Everything sounds as one might expect it would, though it would have been nice if Traveller's Tales had utilized Factor 5's MORT sound compression technology for higher quality, licensed music from the film.Does anybody remember the 1998 Pixar movie A Bug's Life? You know, it's a movie when Flik is an inventive ant who’s always messing things up for his colony. Flik is armed with an equally silly arsenal of berry splats and friendly calls from fellow bugs, as well as remarks from enemies. Upbeat tunes and happy flute-like chords do a nice job of adding atmoshphere. Sound The music in the game is bright, cheery and very A Bug's Life-esque. But it's far better looking than the sloppy port which has been handed to Nintendo 64 owners. Sadly, we're not here to report that the PlayStation version of A Bug's Life is a visual treat with without flaws. It's got a bit of everything bad, really. The Nintendo 64 port of the title looks a bit more grainy, a bit more foggy, a bit more blurry and runs a bit slower. What's more, it boasts a far superior framerate. Cinema-scenes aside, the PlayStation version of A Bug's Life features a cleaner, more colorful look than that seen in the Nintendo 64 game. After all, it's a well-known fact that Nintendo 64 games can't do FMV - unless, of course, we're talking about Angel Studios' exceptional port of Resident Evil 2 to the console, which features all the cut-scene goodness of the PlayStation original. Right off the bat we noticed additional FMV cut-scenes for the PlayStation version, but we shrugged it off. Graphics Visually, A Bug's Life for Nintendo 64 practically screams, "Hey, I'm a port! Look at me, boys and girls, I'm just a quick, easy port and I'm here to make a quick, easy buck!" We dusted off the PlayStation copy of A Bug's Life and booted it up for a side-by-side comparison to the Nintendo 64 incarnation, both of which are developed by the same game-maker, by the way. And while this, mixed with an admittedly popular movie license, might be enough for younger gamers, hard-core platformer fans are likely to be disappointed if not offended. It all amounts for a very average gaming experience. But none of the above is exceptional either. Likewise, the levels are not especially poor. The game itself does not play particular bad. Basic platformer stuff here, but it's satisfying nonetheless.Īt the end of the day, the gameplay mechanics are not horrible. For example, some ledges are too high for the ant to reach, but by planting a springy mushroom seed near the area, players can trampoline themselves to the upper level. In almost all of the levels, Flik must collect and plant seeds in various locations in order to gain access to new areas. Early on, we were a bit surprised by just how easy some of the stages were. Often the challenge is simply to make it to the end of the level, which can be executed by running straight-forward and avoiding enemies.
Levels are laid out in a variety of different ways, but the challenges in each are closely paralleled.
#A bugs life full
The end result is a sub-par gaming experience that weighs in a full second to benchmarks set by previous Nintendo 64 platformers. What we mean by this is that the game controls a bit sluggishly and even the simple task of nailing an enemy with a berry feels clumsy and confused. As you can tell, though, for the most part, the game plays very much like Mario or Banjo before it except that A Bug's Life doesn't feel nearly as fine-tuned or optimized. In some rare cases, developer Traveller's Tales has even implemented a unique addition of its own such as the ability to butt-slide, which is done by pressing the A button twice and holding. For example, pressing the A button twice immediately results in a Mario-esque butt-stomp. Both buttons also serve additional purposes. The A button jumps and the B button throws berries. Flik is manipulated using the analog stick while the D-pad works to raise or lower the camera view.
Players travel through 15+ levels in a fashion similar to Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie, minus the tight gameplay mechanics of both. Rather, everything follows a set-path and is, by comparison to other 3D platformers, very confined. Unfortunately, this sensation does not carry over into the polygonal 3D worlds of the videogame. In the film, the magic of Disney is in full effect, conveying a life-like sub-world that is every bit as real and gigantic as our own.
Gameplay The game, very much like the movie, follows the adventures of a likeable ant named Flik as he sets out to defend his threatened ant hill from a band of savage grasshoppers.
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