Is the Toy Story 3 Game Better Than the Movie?

It's easy to write off a movie tie-in videogame; so many of them are nothing more than blatant attempts to cash in on fans that pour out of the theatre and want to continue the experience at home. But Avalanche Studios developed Toy Story 3 game is not only a great movie game, but a genuinely fun title that anybody can enjoy.

Most movie tie-ins' difficulties are tuned for a young, not particularly game savvy audience -- so much so that anybody that's even familiar with traditional game mechanics is usually alienated from the game. Toy Story 3 actually manages to appeal to all ages. While the main story missions are primarily third-person platform stages with the occasional on-rails shooter section thrown in for good measure, they provide just enough challenge for a reasonably seasoned player to enjoy.

At the same time, the game doesn't punish you too much for missing a jump or reaching zero health since checkpoints are plentiful and you restart with full health and any collectibles you may have picked up before failing. I did run into a few areas where what to do next wasn't immediately apparent, but since dying yields no negative consequence, a little trial and error was all it took to get out of those jams. 

One thing that Toy Story 3 does extraordinarily is capture the essence of the Pixar film it's based on. From the colorful toy environments to the voice talent, this is the Toy Story game I wanted. While I explored the different locations in the game I always felt like they were part of the Toy Story universe, even if they've never appeared in any of the movies. The game actually opens with a sequence that reminds me of the "make believe" scene Andy acts out at the beginning of the first Toy Story film -- Woody had to save Bo Peep's sheep from Dr. Porkchop (Hamm). From the beginning, it got my Toy Story nostalgia meter to its highest.