Having more faith in Pixar than the critics, THQ previously made an agreement with Pixar that would enable them to publish games based on Pixar's next three movies.  The first of those films was Finding Nemo, followed by The Incredibles (due in 2004) and Cars (due in 2005).  Since the movie is out now, THQ is free to release the Finding Nemo game, which they did.  The question now is: did the game turn out to be as entertaining as the movie?

Geared at a much narrower audience than the movie, Finding Nemo (the game) is primarily intended for young kids.  The entire game is filled with simple mini-games and easy level objectives.  There are a few tedious moments, but other than that there isn't anything to keep a teenage gamer from beating it one sitting.

Considering the targeted audience, it surprised me to find a variety of play mechanics early on in the game.  At first, swimming is strictly two-dimensional, with some cool camera angles and detailed backgrounds that give the game a 2.5D illusion.  Nemo moves in the direction that the analog stick is pressed, similar to the way you make the characters fly in Nights Into Dreams.  Nemo is a small, friendly fish, so he doesn't "kill" enemies, but he can make them disappear by trapping them in a bubble and then popping it before the enemy escapes.  Enemy types consist of the same sea creatures featured in the movie: clams, crabs, and Bruce, everyone's favorite shark, among several others.  Remember kids, fish are friends – not food!

A few levels into the game you'll see Finding Nemo take a pseudo-3D change.  The camera shifts from the side of Nemo to his front or back, giving the player the chance to swim toward the screen or away from it, depending on the situation.  This takes some getting used to, as most gamers (including myself) are not used to swimming "toward" the screen.  Most kids will pick it up pretty quickly though.

While swimming around the colorful ocean, you'll see dozens of glowing rings.  What are they for?  Swim through them and a number will appear on the screen, indicating how many rings have been swam through and how many are left.  Nothing super-special happens if you collect them all, but it's good to have something else to do in addition to simply finishing each level.

None of the characters in Finding Nemo have a life-bar.  Instead, they have a cluster of fish that cushions the blow of any dangerous objects.  Some of these protective fish are hidden in each level, but you can gather more by defeating (bubble-bursting) enemies and taking the items that they leave behind.  Successfully collecting all of the specific items in a level will award you with a starfish.

While fighting a more dangerous creature, such as Bruce, a brief real-time sequence shows what happens if the player fails to escape.  Don't worry – nothing bad happens to the fish.  In Bruce's case, Marlin and Dory find a spot to hide, just barely missing Bruce's enormous teeth.  In another situation, Dory escapes an Octopus's tentacle by sucking in and quickly swimming out.

Although tedious at times, Finding Nemo is a good game for the appropriate audience.  Hardcore gamers won't be fishing the couch for money to buy it, but any kid – or any kid at heart – who enjoyed the movie will enjoy the game.  There's a lot in Finding Nemo that, if given the chance, developer Traveler's Tale could really, really expand on.

Gameplay: 6.9
Finding Nemo's gameplay isn't as deep as it could have been, but it isn't shallow either.  Kids will enjoy swimming through familiar underwater locales and seeing all of the familiar faces.  They'll like the collecting games, too.

Graphics: 7
I really wish I could give Nemo a higher score than this.  The graphics are simple, but look terrific.  All of the characters are animated really well (though their lips are not perfectly synced with the voices).  The backgrounds are very colorful, and overall this game is just a lot of fun to look at, especially if you enjoyed watching the movie's awesome effects.  So why does it earn a 7, as opposed a 9?  Take a look at some of PS2's other graphically impressive games and you'll understand.

Sound: 6.5
This game has a few excellent songs (which may or may not have been taken from the film, I can't say for sure), but the voice impersonators are a mixed bag.  Nemo and Marlin's impersonators are fairly convincing, but Bruce's impersonator is terrible!

Difficulty: Easy
Aside from a few tedious levels, Finding Nemo is a really easy game.

Concept: 7
Excluding the mini-games, Finding Nemo is an original concept.  It plays a little like a kid's version of Nights Into Dreams, but there aren't any other games that you can compare it to.

Overall: 6.9
Kids will discover a lot of fun in Finding Nemo.  The movie sequences are an excellent addition -- there are more sequences here than in the game based on Toy Story 2.  Adults may want to check out the game for that reason, since this is the only place where you can see these awesome clips outside of movie theaters.