Skip It

If you follow any entertainment news at all, then you’ve no doubt heard of “Avatar,” the epic-sized, CGI-gasmic revamp of the sci-fi movie genre by James Cameron. Yes, the same man who, in releasing “Titanic” back in 1997, scored the highest profits in cinematic history, is at it again.

Even though “Avatar” has scored four Golden Globe nominations, at the time of writing, the movie hasn't hit the theaters yet, making difficult to tell if the video game's plot spoils the movie’s in any way. The story of “Avatar: The Game” boils down to this: the players are humans working for a branch of the Earth’s military stationed on the exotic planet of Pandora. In order to interact with the Na’vi, Pandora’s indigenous people, players assume control of an Avatar, a mentally controlled body made from a combination of human and Na’vi DNA. Players are given the choice of either helping the Earthlings take control of the planet as a human or remaining an Avatar to aid the Na’vi in defending their home.

The game is a typical third person shooter and a decent one at that, but it also strives to emulate aspects of free-roaming, which can be found in Grand Theft Auto-style action games and role playing games. Almost every level allows free exploration and is very attractive in their own right. Unfortunately, they’re all also extremely linear in design.

With very few wide-open spaces that relegate most areas to nothing more than scenic hallways, the only true missions are the ones that advance the story line. There are no side missions that you can do just for fun. Small repetitive tasks that involve searching for things to collect or shoot are available in each area. While these tasks are something to do after completing a level, they’re definitely not as full-fledged as the main missions.

The game utilizes an experience points (XP) system that gives you XP for killing enemies and completing missions. When you reach a certain number of points, upgrades for your armor, weapons and abilities are unlocked. The downside is that all the rewards (and the order in which they are released) are predetermined by the game. Players can earn plenty of XP from doing even the most basic tasks, allowing them to earn most of the upgrade packs faster than they should. This, coupled with an aiming assist that makes it pretty simple to score head shots, makes the game woefully easy overall.

The beautiful locations in “Avatar: The Game” don’t make up for the severe linearity and the repetitive tasks that take place within them. It’s a tolerable shooter in its own right, but there are hundreds of games available that can outdo it. Unlike its namesake, this will not revamp anything in the gaming world, James Cameron be damned.

Available for: PlayStation 3, PSP, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PC, iPhone, and iPod Touch