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James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
By Jorge Figueiredo - October 12th, 2009
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game (not to be confused with The Last Airbender) is a game adaptation of the movie. Or, at least, it sort of is. Many videogame adaptations of popular Hollywood films suffer from a disease called lastminuteitis. It’s a horrible affliction where, in a desperate attempt to cash in on the entertained public as much as possible, a half-assed game is created at the last minute that does nothing other than empty your wallet and leave you feeling cheated. Speaking to Ubisoft about Avatar: The Game, however, leaves me feeling somewhat assured about the quality of this title.
The development of Avatar started during the pre-production phase of the movie. Ubisoft had access to all of the assets being used for the film. James Cameron himself did not want a simple re-telling of the story, nor does it seem like he just wanted a direct port of the movie. Instead, he wanted something a bit different. So, a new story was written expressly for the game – one that is set two years before the events of the movie take place. Once he gave his blessing, the project began to unfold.
Avatar takes place on the planet Pandora (featured in the movie), a lush jungle-like planet rich in resources. The two main playable factions in Avatar are the RDA (the more militaristic race that wants to mine the resources) and the Na’vi (a more “natural” race, and indigenous to the planet of Pandora). In the game, you have been hand picked to take part in the Avatar Program, in which you learn to pilot a hybrid of your own DNA and one of the Na’vi. The game invites you to make a critical choice very early in the game – remain part of the RDA and help further the cause to mine the planet, or join the Na’vi and stop the RDA. After you make your choice the game travels down one of two unique paths (with locations, vehicles, and weapons appropriate for your side).
The sides are certainly balanced, but that is on paper. I have to say, some of the creatures on the side of the Na’vi are formidable. Of course, I only saw a limited section of the game during the interview I managed to get.
But what I saw was pretty awesome.
The environments in the game are massive and look beautiful. The lush world of Pandora is captured very nicely and moving through it is a bit different than in your typical third person shooter. The perpetual day/night cycle really highlights the amount of visual work they put into it. During the day, the lush greenery stretches out as far as the eye can see. But at night, everything changes, as a lot of the creatures and plant life of Pandora are bioluminescent. If you are lucky enough to own a 3DTV, this game takes on even more depth.
From what I gather, there is a single player and a cooperative mode. I couldn’t extract any more than that. Keep an eye out for this one. It should be a fulfilling experience.
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game has a North American release date of November 24, 2009.
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