Buzz Lightyear of Star Command Preview

In the Toy Story movies, Buzz Lightyear existed in a kind of "movie within a movie" - he was the hero of a popular children's television show that featured rocket ships and evil aliens. Now, Activision and Traveler's Tales are circumventing the outer Toy Story milieu to bring us Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, an action game that focuses on and fleshes out the universe that Buzz commands in the movies.

Not surprisingly, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command stars ace space ranger Buzz Lightyear. None of Buzz's Toy Story pals make an appearance; instead, Buzz will be joined by his own "A-Team," which includes Mira, Booster, and X-R. In addition, he'll receive help from Space Ranger allies Zeb Nebula and the Little Green Men (LGMs). Buzz and friends will battle against the evil Emperor Zurg and his cronies, such as Warp Darkmatter and Torque.

The gameplay in Star Command is of the typical third-person "run, jump, and shoot" variety. Buzz has access to an array of 12 space weapons, including lasers, lightning guns, and plasma blasters. In addition to his antics on foot, he'll also be able to wing it through the game's 14 levels (spread across seven planets) with jetpacks, hoverboards, and jetbikes. Of course, Buzz will also benefit from a standard assortment of action-game power-ups such as shields and jump boosters. Finally, collectible diamond bits will allow him to buy better equipment as he makes his way toward Planet Z, the home of Emperor Zurg. In addition to the core action gameplay, Star Command will feature some unique game modes, such as a timed action run, a level containing pieces of a character that must be collected, and a "chase the boss" challenge.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is currently slated to appear this fall, which puts it in a good position to be a Christmas title. Much like previous Toy Story games, Star Command is targeted toward younger gamers, but that, of course, doesn't preclude the interest of more serious types.