With tight release schedules to adhere to, movie tie-in games are often criticized for being rushed and under-developed. Moreover, video games aimed at children are often looked down upon for being too simplistic, which would seemingly be enough to makePixarsecond guess releasinggames based on their films.
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Despite this, there have been over twenty games released featuring the iconic characters ofPixar. Helped in no small part by many ofPixar’stitles, such asThe Incredibles, Cars,andToy Storybeing ideally suited for the video game treatment. Although many of these games have fit into the negative stereotypes that follow movie tie-in games, there have been a few diamonds in the rough.
10Wall-E (67)
TheWall-Evideo game is a prime example of the phrase Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Although it iscategorized as a platformer, the game also features racing, flying, andcombat sectionsthat have players controlling eitherWall-Eor EVE.
This variety in gameplay may sound appealing on paper. However, none of the gameplay styles are particularly engaging and players will likely become disillusioned with the game after just a few hours.
Despite this,Wall-Eis still a decent game that will just about satisfy fans of the film.
9The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer (67)
Developers Heavy Iron Studios clearly had fan-service in mind when makingRise of the Underminer.Not only did the game’s story focus on the cliffhanger at the end of the firstThe Incrediblesfilm. But they also let player’s control fan-favorite character, Samuel L Jackson’s Frozone.
Whereas the firstThe Incrediblesgame had several gameplay styles befitting the superhero family’s various abilities.Rise of the Underminerwas almost entirely an action game. With playable characters Mr. Incredible and Frozone each having separate skills, players could either switch between them or have afriend join the action in co-op.
8Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure (68)
Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventuretakes players into the world of five of Pixar’s most iconic movies.Cars, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Ratatouille,andUP.Despite this impressive lineup, Kinect Rush was available at launch for as little as $19.99.
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As the price-tag suggests, players won’t be delving too deep into these games. Furthermore, the gameplay is very simplistic, even for the Kinect. Solidifying the game’s target audience as being the youngest of gamers.
The game is fun to play though and has since been re-released onto the Xbox One. The re-release has full controller support available, as well as a new world,Finding Nemo.
7Cars (71)
When the firstCarsfilm produced levels of income that not even the most optimistic ofPixaremployees could have predicted, it was inevitable that a tie-in game would soon follow.
Commendably, developers Rainbow Studios decided against taking the easy route of simply having a level selection screen, containing a collection of races from the film. Instead, they implemented ahub-world for players to explore. Unfortunately,Carssuffers from the fundamental issue of having sub-par racing controls and physics.
6Cars 2 (72)
Despite being just a point ahead ofCars, Cars 2significantly improved the controls and physics from the first game. With a boost system that rewards players for doing risky maneuvers and stunts, as well as the inclusion ofMario Kartinspired power-ups. Furthermore,Cars 2improved onCars’bland desert-aesthetic with far more immersive and visually appealing tracks.
Cars 2also gave players an impressive lineup of 25 different cars to choose from. Each with its own weight class, as well as speed and power attributes.
5Cars 3: Driven to Win (72)
Carscertainly can’t be criticized for being inconsistent. WithCars 3, the highest-rated game in the trilogy, being just one point ahead of the lowest. Indicative of its identical score,Cars 3didn’t improve the series in the same way thatCars 2did. It’s still narrowly the best game in the trilogy though.
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As players would expect from it taking the generational jump to the PS4 and Xbox One.Cars 3: Driven to Winlooks and runs significantly better than its predecessors. A few nice customization options aside though,Cars 3fails to make the next generation leap to separate itself from the first two installments that fans would have hoped for.
4LEGO The Incredibles (74)
Movie tie-in games are less common today than they used to be for two reasons. For starters, consumers grew tired of being frequently disappointed with short and generic game versions of their favorite movies. Secondly, whenLEGO Star Warswas released in 2005 to excellent sales and reviews, the Danish toy giants took over the movie tie-in genre with their beloved collectathon formula.
LEGO The Incredibleshas everything that players would expect inaLEGOgame.There are a few differentiators from the other entries though. Including side missions that provide a nice distraction and special combo moves that are charged by consecutively hitting enemies. A Metacritic score of 74 is somewhat sub-parforLEGOgames. Likely due toLEGO The Incrediblesnot bringing much else new to the table.
3Toy Story 2: The Video Game (75)
Toy Story 2: The Video Gamedoes everything that a movie tie-in game should. Along with the excellent soundtrack and visuals fitting of the corresponding film. Developers Traveller’s Tales clearly tried hard to make not just a great tie-in game, but a great game in its own right.Toy Story 2had excellent platforming and collectathon gameplay. Taking inspiration from classics of the genre likeSuper Mario 64andBanjo-Kazooie.
Players took control of Buzz Lightyear and could utilize his iconic abilities, from the laser beam to his deployable wings.
2Toy Story Racer (76)
WithMario Kart 64, Crash Team Racing,andDiddy Kong Racingfilling shelves in the late ’90s, Activision attempted to bring the trend into the 2000s withToy Story Racer.
Toy Story Racercontains much of what players would expect from a kart racer. From powerups that can take down other racers, to tracks in iconic locations from the source material. However, the game differentiates itself from the aforementioned titles with its gameplay.Toy Story Racerhas looser, nippier controls more akin to the gameplay inMicromachinesthanMario Kart 64.
1Toy Story 3: The Video Game (78)
WithToy Story 3taking the top spot,Pixar’s Toy Storyimpressively occupies the leading three spots on this list. It earns it too with excellent linear stages inspired directly by its corresponding film, as well as afantastic open-worldtoy box mode. The mode is surprisingly fleshed out, with a huge amount of customization available for both buildings and characters.
Furthermore, both the main levels and the side missions are well designed and great fun to play.
