I love Tron. I wasn't even a twinkle in my Dad's eye when it came out way back in 1982, but I've loved it ever since I first saw it. It really makes me wonder how I managed to miss this game completely until quite recently.
A full 21 years after the movie's release, came TRON 2.0. A first person shooter made by Monolith, the guys more known for the F.E.A.R series.
What I found completely surprising about this game is the RPG elements. I was expecting a run and gun from start to finish, but the upgrades and customisation are a great addition to what would have been a good game to begin with. From the start you have a set amount of points for things like health and energy, but as you progress through the game you upgrade your version number, which acts as a level number. It's probably the most fitting use of a level system ever, as instead of an arbitrary number it actually has context within the world you are inhabiting.
What I love about this game is how standard FPS events are changed to fit the unique world of the Grid. Looting, for example. Each enemy you defeat drops it's core memory which gives some health and energy, and can also drop upgrades and permissions, which act as keys. Everything that you expect in an FPS is there, but so fitting to the world you are in they seem completely different.
Speaking of the Tron world, the game adheres to the original film's look really well and each area, while having the same style, feels individual. As well as looking good, each area fits it's purpose well. From deactivating a firewall to running from a reformat, each zone looks how it should. The firewall example actually has large orange forcefields which look like walls of fire. Quite brilliant.
While the world and the gameplay is tighter than a camel's arse in a sandstorm, the story is a little wobbly. The basic premise is that ENCOM's new owners, fCon, are planning to use the digitizing process to send in Users to gather information and bring it back to their servers. It's a more straightforward, hands-on form of hacking. The problem is their digitization program is crap and turns Users into viruses. Their first attempt creates a corrupted Master User called Thorne, who spreads the infection throughout the system.
It's a decent enough story, but it gets a bit left behind in some places. The whole middle part of the game seems to completely forget about Thorne and the infection, having you fight simple security programs. The infection story comes back toward the end of the game, where another great call back to the movie is presented. fCon are planning to use a new file transfer program to distribute the stolen data around. It's in the form of a giant ship, much like Sark's from the film. It would mean nothing to someone who had never seen the film, but to anyone else it's a great moment.
Now, it really wouldn't be Tron without those iconic lightcycles. Credit must be given, because they could have just shoehorned this in with no thought to it, but it actually is part of the overall story. One part is shoved in for filler later, but I'll let that go just because lightcycles are awesome. The only problem is that it's so damn hard. I could hardly sit down after the asskicking I took from those AI riders. It forces you to ride away and wait until they eliminate each other or there is one left. But when you actually eliminate an opponent, it doesn't half feel good.
There is one part of the story that I didn't like, however. In the film, Tron fights against tyranny from Sark and the MCP in the name of the Users. In this game, you have to find an updated version of the Tron program called Tron Legacy (someone at Disney must have played this game). Fair enough, you may think, but the updated version of Tron fights against the users and derezzes them off the grid. I can imagine that being handy once the true intentions of fCon became clear, but to have it called Tron, it goes against everything he was created for.
Still, even with that the game is great. If you are a fan of Tron and you can get a copy, I suggest you do. Great gameplay, good visuals (it's style keeps it looking good even for a 7 year old game) and an OK story. With Bruce Boxleitner reprising his role as Alan Bradley and Cindy Morgan (Lora/Yori) voicing a program called Ma3a, it does feel like Tron. The only thing missing is The Dude.
A full 21 years after the movie's release, came TRON 2.0. A first person shooter made by Monolith, the guys more known for the F.E.A.R series.
What I found completely surprising about this game is the RPG elements. I was expecting a run and gun from start to finish, but the upgrades and customisation are a great addition to what would have been a good game to begin with. From the start you have a set amount of points for things like health and energy, but as you progress through the game you upgrade your version number, which acts as a level number. It's probably the most fitting use of a level system ever, as instead of an arbitrary number it actually has context within the world you are inhabiting.
What I love about this game is how standard FPS events are changed to fit the unique world of the Grid. Looting, for example. Each enemy you defeat drops it's core memory which gives some health and energy, and can also drop upgrades and permissions, which act as keys. Everything that you expect in an FPS is there, but so fitting to the world you are in they seem completely different.
Speaking of the Tron world, the game adheres to the original film's look really well and each area, while having the same style, feels individual. As well as looking good, each area fits it's purpose well. From deactivating a firewall to running from a reformat, each zone looks how it should. The firewall example actually has large orange forcefields which look like walls of fire. Quite brilliant.
While the world and the gameplay is tighter than a camel's arse in a sandstorm, the story is a little wobbly. The basic premise is that ENCOM's new owners, fCon, are planning to use the digitizing process to send in Users to gather information and bring it back to their servers. It's a more straightforward, hands-on form of hacking. The problem is their digitization program is crap and turns Users into viruses. Their first attempt creates a corrupted Master User called Thorne, who spreads the infection throughout the system.
It's a decent enough story, but it gets a bit left behind in some places. The whole middle part of the game seems to completely forget about Thorne and the infection, having you fight simple security programs. The infection story comes back toward the end of the game, where another great call back to the movie is presented. fCon are planning to use a new file transfer program to distribute the stolen data around. It's in the form of a giant ship, much like Sark's from the film. It would mean nothing to someone who had never seen the film, but to anyone else it's a great moment.
Now, it really wouldn't be Tron without those iconic lightcycles. Credit must be given, because they could have just shoehorned this in with no thought to it, but it actually is part of the overall story. One part is shoved in for filler later, but I'll let that go just because lightcycles are awesome. The only problem is that it's so damn hard. I could hardly sit down after the asskicking I took from those AI riders. It forces you to ride away and wait until they eliminate each other or there is one left. But when you actually eliminate an opponent, it doesn't half feel good.
There is one part of the story that I didn't like, however. In the film, Tron fights against tyranny from Sark and the MCP in the name of the Users. In this game, you have to find an updated version of the Tron program called Tron Legacy (someone at Disney must have played this game). Fair enough, you may think, but the updated version of Tron fights against the users and derezzes them off the grid. I can imagine that being handy once the true intentions of fCon became clear, but to have it called Tron, it goes against everything he was created for.
Still, even with that the game is great. If you are a fan of Tron and you can get a copy, I suggest you do. Great gameplay, good visuals (it's style keeps it looking good even for a 7 year old game) and an OK story. With Bruce Boxleitner reprising his role as Alan Bradley and Cindy Morgan (Lora/Yori) voicing a program called Ma3a, it does feel like Tron. The only thing missing is The Dude.
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