Review: Jakks Pacific Wall-E TV Game
Written on Dec 4, 2008 by Brian and filed under Jakks Pacific, Reviews
Wall-E has been sent to Earth to gather up garbage, but he’s also been sent to a Jakks Pacific all-in-one TV Game. The Wall-E shaped controller plugs into any television and lets kids control both Wall-E and EVE as they look for hidden artifacts on Earth. There are also three mini-games that offer multiple levels of problem solving challenges.
Setup
As with all of the Jakks Pacific TV Games, it’s a very simple matter of plugging in two standard RCA cables, one for audio, one for video. The controller also needs 4 AA batteries, which are not included. Once turned on the game loads and is ready to go. Wall-E’s head acts as the joystick in this game, with the A and B control buttons on the left side. There’s also a menu button that can be missed, it’s disguised as Wall-E’s bug friend.
Gameplay
The main storyline in this game is Wall-E and EVE are exploring Earth for artifacts. Players get to control one character at a time, but can switch back and forth with the B button. Each character has different skills; Wall-E collects garbage and digs for artifacts, while EVE blows up barrels with the hope of revealing artifacts or garbage for Wall-E to gather.
The main Earth map is small though and controlling Wall-E and EVE gets repetitive pretty quickly. There’s only so much incentive to collect 10 garbage blocks (which gets Wall-E an artifact) with Wall-E or dig holes in the ground with the hopes of locating an artifact. EVE will also help Wall-E find artifacts by blasting metal drums and scanning the ground. To keep it interesting, every now and again there’s a storm and Wall-E has to get back to his trailer in 30 seconds or risk losing whatever he has collected.
Thankfully there are three mini-games included too, so there’s more to do. The mini-games are actually much better than the main game mostly because they require problem solving skills rather than repetitive motion. There are many levels to play and two difficulties. Even the easy levels offer a lot of challenge though, so much so that most kids are going to need parental assistance to complete them. And in some cases parents will need additional parental assistance as well.
Trash Dash
In Trash Dash players control EVE as she helps clear a path for Wall-E. EVE has to pick up and drop the appropriate shaped concrete blocks into place so Wall-E can cross. She’s also responsible for blasting walls out of the way. Wall-E never stops or slows down, so this one is fast-paced and challenging. We had a few 5 and 6 year-olds take a crack at these games and they both struggled after the first few easy levels. In fact, it took me several attempts to pass one of the higher easy levels as EVE has to blast a wall immediately.
Players have under a second to react and immediately start button mashing to get past the level.
We really like the problem solving needed to beat this game, and if you do, there’s an artifact awarded after completing all the easy and hard levels. But even on easy, this is best for kids that are probably 7-8 or older. It’s very fast-paced and younger kids will need to get a parent to help.
Solar Solver
Players control Wall-E in this puzzle game. Wall-E must drag or push puzzle pieces made of trash to form a designated shape. There’s an on-screen radar to help locate the pieces and EVE is available to give a hint three times. The hints are helpful as they show how the puzzle goes together, but they’re brief, so even with a hint a good memory is required.
There’s also a time limit, making this game tough as well. Kids who like puzzles will really enjoy this game. The pieces don’t need to be rotated, so if kids drag all the pieces near the center, they should be able to manipulate them into the right shapes. Again though, this one skews toward older kids. Our younger test kids were able to complete the first few levels, then the game became too difficult.
Axiom Adventure
This is our favorite of the mini games. Players control Wall-E and EVE as they work together to get past Stewards, laser alarms and obstacles. Kids will have to figure out which character to use to accomplish certain tasks, then switch back and forth to get both to safety. This game has no time limit, but instead requires logic and problem solving. The harder levels may require help, but even younger kids should be able to remain at the controls with some coaching.
Bottom Line
We’re somewhat conflicted about the Wall-E TV Game. We like the challenge of the mini games and think they’re great for kids in the 7-8 age range, or even older, since there are two difficulty levels. It’s also not bad for parents who want to play along with their kids as they try to figure out the puzzles. The main Earth map though is repetitive and after a few minutes of exploring will be boring for kids advanced enough to handle the mini-games. If kids just pick up pieces as they drive between the mini games, they’ll pile up the artifacts quickly enough though. For the price, there’s enough enjoyment here, but as a parent, you should expect to be involved in helping with this game.
3 out of 5 stars
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