Finding Nemo [GC]

Oh my gosh, you're a fish! None of us here at IGN quite understand the new love for these little splashy creatures. They've taken over the silver screens and now they're coming to a television near you. It's time to prep your pet goldfish and get him a Hollywood agent, if the movie and the brand new Finding Nemo game are anything to go by -- I wouldn't be surprised to see a sequel swim to the surface in the very near future.

Knowing precious little about the film, with its target audience of 8 to 10 years old, I prepared myself for a simplistic game with petty graphics and a large license name splashed on the box. Sure, it's a combination some publishers have used before to grab as much pocket money as possible, and succeeded. I confess to being pleasantly surprised by the Finding Nemo property developed by British outfit, Traveller's Tales. It seems publishers and developers are starting to realize just how lucrative quality games associated with a potentially high-grossing film can be.

Admittedly, Traveller's Tales was quick to confess that it had used basic gameplay elements and not purposely created highly complex levels. Travellers Tales believes that purposefully omitting overtly complex levels does not necessarily mean what remains is boring and stupid. In fact, Finding Nemo resurrected those buried sensations I cherished when first getting interested in videogames. Anything capable of doing that should then be a great way to suck in the new kids. Imagine playing the original Marios, mix that style with the visual environments of Ecco the Dolphin and you have something that's getting close to Finding Nemo.

As the wiggly, innocent kid fish, Nemo, you play through a variety of levels at the beginning of the game. These act as tutorials, introducing you to the gameplay challenges you will experience throughout the entire game itself. As the game progresses you also get to play as Nemo's rather bloated father, following the joining storyline surrounding the capture of little Nemo. The game uses a combination of 2D-scrolling and 3D forward-fluid gameplay, showcasing the potential of games technology nowadays. Traveller's Tales makes use of the same in-house engine that can be seen in both Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex and Haven: Call of the King.

It's not one big engine, though. Design elements that have found their way to fame in recent titles are mini-games and bonus levels. And they're here. Why? Because Traveller's Tales thinks they're darn fun, that's why. Ultimately, they should provide a most welcome break from strict gameplay. It's an inevitable way to make the game seem less linear. Make sure to collect the gold stars and sure enough you'll soon find yourself doing what fish do best -- heading a bouncy ball around the big wide ocean. Though of course that's just one of the multitude of mini-games/bonus levels available within the game, providing those who enjoyed the game/film storyline the opportunity for great replay-ability options. Once you have collected all of the gold stars within the game you will then be provided with FMV by Pixar (organized, in essence, very similarly to the FMV section of Shenmue). All of the movie scenes that are used within the game are organized in a viewable order here. These are good for all of you whom are set to enjoy the film and are eager to get your hands on the DVD release.

The game does at times take on a very family orientated feel. So in my bright and cheerfully inspirational way, I thought it'd be delightful to get my hands on some of the wiggly fun to play against human / fish counterparts in an exciting multiplayer. Unfortunately, Finding Nemo has no multiplayer at present. Disney is really trying to produce a strong singleplayer game in order to release at film launch. I admire this strive for quality, although I can't help but believe that the lack of multiplayer may lower the game's overall quality, as far as the gamer sees it.

So guys, before you whip out you're big, nasty Red Faction, why not introduce your girlfriend or child to a game they'll most likely enjoy?

Nemo should be out by the 5th of May.

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