Tron 2.0 Hands-On Preview
We take this upcoming action game based on the computerized world of Tron for a spin.
We recently got our hands on an early version of Tron 2.0, the upcoming first-person shooter from Monolith and Buena Vista. Tron 2.0 is a game-based follow-up to the original Tron film from the early '80s. The game includes the voice talent of Bruce Boxleitner, who played Alan Bradley in the original film; the voice of Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, best known for her work as a Sports Illustrated model and for playing Mystique in the X-Men films; and the voice of Cindy Morgan, the original Yori character from the movie, as the computerized AI character ma3a (pronounced "ma-three-uh").
Tron 2.0 takes place 20 years after the events of the original movie, and the game's primary character is Jet Bradley, son of Alan Bradley. The elder Bradley has been working at the same company where he developed the original Tron digitization program that turns humans into data, which can then be assimilated by computer systems. At the outset of the game, Alan Bradley is mysteriously abducted by an evil corporation called fCon, which is after Bradley's more advanced digitization technology. This technology is protected by an advanced AI called ma3a, who is also being attacked by a strange, virulent program. This chain of events sets off ma3a's contingency protocol, which is to digitize Jet into the mainframe computer system and recruit his help inside the computer world.
The transition is a jarring one for Jet, as he enters a strange universe where programs look and act like people but speak in the language of computers. Keys to locked areas are called permissions, humans are called users, warp gates are called data streams or exit ports, and treasure chests are called archive bins. Data in the form of e-mail, permission sets, or upgrades called "subroutines" are contained inside the transparent archive bins as floating bits of information, waiting for you to download. Helping you through the transition to the digital world are a couple of friends. One of these is Byte, a floating, talking ball who serves as a tour guide of sorts through the digital world. Just don't call him "bit," as he's quite sensitive about his size. You'll also be assisted by Mercury (voiced by Romijn-Stamos, though her voice has been given a digital echo so it may not be very recognizable), a female program who's a top-notch lightcycle rider.
The first thing you'll notice about Tron 2.0 is its highly stylized look. The level architecture is very boxy, and everything is bathed in a colorful glow. Though younger audiences with no recollection of the original motion picture may not recognize the style, the artistic direction of both the film and the game seem like accurate reflections of cultural attitudes and high technology in the early 1980s. From what we've seen of the game's first few levels, Tron 2.0 does an admirable job of re-creating the unique look and feel of the film. One look is all it takes to realize that the game is distinctly Tron, and there's no mistaking it for any other game.
As you make your way through the game's first few levels, you'll collect a few of the game's four base weapons, or primitives, which are the disc, rod, ball, and net. We had the chance to try out the first three. The disc acts much like a Frisbee crossed with a boomerang. You can throw it, and it will bounce off of walls, damaging any enemies in its path. If you hold the mouse button down as you throw it and move the mouse as the disc is in flight, you'll be able to subtly bend the path of the disc, in much the same way a baseball pitcher can impart lateral or vertical movement on a slider or curveball. You're also able to block incoming attacks with the disc or use it as a melee weapon.
Tron 2.0 Quick Links
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- Buena Vista Interactive
- Monolith
- Sci-Fi First-Person...
- Release: Aug 26, 2003
- ESRB: Teen
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