Posted by Grant Gaines | 7 Comments
Disney Universe Review
Rarely, we see games that seem poor conceptually, but turn out to be amazing. A prime example would be Kingdom Hearts. Many believed that a Disney/Square game would be awful, though the opposite happened. After so much success, Disney is trying their luck again with Disney Universe, in which LittleBigPlanet meets Disney. Seems like another great mash-up, right? How could there be a problem?
Disney Universe starts with a simple explanation of the world. Apparently, people pay to relive classic movies. However, something goes awry, and the robots attack the guests. After this explanation, not a single bit of story occurs till the end. Worst yet, there isn’t a reason for the attack, or any logic as to how you won. The whole story feels underwhelming, like the developer forgot it existed. Normally this wouldn’t be important, but we have come to expect a little more from Disney.
Contrary to looks, Disney Universe plays closer to Ratchet and Clank than LittleBigPlanet. Every world has three stages, and those stages have three areas. Each area is a fairly small place, where you need to complete a needless puzzle. Many of the puzzles involve opening door, after door, after door, to get an item needed to finish the level. Beyond the puzzles, the game is surprisingly combat heavy.
Every fight is fairly routine and can get boring. Considering you have no range attacks, special attacks, or anything extra, you’re forced to spam square till they’re all dead. Most enemies will, however, attack you with ranged, built items (turret, spike trap, etc.), plus large enemies have instant kills. Through it all, only certain attacks can be dodged. If you miss the cue or don’t get it, well, then you’re simply out of luck.
Like the short-sighted combat, the leveling is just as bad. Every stage has three stars, and that’s all you need to max out. This wouldn’t be a problem if there was a real point to the game. Every level gives you a new unique weapon and more power, but that’s it. Also, when you consider that one stage out of eighteen can finish off a character, I felt highly compelled to level other characters. This usually meant not playing as the character I liked.
The Disney universe is fairly large, and with 100+ sources, you would expect more than you get. Only around 15 series are represented. This can become confusing when Tron gets four or more costumes, but Toy Story is completely missing. The vast majority of costumes come from the basis of six levels. Only 15 costumes come from series not featured in a level. DLC might expand upon this, but all current data suggest it won’t help much.
Adding to the long list of problems is the multiplayer. You’re given a similar experience as Ratchet and Clank, but nothing requires team work. In addition, you’re given no option for online, either. This can make the required two cycles for every costume a longer grind. Multiplayer might not help much, but it would help cut down on the pointlessness of the puzzles. Just having some help against enemies would have made me enjoy it far more.
While it shouldn’t be a shock, many of the stages look very nice. They’re tailor made for the world and give you some interesting designs. I really enjoyed looking at some of the scenery, but it’s a shame the worlds aren’t more vast.
You’re looking at maybe a six-hour game, and no assurance of fun. Many of the costumes are squandered on pointless characters (sushi chef–I mean, really?), but you’re not even given clues how to unlock the people you want. I couldn’t see a kid having fun, and I am quite sure an adult would hate it. This game just feels phoned in and if you want it, well, wait till it’s in the bargain bin.
Disney Universe |
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 | Platform: Xbox 360, PS3 (Reviewed), Wii Genre: Action Adventure Release Date: 10/25/2011 Developer: Eurocom Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) MSRP: $59.99 | |
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not a very good review by a reviewer that isn’t gifted – perhaps a failed games designer or fat lonely man alone, jilted by his girlfriend, why make assumptions about kids not enjoying it when it hasn’t been tested with the correct audience. My kids love this game so the final summary is incorrect, the puzzles also do change in single and multiplayer so that part of the review is incorrect, the fact it’s a simple combat system is good for kids, mine find it good to play, not too complicated like some ‘kids’ games (the ones cloned from hardcore games and badged as kids games). I’m also having good fun playing with my kids
I wish reviewers would grow up and review things properly, for kids – don’t assume that because they get lumbered with a kids game when they don’t want to play it all kids will hate playing through it. It’s nice to see a family orientated game which promotes parents and children to work, play and socialise together rather than their child sitting in a dark room alone playing the next GTA or First person shooter shouting racial abuse down the headset.
Reviewers Grow UP or GET OUT!
Despite better judgement… I will reply to you.
A large part of your point, IE Growing Up… is highly contradictory to the subject matter. I can only write my own personal impression of how a kid would like it. You can’t assume that because your family loves it, every other family will too. While my impression can be wrong; it in no way means your impression is right either. Part of reading reviews is to get other peoples opinions and not to just read cookie cutter assessments to the game.
As far as the puzzles changing. I did not play multiplayer and went off a single player version of the game. If they do indeed require team work, then I will gladly change it to reflect that and apologize for the assumption.
On a closing note. We all have impressions of games differently I suppose. Back when I was 6 or so, I was playing Sonic the Hedgehog and things of that nature. Kiddie games back then were completely worthless games. Even now a days we have plenty of fun games for everyone. Ratchet and Clank for instance has a fun combat system and can appeal to more people. The same goes for Littlebigplanet, plus many more tiles. Ultimately I did not get the same polished feel I got from those games. This could be a personal problem, but that’s what a review is. Not a perfectly factual representation of a product, but the personal impression of the person playing up to and including bias, experience, and preferences.
Hi Grant,
Thank you for getting back to me – there were a few reasons for my post tone – to antagonise just like your review, to be condemning in an unjust and unfounded way and to get your attention. I’m not saying my families opinion of the game is going to be that of every family in the world, everyone has different tastes however the way you speak is so righteous even though you’ve now admitted you’ve not fully evaluated the game, I’m sure that Disney have made the choices they have made for grounded reasons – perhaps months of user testing with the target age range, narrowing down problems with the game, refining the combat system to something that a 7+ game should contain, things like the guidance system in this game are annoying for adults, it’s so blatant and intrusive but maybe just maybe a system like this was implemented as kids just didn’t understand how to complete the puzzles.
Maybe the game has been misleading, perhaps you or others considered it as an adult game (like ratchet and clank) when its actually targeted at a broader spectrum. You bring up Little big Planet, my kids didn’t get on too well with this, the digital control on the depth while not knowing you could go in or out of the screen at set points confused them, it’s not very well signposted, the pixel perfect jumps also weren’t a good feature either.
I fully appreciate a review is an opinion, yet to condemn a game this much needs full justification and research, something I don’t believe you have done and even openly admitted in your comment that you’ve not played it in multiplayer or with kids of your own/that you know.
I’d be interested in seeing a website which reviews reviewers, how they perform, how they judge a game for the target market, how much or fully they’ve played it. I’m sure the developers of this game have gone through many trials and previews with children to get to the right level of interaction and difficulty, yes I agree it is too easy and sometimes patronising but these systems are there for a reason. This reviewer review site would be able to assess each person, their strengths and weaknesses then average out their notoriety, allowing people to judge if a reviewer is fit for purpose, should keep his job or if the company should survive.
My opinion of your review isn’t good at all, maybe a 20% score at best, my aim isn’t to have a slanging match with you, I just want people to open their eyes a bit. Everyone is judged in life, to become so cynical and warped isn’t a good trait. Please try to review properly in the future, play through the game, with kids if it’s a kids game.
Hm. I try to reply to anything posted on anything I control. Something of a common courtesy, so I would have replied regardless.
Anyways their choices could be logical or illogical. I don’t think either of us know how much effort was actually applied here. However I can say I only speak for myself. A common element is that not everyone will view everything the same. I also found the “hard” puzzle game Catherine, easy. I just so happen to be really good at puzzle/puzzle games. So I am quite sure if I was 7 or older, I would feel the same. Again this is how I see it to be. I believe when you look at other childrens games like Littlebigplanet, there are some tricky puzzles.
As far as my completeness… I am a tad bit of a perfectionist, but I think I speak for just about everyone… 22 year old male asking kids to come to his house and play a video game… yeah that just sounds wrong. I had no one to play with and didn’t really wish to drag a worthless character around for enough time to be certain of its differences. I went off how the mechanics were set up and couldn’t see how much teamwork could be used.
Going off viewing me vs other reviewers… well im quite universally disliked (and don’t really care), but I will say that you’re using flawed logic here. For everyone to review something off the target market., it would lead to extremely cookie cutter reviews and leave virtually no point in reviewing anything. Just about anything when looked at the target markets point of view, will be near perfect. To go a step further… usually the target market doesn’t care what I say. They already bought it, so it would be a waste of time for everyone.
Finally… seriously? Review the reviewers? Do you understand how illogical that sounds? There are plenty of reviews with incorrect information, not fully reviewed, given to a person who doesn’t usually play these games, or just blatant lies. People are way to quick to go off the score and don’t even understand where it comes from. For me and ALL OF MY REVIEWS .5 = Complete trash, 5 = Average, 10 = Perfect. Why is Disney Universe a 1.5? (IE 3.5 under average) Lets look at the review… This is Disney so I expect a good story from them (unfair assumption?), but I am not even sure how I beat vex (antagonist), much less the scene after. (-1 for story) Large enemies do have a dodge mechanic built in, but its very situation. The simple fact it exists now makes it a point. It wouldn’t have killed them to just make triangle a dedicated dodge button over situation. (-.5 for bad combat mechanic’s) The game is short and it wouldn’t have hurt for there to be a few more worlds. (-.5) Does it even understand its demographic? Pirates of the Caribbean which got it’s own world… is based off the movie. All 4 of those movies are rated PG – 13, so you bring up 7+… how many parents are letting kids see a movie rated twice their age? Why is it even included? The same goes for the live action version of Alice in wonderland and Tron. They should have stuck to time tested classic’s. Like where’s Toy Story? I could keep going, but I mean… my review is on this page.
Having a review site which reviews reviewers was supposed to be more metaphorical, a certain amount of irony in its very statement. In reality it isn’t that illogical you can see it already starting in sides like Metacritic where they look at the score fluctuation for review site, it’s just one step closer to a successful review model. Yes a lot of reviews that carry incorrect information (yours for example), no it wouldn’t lead to cookie cutter reviews, it would lead to review segmentation where reviewers would review games which are in their classification, i.e. a 18+ horror book reviewer shouldn’t be expected to review the new edition of Mr Men. Who Watches the Watchmen…
I get that you are ‘good’ at games, but it’s not a proving ground, it’s not weird asking kids to participate in an adjudicated review system, clearly this review site is run by amateurs if you portrait using kids in a sexual, underage way, having target market kids in a controlled environment, testing your game doesn’t have to lower itself into child pornography. Disney’s choices are logical, trust me, do you honestly think they would develop a game and throw it on the market, untested and say “hey we’ve made this, we know what you like” then take a punt which a several million dollar product?
I take your point about the films which were chosen, but don’t forget Pirates was a Disney theme park ride before it became a movie, pirates a popular and they made Disney Lego Pirates before this. Tron is a very old title, Alice is a book written many years ago before it was converted into the film versions, ok kids might not understand the Burton slant but the original film was cartoon format.
I don’t quite understand your point about being universally disliked, its quite sad really that your 22, prime of life yet you’ve already hit a point where you’ve become like this and hated, I’d be interested to know why but when you pass a certain point in life where your family, friends and loved ones have gone, when you look back on what you’ve done and achieved and you realise that it’s all been pointless, harming others around you, putting people out of jobs then you’ll start looking forward.
For me – my review breakdown: 10% good English language, 5% good grammar, 5% for skills at loading a disc into console. By the way the game isn’t short, it took my kids around 10 hours to complete, then there is the additional costumes to collect.
I can fight my points all day and night, but ill say this much. If you don’t agree with me, don’t agree with me. In the end… you have your opinion and I have mine. I will leave you with 1 thing though. The game is short (average complete was 15 mins so the game is 4.5 hours…) and if you believe they didn’t think the concept wouldn’t sell it alone. You must have missed the Haunted Mansion.
I’m 30 years old. I do not hate this game, in fact I find it a quirky, entertaining game to play when I just want to relax. It’s not stressful and the Disney-feeling of it brings out the child inside me. All in all, it’s not a waste of time for me and I have no children so I surely didn’t buy it for any kid. I quite enjoy it. It’s something to play in between bigger games when I need a break from the intensity. I’d recommend it for anyone like me.