''Toy Story 2'' is a 1999 side-scrolling platform game for

Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...

based on the film of the same name. The game was developed by

Tiertex Design Studios Tiertex Design Studios Limited was a British software development company and former video game developer based in Macclesfield, England; it was founded in 1986, focusing on porting games to home computers and handheld platforms. It developed o ...

and published by

THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initial ...

. It was released in November 1999 in North America with the European version releasing the following year. The premise of the game loosely follows the original film with players taking control of

Buzz Lightyear Buzz Lightyear is a fictional character in the The Walt Disney Company, Disney–Pixar Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise. He is a superhero action figure from an Story within a story, in-universe media franchise. Buzz is recognizab ...

on a mission to rescue Woody by traversing through stages.

Gameplay

The

version is a

side-scrolling A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller) is a video game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling grap ...

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

unrelated to the other versions. The player controls Buzz, who can jump, run, and shoot his laser at enemies. It features 11 levels, including two bonus levels that can be accessed if the player collects all the coins located in certain levels. Because the Game Boy Color has only two action buttons, Buzz's running and jumping are both done through the B button. While standing motionless, the player can jump and move across gaps, whereas running is initiated by pressing the B button while moving. Gameplay is saved through a

password A password, sometimes called a passcode, is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of password-protected services t ...

feature.

Development

''Toy Story 2'' was developed by

, which also developed the Game Boy version of the original ''Toy Story'' game. The Game Boy Color version was published by

and was also released in the U.S. in November 11, 1999.

Reception

''Toy Story 2'' received average reviews, with ''Game Informer'' criticizing its lack of originality. It was also criticized for its control setup with regards to running and jumping; IGN's Craig Harris wrote that "granted, you can't do much with only two action buttons, but it's obvious Tiertex wanted three". Doug Trueman of GameSpot praised Buzz's animation but stated that many of the other toys in the game did not look as good. Trueman considered the sound and music to be average, and stated that background graphics often blended in too well with the foreground. Weiss called the Game Boy Color version an "adequate, but very forgettable and very short game", while saying it can become quickly tedious. Weiss believed the addition of boss enemies and more action would have helped, although he considered the animation and artwork to be above average for a Game Boy Color game. ''Official Nintendo Magazine'' also found the game lacking in action and its visuals "drab". '' Superjuegos'' writer J.C. Mayerick highlighted the "catchy music" and the ninth stage, but overall criticized it as the first ''Toy Story'' Game Boy game released years prior, only with the addition of color; he concluded that young players who are attached to the ''Toy Story''s characters would not be interested in a Game Boy game, thus the game had little value in the marketplace. He condemned its mediocre graphics and poor animation. THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell said the game was a hit for THQ during Q4 of 1999.

References

External links

* {{Toy Story Game Boy Color games Game Boy Color-only games THQ games Toy Story video games Single-player video games Platformers 1999 video games Tiertex Design Studios games Video games developed in the United Kingdom