The first Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. game to hit PlayStation was for PSone, and it did a great job of using characters from the Disney/Pixar movie for some entertaining gameplay that didn't have much to do with the plot of the movie. And, since it was for That Old PlayStation, you know the graphics didn't really do the movie justice. All that goes flying out the window with the PS2 version of Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc.. Plenty of nice environments to wander through, better effects and lighting, and enough in the way of special features to make this feel like the movie that wanted to be a game. Since most of the special features are purely presentation, this is a good place to cover them. This DVD seems to be the first to really plug into the idea of a licensed game product being a true extension of the movie, another layer of entertainment value away from even DVD/VHS or television. The movie clips are excellent, available during the game and then viewable afterward. You can watch the original movie trailer, as well. Where things get really cool is the tour of Pixar studios, actually separate tours you can choose and then watch play out on the screen. After you get the lay of the land, you can see interviews with some of the key people behind the movie. And, if that weren't enough, you can also see concept art from the early stages of the Monsters, Inc. creative process. And, what may surprise you is that most of this stuff is exclusive to the game. Exclusive, meaning not a part of the DVD release. So, we have one more medium that can be packed full of extra goodies once the movie is out, and kids will be pleased.

The game may almost seem like window dressing, but all the good things present in the movie are here for this version of Monsters Inc.. Being on PS2 and DVD helps to enable more music, better and more varied visuals and Disney Interactive jumped at the opportunity to follow the movie plot and be ultimately true to the license. And it's a good license, luckily. Getting to the meat of the game's presentation, there's really nothing groundbreaking about the graphics or sound, but with a young audience in mind there are few disappointments either.

Taking the mission to return Boo to the human world as a leaping-off point, Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. for PS2 is every bit the Puzzle game its little PSone cousin was, but with an Action twist. Sulley really steps to the front on this game, but Mike is never far away along with NPC interaction. Randall is a big problem, and you'll have to contend with him along the way as you solve puzzles and perform tasks to move through Monstropolis and win the day (and the game). Collecting items, including keys, is a part of moving through the game and earning 'extras' like the movie clips to watch later. Little challenges might be as simple as scaring a certain number of mice within the time limit or more complicated, involving climbing or jumping and switches or keys. During each section of the game, divided roughly into stage and levels, you complete the main objective to move forward but also collect Scream Canisters, scare mice and accept challenges to earn awards and Extras. One nice Extra comes in the form of Bonus Levels, playable on five occasions if you can unlock them. As with the general presentation of the game, nothing about playing Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. will make you sit up and say, 'Wow I never saw that before!' but that shouldn't deter fans from checking this release out. One of the things about this version is that it actually is different than the PSone Monsters, Inc..

With more to do, the challenge just to understand objectives becomes a factor in this version of Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. The Game. As Sulley explores the levels he can be hurt, so gathering health is important and I'd say the level of 'danger' is pretty low and most obstacles can be cleared without too much skill. From time to time, controlling Sulley proved to be difficult, and the response to commands was not consistent. Identifying the few hazards consistently standing between Sulley and victory, like Randall for instance, is key to success in Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc., and just about any gamer will grasp the basics before too long. In fact, I'd say most of you over the age of 10 would give this game a sound beating without breaking a sweat.

My impression of the way this Monsters, Inc. plays is that it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a Platform/Action game or a Puzzle game. Most of the staples you'd expect from the Action side are here. Press a button to jump, move switches, scare and look around the level. Sulley can jump, push things around and climb or hang on ledges. It sounds a lot like the makings of a Platform title, but the levels aren't really built that way. So, you spend a lot of time moving around in levels only to find that the waypoint challenges are more like rhythm games with button pressing or logic puzzles that break up the pace. It's a mixed bag, and that will be great for kids, but the difficulty comes in with analog control and response to button pushes that feels very haphazardly executed. Big levels with plenty of wander room can quickly lead to a state of lost, so expect to be using the 'free-look' feature frequently. The camera in third person mode is not the greatest, especially when you try to navigate some of the jumps and climbing obstacles in the game. But, during the chases and scare scenes, it is nice to have a good view of Sulley running around. Style trumps practicality in this setting, which is perfectly reasonable given the target market.

But, in the end, I have to say that given the choice between the PSone and PS2 versions of Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. I'd probably still go with the former. It's ironic, given the presentation value and pixel- or Pixar-pushing power of the newer system. But, the purity of Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. on PSone and the fact that nobody worried about following the movie but went with the spirit of the characters encouraged a more cohesive product. Or, it's probably more appropriate to say that the puzzle concept of scaring little kid-shaped robots and practicing for full-time monster work was better paced and more interesting than seeing the same old Action/Platform tropes used in rather bland ways. Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. for PS2 will be worthwhile for the same reason buying the DVD of the movie is a good thing to kids who like the characters and want anything and everything associated with them. But, for entertainment value and the gaming dollar, don't think this is the better of Disney's recent Monsters, Inc. releases.