Disney's Stitch: Experiment 626

Lilo & Stitch: Experiment 626 has done for Disney’s console line what the movie Lilo & Stitch has done for the entire line of Disney movies in general: It’s meant to shake things up! Stitch, if you haven’t had the chance to become acquainted with the blue ball of adrenaline, is a genetic experiment gone awry – or right on course - depending on whose point of view you take. Engineered to be an instrument of mayhem and destruction, Experiment 626 for the PS2 takes Stitch on an entirely different adventure than the Earth-bound movie journey – giving him lots of things to destroy, and pitting him against a jealous “little brother” in the form of Experiment 623.

So how does one of Disney’s first solid ventures into the action/shooter realm fare? My answer to you is that your satisfaction with the game is going to rely a great deal (if not entirely) on how much you enjoyed the movie and/or any other reason you are motivated to buy the game. If you think you’re going to get Doom or something related, just stop reading right now. You’re probably going to dislike this game from the word go. However, as a fan of the movie, I found myself playing the game with relative enthusiasm despite the tweaks the game obviously could have used to make it a more thorough experience.

First of all, the game really is more action than shooter, persay, in the sense that you don’t shoot as many enemies as you do obstacles. Aiming is simplified rather well, and the real challenge of the game is manipulating your way in a “platformer” manner. Some of this challenge comes from analog controls that can seem a bit hypersensitive and a camera control system with demands a bit of a learning curve. If the game were really meant to appeal to younger gamers, you’d never know it. I myself spent lots of time just keeping Stitch from running too fast or in entirely the wrong direction. After playing games like Klonoa 2 – you start expecting more from camera angles, and you may or may not feel like getting used to constantly using the top buttons to get a better grip on your game.

The driving goal in the game is to collect DNA (man, we didn’t get that deep and scientific when we played games as kids! It was all about power pellets and killing aliens!). This DNA is scattered all over the fairly large game fields, and Stitch will have to do all kinds of crazy things like climb up and down walls, balance on platforms, and avoid pits of deadly fluids to collect the DNA. Luckily for the easily frustrated gamer, you don’t have a limited number of lives when you play, so when you die, you just go back to the last checkpoint. This REALLY saved the game by a significant measure, and I’m not sure if I would have had the patience to keep reloading the game if the lives had been limited. As you collect more and more DNA, more and more worlds will open up to you. Another main goal in your adventure is to find hidden movie reels – located by deftly following a large mechanical squid that will lead you to them. This is NOT easy, because the squid will only stay for a few seconds after moving to it’s next location before moving back to it’s point of origin.

The graphics for Experiment 626 are a bit on the basic side, with a few highlights here and there – mostly in the form of uncovering cut scenes from the movie. While I wasn’t really impressed by the graphical aspects of the title (such movie-tie in games usually don’t impress), I found some of the level designs incorporated some clever ideas. In one part of the game Stitch must climb a wall swiftly, looking quite spider like, dodging live wires, gas jets, and obstacles to collect all the DNA. There is a generous use of color which livens up what could have otherwise been typically grey/industrial shooter-like fields.

Music wise – I thought the score for Experiment 626 was definitely geared toward a more mature crowd. Don’t expect to hear MIDI like renditions of “It’s a Small World After All” to this title. The back beat definitely has a techno/industrial feel to it – and while you’re probably not going to want the score to play in your car, it’s a nice breath of fresh air into the Disney genre. David Ogden Stiers, dedicated Disney voice over, lends his voice to the game as well – but pretty much all other voices are kind of annoyingly repetitive. Sound effects are not stunners either – once again leading me to conclude your satisfaction with this game is going to be intimately related to how much you liked the movie, NOT how much you like shooters.

Overall, I enjoyed Lilo & Stitch: Experiment 626 because I enjoyed the movie. As I played, I could not keep the nagging thoughts out of my head about how much better the game could/should have been. As an action/shooter the game would need quite a bit of work before I could recommend going out and buying this game without the rental first – even if you do like Stitch. It’s not bad – it’s not good. It’s one of those dangerously lukewarm titles that leaves a reviewer nervous to give any sort of extreme review. Disney has taken one of their first solid steps to cater to a different kind of audience. Let’s hope Lilo & Stitch doesn’t drive them away from more serious/adventuresome projects like Hunchback did. I’m looking forward to going to see more movies like Lilo & Stitch as eagerly as I hope Disney keeps pushing the envelope with their games.

Gameplay: 6.5
Other than a few controls that seem a bit hypersensitive and/or out of place, Lilo & Stitch: Experiment 626 is a solidly built and creative effort to bring shooters to the Disney gaming realm. Level designs are often quite creative, hidden extras are challenging to obtain, and the gameplay is anything but the “gimme” you might assume you will be getting when you pick up a Disney title.

Graphics: 7
Graphics are neither other-worldly or overtly disappointing. The cut-scenes from the movie are, as you’d expect, crystal clear. Like most shooters, you occasionally hit some distortion when you pile yourself into a corner, but there’s nothing that sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. If anything, the graphics may seem a mite bit on the basic side.

Sound: 6
Experiment 626’s score has a rockin’ soundtrack that seems equally at home in the shooters for the “big boys” as it does in this game. There’s a distinct industrial sound to many of the tracks, and it was pleasing to the ears (and adrenaline). David Ogden Stiers, a frequent and stellar Disney voice over, is also present in the game as he was in the movie.

Difficulty: Hard
Experiment 626 is definitely not for the younger Disney crowd. The controls took some getting used to even for this veteran gamer, and I think it would be frustrating for any but the best motor-coordinated young gamers. To it’s credit, the game offers an “unlimited lives” system which pretty much keeps the game moving no matter how many times you get stuck in a hard spot.

Concept: 6.5
Lilo & Stitch: Experiment 626 is an unorthodox romp in the world of shooters for the Disney. With clever and intriguing level design, along with an all new story not taken directly from the movie, the game sets itself apart as a good foundation for Disney games to come.

Overall: 6.5
Lilo & Stitch: Experiment 626 as a stand alone game could have benefited from just a bit of extra tweaking in the controls and graphics department, but as a companion game to the movie, it does satisfy the non-novice gamer. Level design is often clever, and the game is definitely not an easy title – easy being something you might otherwise assume from a Disney title. Just like Stitch, the more you enjoy running rampant and destroying things as if you’ve ingested a gallon of caffeine, the more you will like this game.