Polar Express for GameCube Reviews & Ratings by IGN

Had publisher THQ had its way, we might have never realized that it released a videogame adaptation of the Robert Zemeckis-directed movie The Polar Express. Our calls for a review copy of the game, developed for GameCube and PlayStation 2 by Blue Tongue, were met with blank stares. But alas, we traveled to the icy North Pole itself -- that is, our local retailer -- and picked up the special platformer. Three hours later, after we had successfully beaten the title, we knew it was time for the review. Which should about bring you up to date.

This is a self-serving review. We had to write it or our superiors might have fired us, mind you, but really, deep down, we know that this is one of the fun ones. Let's be clear: not to play, but to write about.

The Polar Express is a kid's game. Not a good kid's game. Not a particularly fun kid's game. Not a particularly well put together kid's game. But a kid's game nonetheless. So if you're an adult, well, you might want to get off the train now. And if you're a kid, you have our sincere condolences.

The Facts

• Based on the Tom Hanks headlined computer animated movie of the same name
• Players control of a young, brave boy as he explores the Polar Express in search of missing tickets
• Full-motion video and in-game cut-scenes tell the story
• A handful of different play styles from standard platforming to minor puzzle-solving and vehicle-based levels
• Can be beaten in about three hours
• Single-player game
• Requires two memory blocks for saves on GameCube

To the North Pole!
In this predictable platformer with mini-games, you play as the young boy who finds himself the latest party to the Polar Express, a train that zooms children from all parts to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus and take part in the annual Christmas festivities. The idea is intriguing. Certainly the Tom Hanks headlined feature film, brought to life with the latest and greatest in digital wizardry, looks entertaining. But compared to the high production values set forth in the feature film, we cannot help but label the sloppy game re-creation a thin, cardboard cut-out of the other. Which is disappointing because we have seen movie-to-game licenses soar far higher. Even The Incredibles, not a perfect adaptation by any means, is golden by comparison.

What The Polar Express really boils down to is roughly three hours of walking through the train's many rooms in search of lost tickets for the helpless passengers. To do that, you'll need to do battle with magical toys run wild, face off in several different mini-game style areas, and also square off against a rather unintuitive, loose control scheme. The moves are standard: run, jump, duck and action. Nothing too complicated, and barring some camera problems the setup functions. The play itself is never exceptional, but the variety is respectable. You'll get in food fights with toys. You'll have to sneak past an angry chef. You'll need to ski down a slippery mountain. You'll have to run along the top of the Polar Express. You'll zoom through tunnels. You'll need to participate in Parappa-style music contents. And you'll even run through a 2D-style platformer level. It's all in there, but it's also a wee bit clunky, and very short. Indeed, before you even realize it, the game is over.

Of course, we're seasoned gamers and we realize that. But then again, there are some points in The Polar Express that are likely to prove a bit too difficult for young players. We doubt, for instance, that kids will be able to easily run through the stage that challenges the boy hero to race across the top of the train. Sure enough, we failed the challenge once or twice before moving on. And if areas like this are certain to prove too difficult for younger players, who exactly is this game made for?

Blue Tongue has done a decent job of merging clips from the movie into the game environment. Full motion video cut-scenes tell the story while in-game sequences set up play challenges. The FMV quality is passable on both PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The graphics presentation gets the job done, but the visuals are lacking compared to most current-generation games. Low-polygon characters and environments. Stiff animation. Sometimes-blurry textures. Some of the environments shine. Skiing down the mountaintop, for instance, runs smoothly and looks nice. And yet, for the most part the game fails to capture the beauty of the movie.

Worse yet is the audio. The voice acting is at times unbearably poor. A Tom Hanks sound-a-like voices the conductor and incidentally sounds nothing like Tom Hanks. The music, however, full of holiday cheer and chime, fits with the Christmas theme of the game.

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