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Games based on films and films based on games are often abominations. This bad reputation forms from a slew of half-baked games manufactured in an attempt to cash in on the relative success of a movie. For films, on the other hand, Uwe Boll takes the award for most damage dealt to the game film industry, the great director who challenges criticism with boxing matches.

Yet there still remains exceptions. With James Cameron’s Avatar the film then much is borrowed from the gaming world. The concept of a person’s conscience placed into an avatar in the film mirrors that of a gamer assuming the role of the protagonist in game. In Borderlands you become a treasure hunter, in Fallout you struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In theory it would seem that a game based on Avatar would be one of the few exceptions though in reality it is one of the better abominations.

Like it’s counterpart the game takes place on the leafy planet of Pandora throwing the player into a conflict between the human RDA forces and the blue Native American-esque Na’vi. A few characters make appearances such as a small cameo of Sigourney Weaver at the beginning but for the most part you play a slightly altered story.

Playing as Lance Corporal Able Ryder you experience the conflict full on amid the front line. After witnessing the damage the RDA is having on Pandora you then get a choice of who to side with. Whoever you pick has no real outcome on the story - for both sides you still have the same goal and tasks – the only differences are the skills you are given and the lands you explore.

Creating two warring factions is fair enough in most games but the problem in this case arises from the imbalance between the two. As RDA you are treated to a wide variety of long-range rifles, medium-range grenade launchers and close quarters shotguns and flamethrowers along with having access to AMP suits (power armour with massive machine guns) and aircraft equipped with missiles. All in all you are well suited to numerous combat situations and as a result missions are simple.

Whereas the Na’vi are very limited in usage. Weapons-wise you are handed swords, staffs and axes, all very good at close range but the issue comes from getting within range. Going in stealth via your skills is effective but suffers from having to wait for your cooldown every time you want to attack.

Likewise in open areas your options are either to charge in and pray or switch to the bow or machine gun both which lack enough stopping power to make fights easy. This difference in play style makes story mode slightly more irritating as Na’vi.

This difference is substantially more irritating in multiplayer where battles are virtually unplayable as Na’vi because RDA can simply find a corner and gun down anyone before they get within range. 

While it is in keeping with the general tone of the film developers overlook the fact that this is a game and some element of balance is required for the game to be even remotely enjoyable. That said the multiplayer also largely consists of tired game modes resulting in a largely forgotten multiplayer scene.

Mission design equally is shallow and repetitive requiring little more than go here, collect this, kill that. This is a common issue with most film games where little thought is put into game design, but Avatar’s problem rises from the game’s narrative.

It may not follow the film’s story because to do so would be nigh impossible with interactive media yet the adapted story for the game is one that largely focuses on collecting multiple items then carting them off to the final destination. It’s mundane and never fully utilises the opportunity a vast, beautiful alien planet offers.

For all it’s problems Avatar delivers beautifully on one front – the visuals. Unlike RPGs it does not have clearly defined zones like the desert zone or the snowy zone. Each area is just jungle and still somehow every area has character. Vast waterfalls, floating islands, neon willow groves and multiple different plants please the eye.

The landscapes look ripe for adventure and if your TV is capable of it the 3D effects help immerse you in this intriguing world. Had the game design had the same effort as was put into the visuals then we may just have one of those games that out perform their film counterpart. 

James Cameron’s Avatar the Game sadly is one of those movie games that will be forgotten within a couple of months. The movie outshines it, even the Conquest mini-game within Avatar the Game outshines the main story. Aside from the visuals what we have here is an average game thats only redeeming factor is that gamerscore can be boosted from it easily.

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