franchise that began in the late 90s. Commando’s was a harsh and unforgiving real-time tactical war game that was particularly unique for its time.
As most videogame tie-in these days are more interested in kart racers than actually challenging the audience’s perceptions, Planet 51 flatters to deceive in its first impressions. Boasting impressive visuals and an open-world and mission structure that borrow heavily from the Grand Theft Auto franchise, it is a relief to find discover developers who actually to appear to have exerted themselves to provide value for money, a rarity for this sub genre.
The storyline of the movie and videogame itself is a role-reversal of 1950’s alien invasion B-movies. Here the invader is a human astronaut, whose routine mission to explore a distant planet finds himself on the aforementioned Planet 51, an odd American-Graffiti style 1950s America populated by poorly-designed green aliens. Gamers play as the alien protagonist Lem, exploring the landscape of Glipforg town in a variety of hover vehicles, from bicycles in the first few missions to sports cars and motorbikes later on.
Vehicles can be dispensed or repaired in designated zones around the area, whilst there is a GTA-style two-star “paranoia meter” to ensure you’re on your best behaviour. Unfortunately, controls feel overly-floaty, collision detection is very suspect and there is no great sensation of speed, no matter the vehicle.