Toy Story 3: The Video Game

As of yesterday there are 60 days left until the release of Toy Story 3. We're getting down to the wire. The next few weeks are going to be interesting; as the release date gets closer we are going to begin to see even more excitement and even more news about the film. I could really sense that the release was getting closer when I opened a Game Informer magazine this weekend and found a 6 page feature story about the Toy Story 3 video game.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game

I was pretty surprised that Game Informer would take up 6 pages of its magazine to talk about a game based on an animated movie, but apparently there is a lot of buzz (no pun intended) about this game. The game developer that usually makes games based on the Pixar films, THQ, has been replaced by a different studio called Avalanche Software. Avalanche has made games for other Disney movies before, including Chicken Little and Bolt; but these games did not get fantastic reviews. Avalanche claims to be taking a new approach to the game, instead of focusing on following the story of the film, the game will allow you to play as the towns as Andy would imagine them. For instance; when playing as Buzz you'll be on an alien planet and when playing as Woody you'll be in the wild west. The game will also include a more traditional mode that allows you to play through the movies story.

The idea sounds intriguing, but it is hard for me to get too excited about a game based on a movie. I always trust that Pixar will produce a phenomenal film, but I'm not so trusting when it comes to games based on those films. Also Avalanches record of producing sub-par licensed games doesn't make me feel any better about it. I do respect that the studio is willing to try something with this game though, and I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt until I've seen a few reviews.

Mr. Pricklepants

Today's new character is Mr. Pricklepants, a stuffed hedgehog that was imported from Germany. Mr. Pricklepants will be voiced by Timothy Dalton, who is perhaps best known for playing James Bond in two 007 films but has also been in several Shakespearean films and plays. I think the decision to have a former Bond actor portray a stuffed hedgehog is hilarious. I am actually excited to hear a tough guy voice come out of this stuffed animal, especially if that voice has a heavy german accent. I am going to guess that Mr. Pricklepants will be another minor character. The fact that he is an imported toy could play some interesting role. I mostly suspect that he will be used as a comic relief character though, i don't really see him having an substantial part in the film's plot.

Let me know what you think of the video game or Mr. Pricklepants by leaving some comments.