Tron 2.0: Killer App for Xbox Reviews by Gamers

Buena Vista's release of Tron 2.0: Killer App today is almost certain to be ignored. The reasons are numerous, really, starting with the fact that it's a game originally published on the PC, followed by its early 1980s sci-fi/action movie origins. Lastly, there is this other first-person shooter, this over-hyped beast of a game by Bungie that hits retail stores in less than a week.

If you can, try for a second to forget the mounting Halo 2 hype. Try not to fathom Buena Vista's strange timing (Tron 2.0: Killer App was originally scheduled to ship on the same day as Halo 2), and forget all of those funny original shots from the movie that make it look so dated. Just take the game for what it is. Climax Games has re-created something on Xbox that is in many ways totally unique. This highly original-looking first-person shooter is an imaginative and distinctive must-see experience, so whether that means you buy or rent it, it's worth a go.

Gameplay

Tron 2.0 is a first-person shooter that mixes an intriguing computer-intensive sci-fi story with mission-based objectives, blending action, stealth, exploration, and platforming into a shiny neon whole. Monolith's and Climax's FPS is a semi-port of the PC game with enough changes and alterations to make it mostly new. For starters, Monolith and Climax integrated the slick cycle arenas into the heart of the 30-level single-player campaign, and they've added split-screen play, System Link and Xbox Live multiplayer games for up to 16 people to make it Xbox specific. So, right away, there is enough meat here to turn your head.

For Tron fans, all of the distinct flavors that made that movie so innovative and fresh 20-plus years ago are mostly intact. You'll find numerous things to remember, enjoy, and sentimentalize about -- whether it's the slightly altered story, the distinct computer-centric language, or the stylish look of the world itself. No Jeff Bridges, though. Sorry.

For non-Tron fans, this highly stylized game, in both graphics and gameplay, requires a certain cliff to climb before you "buy" into its world. You'll have to buy into the texture-less environments, the vast, neon-colored structures, and the idea you're a little "user" inside a computer. You'll have to decode the heavily encrypted computer language. And you may take some time to realize you'll never really get the direct equivalent of basic military-issued weapons. Indeed, this is not your standard run-and-gun FPS. This is one of those games you'll either really love or probably hate.

If you happen to buy into the whole Tron concept, there is a solid single-player game ahead of you (for a 13-plus hour single-player ride). Starting out as Alan Bradley, you'll find yourself being transformed from a videogame developer to a digitized creation trapped inside a computer universe that's infected by the "corrupt" program Thorne. Once inside and given training, you're equipped with a retrievable disc, which, after two healthy upgrades, becomes the ultimate computer weapon. You'll meet Mercury, voice-acted by supermodel Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, and Ma3a (Lora/Yori in the movie), played by Cindy Morgan, and a slew of intricately designed enemies. The story is strung along by cutscenes and confrontations, and it's filled in with numerous emails that aren't necessarily required reading.

The game is a real mix of ideas. Like many FPS games, it progresses via a series of fetch quests (key-finding and switch-hitting) packing troops of enemies, pickups, and portal points in-between. As you progress, as many as 16 weapons come into your hands, and a unique, albeit trying interface makes it possible to wield them. Weapons are upgradeable, but as part of the computerized atmosphere, they can be infected -- and they can infect "subroutines" alongside them -- so you'll have to watch what you download and manage your inventory.

The inventory system, like all of Tron, takes some getting used to. It's quite cool how you can upgrade weapons and tools, and how they can be infected, treated and scanned, but the interface, while neat in theory, isn't the fastest or most manageable tool. Still, once you get used to it, your character is totally customizable, so you can suit yourself up for any combat style, whether it is stealth runs or all-guns-blazing blitzes. And you can create shortcuts for your weapons via the face buttons.

The weapons are very novel at first. The disc doesn't have the same impact as a rapid-fire machine gun, but as you acclimatize to the game you'll come to like it. I did. Interestingly enough, though you'll acquire all types of weapons, be they grenade, rifle, handgun, or stealth types, it's clear the best weapon in the game -- and the only one you'll really need -- is the disc itself. That's one of the game's biggest weaknesses. If you got rid of all the other weapons in the game you'd be just fine. The rods, which are the equivalent of a stealth weapon, are too loud to be stealthly, and they take up way too much energy to be used too often. Other weapons are either too slow or too unwieldy to be much use.

There is an immense amount of trial and error built into these levels. Even if you're fully loaded with weapons and upgrades, you're bound to be surprised, placed right in the middle of a hot spot, or overwhelmed. It's not like the game is that hard, but there is a weird mixture of aesthetics that you'll have to get used to. In some levels, you might think you can jump one story down, but it's actually too far to jump and you'll die. The designers didn't clarify very well in an intuitive, or obvious, explainable, way how to spatially or visually measure jump spaces.

That's not too big of a deal in most FPS games, but Tron 2.0 actually incorporates a surprising amount of platforming. It's also difficult to clearly distinguish what's interactive and what's not. Luckily the designers built in the ability to save anywhere, and once you start dying repeatedly you'll be glad that save-anywhere feature is there for you.

Technically, this engine isn't all that stellar. It's not bad, but compared to the PC version the Xbox is the inferior one. It's certainly better than it might be on the PS2, but the framerate is about 30 FPS with noticeably large hitches and some chunky sections, including cutscenes. The game can lag even when only a few enemies appear on screen and it's just not that fluid or smooth.

Strangely, the game doesn't change all that much when it's running online. So for those who live and breathe multiplayer games, Tron's multiplayer section is thick with choices. Xbox gamers have the option to play with four-player split-screen, System Link, or in several modes on Xbox Live. The diverse set of modes is a good foundation for fun. You can play in classic death matches and team deathmatches, you can ride in all cycle games, or you can mix it up in overRIDE, enabling you to switch from on-foot shooting to cycle fights in less than two seconds. Tron 2.0 also supports Xbox Live 3.0, so players can use MSN messenger, voice support, and a suite of 3.0 options for matchmaking.

The mode selection is broad, and for that Climax and Monolith should be commended. But I found that most maps are too large and spacious for even 16 players to find much action. Big is good in most cases, but when it sucks all of the tension out of the game, it changes things for the worse. With the relatively slow character speed and the lack of traditional weapons, I suspect a few diehard fans will really like the multiplayer options and everyone else will forgo it for something else.

Graphics

Visually, Tron 2.0 is a treat. It's imaginative, stylistic, and it's unlike any other game you'll see. Climax re-created the game to look like the movie, but instead of crazy black lighting and sweaty Jeff Bridges, you'll actually get computer-generated backgrounds and characters in surrealistic neon suits with massive empty backdrops and flowing streams of data. Interestingly, there are almost no textures at all. Every character and object is created with bright and/or neon light and color, and everything else is either the void or a stream of bits.

In re-creating an artistic version of what the inside of a computer world might look like, Climax's Tron 2.0 becomes a visual feast, but in a spare, startling, and stylistic manner. At first I really thought the whole visual effect was a trick, a kind of gag. But once I got used to the whole Tron trip, the visuals became so much more interesting and appealing.

Sound

All of the voice acting is above par, with some lines being delivered better than others. All of the major roles are generally handled well. When it comes to the AI and enemies, the variation and skill level goes down. Sure, the dialog isn't all that excellent, but the enemies have too little personality or variation.

Musically, this game is excellent. The surreal tracks mix perfectly with the minimalist backgrounds; they do a superb job of seeping into your unconsciousness. They're surprisingly good. In fact, they're worth listening to over and over again, whether you're playing the game or simply listening to it in the background. Much of this is thanks to Breaking Benjamin, which contributed several songs from We Are Not Alone. The music creates a great set of moods, whether it's tension, fright, or even dread.

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