Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: April 7, 2000

In Hollywood it is extremely rare that a movie sequel is better than the original. When the original Toy Story was released in the theaters a few years ago, it made major breakthroughs as the first feature-length entirely computer-animated film. Audiences and critics loved it so much that it seemed that any follow-up would just be a letdown. But then this last holiday season Toy Story 2 came out, and in my view — as well as that of many others — it was even better than its predecessor. This sequel had a real message about friendship and loyalty, a fun villain in the evil Emperor Zurg and his robot army, and much greater variety is the settings and action.

Given how tied together toy, movie, and computer game franchises are these days, it was only a matter of time until a Toy Story 2 computer game was released. Despite having loved the movie, I was openly skeptical about Disney’s ability to transform it into a fulfilling software experience. But this Toy Story 2 offering shows a lot of promise, much better than the simple 2D side-scrolling digital releases after the original Toy Story movie. The computerized Toy Story 2 manages to parse the story of the movie into logical segments, inject interactive challenges, and along the way make you feel that you are directly involved in helping everything lead to a happy ending.

The story is indeed very much like that in the movie. Woody (the toy cowboy) and Andy (the real boy) were preparing to go to Cowboy Camp, and then Woody’s arm gets accidentally torn so he has to stay home. Afterwards Woody inadvertently ends up in a garage sale, and even though Andy’s Mom insists he is not for sale, an unscrupulous toy collector named Al steals Woody when her back is turned. Buzz Lightyear (the toy spaceman) then leads a rescue mission to save Woody and bring him home before Andy returns from camp. This offering features all the classic Toy Story characters, including the unforgettable Slinky Dog, in crucial roles not inconsistent with their film personalities. Given the kinds of objectives you fulfill throughout the game, however, the plot is not always on the forefront of your mind.

You maneuver through 15 levels — three levels in each of five zones — ending in battle with the sinister Gunslinger, Blacksmith and Old Prospector during the final boss confrontation. There are five intense Boss battles along the way. The adventure begins in Andy’s house and the immediate neighborhood, but then it moves into the city and, upon discovering that Woody is not at the toy store, into the collector’s apartment and ultimately right onto commercial jet runways. The five distinct play areas, all taken from the movie, are Andy’s House and Neighborhood, the Construction Yard, Al’s Toy Barn, Al’s Penthouse, and the Airport. Each environment does not have a lot of separate components to investigate but does have a relatively large number of items with which you can interact.

While you are in control of Buzz, you need to utilize significant assistance from his assorted friends along the way. Mr. Potato Head unlocks new accessories when you find his missing parts, Hamm trades pennies for Pizza Planet tokens, Rex provides critical clues, Bo Peep needs her sheep lost in Andy’s house, Jessie needs her roundup critters on the Old West set, and Sarge needs his missing toy soldiers. Collecting coins and Pizza Planet tokens plays a particularly critical role in making progress through the levels: While there are five Pizza Planet tokens available on each level, the number needed to make it to the next level varies; but you need to store up your extremely difficult to obtain tokens carefully, as you need a whopping forty to fight the Prospector in the finale.