(I've had this in Drafts for a while, and want to post it before it completely loses relevance in the western hemisphere) If you are jonesing for a great game, and enjoy 3D platform games in the Mario or Banjo-Kazooie vein, Pitfall: the Lost Expedition is a blast.
The controls are smooth and intuitive, and are matched in tone and execution by the superb animations. A lot of cartoonish exaggeration in the movement, and Jak-and-Daxter style animation cuing to cover stopping or other sudden changes in velocity/direction -- transitions are always smooth. During the course of the game players are able to earn new moves, after which they can revisit previous areas to reach previously inaccessible areas. For some reason this annoyed me a lot less than when Banjo-Kazooie did it. Maybe that has something to do with the inane “pick up 100 of these things, O! and a hundred of this other thing” mechanic from that game. Pitfalls goals are distinct, clear, and singular, not busywork oriented.
The music is good, and the in-game sounds are impressive. The voicework, though serviceable, is one of the game's weak points. The main character's voice is very close to Bruce Campbell's, but not close enough. I spent a good amount of time distracted by this, and finally checked the IMDB to find out that Bruce had voiced the character in the previous game, and they were likely just trying to keep in tune with the established character. Too bad they couldn't get Bruce, who could have added the proper amount of Ham to the Cheese provided by the script, grilled in heated gameplay, thus making a proper sandwich of the whole thing.
A number of reviews have claimed it's short but a good weekend rental. It took me close to 30 hours to get near 100% completion according to the Save Game timecodes, so I'm not sure if those reviews meant a four day weekend, or just not sleeping. Please don't offer that the reason is “that you suck” or I will go home, crying.
The controls are smooth and intuitive, and are matched in tone and execution by the superb animations. A lot of cartoonish exaggeration in the movement, and Jak-and-Daxter style animation cuing to cover stopping or other sudden changes in velocity/direction -- transitions are always smooth. During the course of the game players are able to earn new moves, after which they can revisit previous areas to reach previously inaccessible areas. For some reason this annoyed me a lot less than when Banjo-Kazooie did it. Maybe that has something to do with the inane “pick up 100 of these things, O! and a hundred of this other thing” mechanic from that game. Pitfalls goals are distinct, clear, and singular, not busywork oriented.
The music is good, and the in-game sounds are impressive. The voicework, though serviceable, is one of the game's weak points. The main character's voice is very close to Bruce Campbell's, but not close enough. I spent a good amount of time distracted by this, and finally checked the IMDB to find out that Bruce had voiced the character in the previous game, and they were likely just trying to keep in tune with the established character. Too bad they couldn't get Bruce, who could have added the proper amount of Ham to the Cheese provided by the script, grilled in heated gameplay, thus making a proper sandwich of the whole thing.
A number of reviews have claimed it's short but a good weekend rental. It took me close to 30 hours to get near 100% completion according to the Save Game timecodes, so I'm not sure if those reviews meant a four day weekend, or just not sleeping. Please don't offer that the reason is “that you suck” or I will go home, crying.
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