First things first, the original Kingdom Hearts should not have of worked. Combining the worlds of Disney and Square into a single paying action/adventure game sounded like it was going to be a disaster on the order of magnitude rarely seen outside of volcanic eruptions. Well, long story short, I was wrong. I can admit it, I’m comfortable enough with myself to know when I’m wrong (but that doesn’t mean I will ever give up on a revival of a Darkhawk solo series).

Anyway, I am among the legions of gamers hotly awaiting the release of the sequel, in fact I bared getting near Dalmatians of all things just to catch a glimpse of the next game with KH1’s “Deep Dive” Easter egg. But it’s been three long years and apart from the GBA’s Chain of Memories (a card-battling rehash) information has been scarce about any true follow up. Pictures were “leaked” about a world based on the animated movie Mulan, and another bafflingly based of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie (while I was not great fan of the movie, an appearance by the dazzling Keira Knightley would not disappoint). All of this sounded interesting and I could be counted on for at least a rental.

Then the sky opened up and I received a message that restored my faith, my faith in The Users. Screenshots hit the net featuring the KH1 gang in the Computer World, the world of TRON.

I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming, TRON is a not only Disney Property, and a groundbreaking technological triumph in its own right, but also the very best ‘video game’ movie EVER MADE. To tell the truth there really isn’t much competition for that honor in number or in quality. Pointing out he flaws in movies like DOOM, Super Mario Brothers, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation or House of the Dead is like shooting fish in a barrel and has been done a thousand times. Heck, I could fill a page on The Wizard alone (hmmm…later).

Now, 20+ years after its release TRON remains an underrated touchstone for the gaming culture. As a people gamers are always out on the cutting edge of technology and innovation, and TRON exemplifies this. Its creator foresaw not only place the CG would have in movie making (so ahead of it’s time TRON was disqualified from Oscar consideration for its effects because they considered using CG to be ‘cheating’) but ideas about computer networks and Artificial Intelligence that predate The Matrix by decades.

To see TRON come alive again in such away, so soon after the underrated TRON 2.0, offers another jolt of legitimacy to a well deserving property, and most importantly makes Kingdom Hearts 2 the must play game of…whatever year it gets released.

THE RIDE BOARD:

In the Xbox: The best thing about Matrix: The Path of Neo, (SPOILERS) is the option to take the blue pill from Morpheus right at the start, I say: Take him up on the offer. Look, the whole lousy-game-based-on-a-movie shouldn’t even apply to this, it’s been at least two years since the Revolutions debacle so there can not have been some kind of hard and fast deadline to get this piece of work on the shelf. So why does this game play like a beta test version? Poor hit detection, laughable sound effects syncing, clunky controls, and (yawn) another wonky camera. And the AI? Look if I was carrying a gun and a guy in black dress (who had just killed the rest of my squad) ran at me would I: A) Shoot him, or B) Play fair and go hand to hand? If you chose “B” congrats you have the temperament to be among the mindless drones floating in a sack of raspberry Jell-O™ eating the liquefied remains of others such as yourself. Long story short (too late) choose the road not taken insted of following the Path of Neo.

Did You Know: All the live action that occurred inside the computer was filmed in black and white and colorized later with photographic and rotoscopic techniques.

From The Vaults: The arcade TRON game, the game based on a movie about games (how avant-garde), actually out earned the underrated movie, and I’m okay with that, because this game was awesome! Featuring the now classic TRON theme song and four game play modes (I always liked the spider level better then the light cycles, the tanks, the MCP cone stage) it has a combo of an ‘old arcade grip’ and a paddle wheel for some two player alternating action! If you can find a 20 year old TRON arcade game somewhere drop a quarter in, you won’t be disappointed.

This is my stop. End of Line

Comments? Questions? E-mail me at seth410@gamertransit.com. Complaints? Who you calling “program,” program?!
Back of the Bus is © 2005 by Seth “4:10” Robison, used with exclusive permission by gamertransit.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.