Ratatouille

Oh Hollywood and your seemingly endless stream of animated releases that light up the big screen to cater to the kids both little and the kind who just don’t want to grow up (like, say, me). This is truly a golden age for animation and I have to admit that a good majority of them are actually great features that have a deeper meaning while others were just designed to make a profit. Ratatouille, Disney Pixar’s latest release, is one of those meaningful features and is one of the best animated movies to come out this year. This also means you can expect a game to be released as well but unlike the film it’s based on many of these games just aren’t as charming or as fun.

This brings us to Ratatouille for the PSP, a side story that tells a different tale starring the movie’s familiar characters. Unlike the console version of the game - which is fun, easy on the eyes and inventive - the PSP version of the game has a slew of problems that make this feel like a meal that’s not quite ready to be served despite its promising ingredients. First, the story places the main character Remy (a gifted chef who also happens to be a rat) in a tough spot. You see, he and his human friends, Linguini and Colette, are about to open their own restaurant but a dastardly fellow sneaks in while they’re gone and steals their original recipes. It’s up to Remy to follow the trail of clues and retrieve the recipes before the opening of the new restaurant.

You guide Remy through a number of environments, many of them familiar territory for those who have seen the movie such as Linguini’s apartment in France as well as the sewers were Remy and his other rat pals have lived for awhile. We see the human world through his eyes and to a rat things just seem a lot bigger and thus more challenging for him to navigate his way to an objective. Oh yes, there are a number of objectives to complete in the game but they’re mainly fetch quests. Played like a platform game of yesteryear, the gameplay feels dated and, sadly, makes the objectives feel like a chore. Sometimes, though, the journey to complete said chore is where the fun is but it’s not often the case.

Much of the environments are set up like platforms, allowing Remy to climb up shoe boxes to reach a chair or a stack of books placed conveniently enough to reach another book shelve. Remy has the ability to double jump, making it easy to reach another platform and there’s never a shortage of things he can climb up or swing classic Tomb Raider-style. Our rat friend even has a few attack moves, which he’ll use to punch or tail whip an enemy such as a spider or other insects that will hurt him. Speaking of Tomb Raider, Remy also is able to balance himself on the tips of other objects and in one segment of the game he walks a tightrope made entire of gum. This all sounds complex and challenging but thanks to the aid of Gusteau and Emile there’s plenty of handholding to keep the younger gamers from scratching their heads wondering what to do next.

Unfortunately, since the game is made up of fetch quests and collecting, there’s no real mystery to what you’ll do next. You’ll be collecting cheese that is scattered throughout each level’s environment and using that cheese to buy upgrades such as the ability to double punch or jump a bit higher. Your biggest challenge will come in rotating the camera that seems to always want to obscure the view to the point that you’ll fall a lot or not see a spider that made its way in front of you. Sure, you can manually turn the camera with the R and L button but this doesn’t always remedy the poor camera angles that will not fail to frustrate gamers of all ages.

The good news is that the game is lengthy and there are some fun moments in the game that are mixed in with sore spots like the weak level design. In one segment of the game you’ll be attempting to escape the wrath of the nasty French chef Skinner who wants nothing more than to smash Remy in the head with a ladle. There’s even multiplayer, but I must add that it doesn’t add a lot.

Graphically speaking, though, Ratatouille looks amazing. In fact, the characters and the environments look like the ones seen in the movie. Remy is a nicely detailed rat and his little expressions come off well on the PSP widescreen. There are even some solid cinematic cutscenes in the game that is true to Pixar’s animation. As for the game’s soundtrack, it’s wonderful and will not fail to bring France to mind when you hear it. This is topped off by a great voice cast and equally good sound effects.

Ratatouille for the PSP lacks the charm of the film or the enjoyable action of the console version and gives us a platformer that might look appetizing but is far from it. Really, the game does play in the charming world seen in the movie and it does have the right main character but thanks to a number of weaknesses, this one will only disappoint those younger gamers who are looking for a fun portable game based on a really good Disney Pixar film. If you have a younger gamer who definitely wants a game based on the movie I highly suggest you pick up the console version instead.

Gameplay: 6.2
Our furry culinary genius is reduced to searching for cheese and whipping spiders with his tail in a surprisingly lengthy game. Sadly, the action isn’t as endearing as the movie and Remy’s antics are hurt by uninspiring level design and a camera that will play a hand in giving you a headache.

Graphics: 8.0
The game’s graphics are actually quite cute when it comes to the character design and even the environments look good since you’re looking at the human world through a tiny rat’s perspective. The cutscenes look like those from the movie and the animation is smooth as a kitchen counter.

Sound: 8.5
The soundtrack feels straight out of the movie and the Django Reinhart-like guitars feel very French indeed. There are some great sound effects that will come out of the PSP speakers and the voice acting is the icing on top of a really sweetened cake.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Navigating some of the game’s platforms (and by that I mean book shelves and kitchen counters) is tough but not because of the obstacles placed on your path but because of that pesky camera. Remy can upgrade his ratty skills so even the youngest gamer can get by without much trouble.

Concept: 6.5
Collecting stuff in a platformer is so yesteryear and the simplicity of the level design will leave much to be desired. While it’ll be a kick to play as Remy and run around apartment and sewers that look bigger than life, kids will get a kick out of the game’s presentation. There’s also a multiplayer mode but it feels tacked on.

Multiplayer: 6.0
There’s a two-player multiplayer mode using an Ad Hoc connection and it’s mainly a collect-this-before-the-time-runs-out type of deal and (dare I say it?) a rat race mode. It doesn’t feel like much thought was placed on the multiplayer mode but having it is better than not having it at all.

Overall: 6.2
The PSP version of Ratatouille hardly feels like much of a morsel and compared to the far superior console version this will be a disappointment for anyone who fell in love with the movie. We do get some beautiful Pixar-quality animation here but in the end the repetitive fetch quests, frustrating camera and old school platforming bits will not sit well with gamers of all ages.