Cheap Tron 2.0 (Software) (Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 98) Price

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Customer Reviews of Tron 2.0

Disc? Check. Light Cycle? Check. Best Game Ever? Er...
Before I begin my review, I must point out the sad fact that I, myself a computer geek, have never seen TRON (though all of that is about to change, for I am going to order a copy of the TRON DVD first thing after school tomorrow). But that doesn't mean I'm not familiar with the story. I mean, TRON has inspired many things around us (who here does NOT miss the People Mover from Disneyland's Tomorrow Land? Seriously!) And for those wishing to play TRON 2.0 but have never seen the movie, don't worry. The booklet includes a brief summary of the movie, so you can pick the story right up upon reading the events from the film.

With that said, let us begin. For a game like TRON 2.0, it's all just a question of "Where do I start?" First off, this game was developed by Monolith, who also developed one of my favorite FPS (first-person shooter) game series-- No One Lives Forever. And for those of you who've played NOLF (No One Lives Forever) and NOLF 2, you'll definitely see some similarities here. Example? Take a good look at Mercury. Isn't that Cate Archer from NOLF 1?!

What does this game have in common with NOLF 2? The RPG elements, as well as the controlling. The controlling is simple to pick up, and the RPG elements make the game easier. To defend my last statement, I've had a lot of trouble early in the game, but as I leveled up and gained more points, the game grew much easier.

Another similarity is the Jupiter engine. The graphics are absolutely stunning. My jaw dropped upon viewing the TRON universe firsthand. The TRON trademark neon-glow is everywhere in this game, and from the first time you make a move, you'll definitely feel like you're trapped in your own computer (except that if I were trapped in my own computer, I would definitely see some inappropriate material floating about. ;)).

The Light Cycle levels are simply delightful. It's very much like that classic game Snake, only this time on crack. Since I've always loved Snake, this was a real treat for me. Of course, there are people who have great trouble with the light cycle sequences, but there's an update from www.tron20.net that allows you to skip these levels (though that's just being a quitter in my opinion).

And now for the bad issues. Yet again with the question "Where do I start?" First off, the sound is rather buggy. I had to close my game and restart it to pick up some sound effects (this usually happens when there were way too many things going on). Speaking of sound, someone PLEASE teach Jet's voice actor how to act! At least the music was good. I also did not enjoy the micro-management Monolith seemed hell-bent on establishing. Sure, it's cool reading emails and such, but do we really have to do this every other minute? At least it's simple, otherwise this game would've been docked down another star.

Another low point is the weapons; they're mostly worthless. Apart from the LOL (my signature), I've only used my upgraded Disc. But the Disc itself is cool, so I can hardly complain. As far as multiplayer goes, I've never played it because I do not want to update my computer with huge files, so I've just uninstalled my game upon completing single-player.

Depending on what you do, TRON 2.0 can be a short game. Though that's a good thing, since the game becomes a tad bit repetitive not long before the game ends. And you should have a whopping good computer if you can even think about running this game (fortunately my computer is very high-end and never encountered a single lag).

Oh, and the next game I receive that forces you to repair your weapons and equipment almost every time you get hit by a virus is going straight to the trash. I thought this stupid time consuming fix-your-weapons gig was only present in that terrible Dark Cloud series, but it's here, too. Monolith and Buena Vista-- do NOT do this again.

This game has made me want to watch the 1982 film starring Jeff Bridges (who, sadly, is not in this game; which is a pity because he's one of my favorite actors), but TRON 2.0 certainly won't make us forget the NOLF series. If you've ever wanted to get inside your computer and run through one hell of a ride, this game is for you. But if a sequel of this game will be ever made (and there should be, given the fact that the game's ending is rushed, disappointing and abrupt), then Monolith should seriously iron out the gruesome bugs in this game. As the sorely missed computer voice from the equally sorely missed People Mover once said, "NEXT TIME YOU MAY NOT FAIR SO WELL".

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Unique and Original
Well, first-off, I do need to recommend one is sure their video card meets requirements before purchase. Though they're not unusual compared to any other new videogames these days, Tron does make extensive use of glow effects--though they can be disabled, they're really a must-have for true enjoyment (think NVidia Geforce 3 series and up, more recent ATI cards...).

Fans of the original Tron movie from 1982 will **certainly** not be disappointed--the game is even rumored to be a feeler for a potential modern sequel.

Though some basic and *very* generic computer understanding (subroutines, viruses, formatting, etc.) can add to one's appreciation, it's certainly not necessary as one plays as a human form digitized and minimized into a humanistic, "symbolic" computer world.

As one progresses, it is possible to find and download "subroutines" than can be adjusted and upgraded within one's personal computer "memory" to aid one in various forms of offense, defense, and ability (e.g., the ability to jump higher, or defend against virus attacks). The technique is a very original capability that allows one to markedly affect how they play the game and what their priorities/strategies are.

Those familiar with the disc and light cycles of the original Tron movie will be most enthused. Use of the disc as a "weapon" is *very* well done, and light cycle incorporation is absolutely magnificent, even playable as tournaments separate from the main game. (N.B.: Some *may* find the light cycles initially frustrating. There is now a general patch from the developer that allows one to skip the few light cycle portions of play should they desire to progress regardless. I personally would recommend players select the option to invert mouse Y-axis during light cycle portions to make things much more natural. They can be mastered without too much effort.)

Tron 2.0 obviously had much thought put into it. I don't recall any "bugs", glitches, or inappropriate/unusually confusing situations, and found it a *very* welcome change from the standard bloody shoot-up stuff that can be out there. Though still primarily a first-person "shooter" / basic puzzle / jump game, the unique "bouncing" disc (and other weapons) are a welcome change from standard "guns" in other things.

Though very different games in multiple ways, it can certainly show Tron 2.0 came from the same folk who did No One Lives Forever 2. As with that game, my biggest critique would be that despite all the various "weapons" possible, it is the most basic (in this case, the three forms of the disc) that remain readily most useful throughout the game save one or two levels. The extras are there, but unlikely to be actually useful most of the time.

One will certainly appreciate and understand Tron 2.0 if they've seen the original Tron movie in advance, though the game is at a whole new level beyond the 20-year-old movie, simply building on the movie's basics. The entire, separate potential for light-cycle tournaments would be a quality game in and of itself, and are really magnificently done.

Ultimately, I believe Tron 2.0 is a great game, and one that really breaks the usual mold of shoddy games based on movies. It may be one of the most cohesive, polished games I've encountered in a long, long while, period. Though one may desire to balance against the virtually simultaneously released Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Tron 2.0 is truly impressive as far as I'm concerned. (Just make sure your machine can handle those glow effects.)

Tron 2.0 readily removes any question as to whether Disney could make a successful, modern sequel to the original Tron movie. With some of its originality and polish, it also deserves Game of the Year awards in various categories.

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Loved it!
I liked it so much I went through the single-player game twice. That's unusual for me. But then, I am a fan of the old movie. The game has single and multi-player modes. The single player mode has you play through a story line, kind of like if you were a character in a movie, with the levels being parts where you do your own thing, and with short video movies that come between each level, leading you to the next task you have to accomplish. The multiplayer mode has you playing in different arenas depending on whether you're playing light cycles, or disc fighting. You can play on a LAN or over the Internet. There is no multiplayer "storyline" mode though. If you want to "play through the story" you have to do it alone.

It has a good balance of action (fighting baddies), storyline, and puzzle-solving. From what I hear, it has some characteristics of role-playing games. If you've never played a role-playing game before, don't be intimidated by this. It's not a big deal in the game. It's role playing in the sense that you pick up upgrades or run across an "optimizer" device, and at certain points, you can upgrade your own capabilities, weapons, and armor. A hint is it's good to watch the trends that you see on the levels, as you go. Notice if some capability, weapon, or armor, would've been more helpful on the last level you were on, if it were more capable, and focus on upgrading that. As with other games where you have to strategize some, there are certain weapons and add-ons that are best against certain bad guys and situations.

The game allows you to wander around some, but not beyond certain boundaries. Some people don't like that because they feel like they're confined to where the game designers are leading them, and it doesn't allow as much creativity. I liked it because it kept me from getting lost. The game follows a linear storyline and you can't deviate from it, or go back a level (unless you saved along the way, in which case you can always load up a previous level, back to your save point). That reminds me. F5 (Quick Save) is your friend! Use it often.

The story goes that you're Jet, Alan's son. fCon, another company, is merging or buying Encom, after Encom went through some rough times. The fCon guys are not so friendly though, as Alan, and eventually Jet find out. It's more of a hostile takeover, in the literal sense. Jet gets beamed inside the computer by Ma3a, a friendly AI program Alan wrote. The point of the game is to make your way back out of the system, just like it was in the original Tron movie. What's different is there isn't a sense of alter-egos in the computer world, or an objective of "freeing the system". However, what's revealed in the short videos that break up each level was very interesting to me. Some good writing went into them. The music by the original Tron composer, Wendy Carlos, is great too.

The look of the levels and the feel of the storyline preserve the spirit of what I liked about the old movie, though it's been updated, of course. The design of the levels is pure eye candy! I couldn't help but just stop and look around at it. Almost every level looks beautiful. My favorite level is a part where Jet enters "the old mainframe". The design of the level, the colors used, the background music, all bring you back to the early 80s period of technology, and the old Tron universe. Those who have been around long enough will recognize it. They did a great job. A few of the levels have light cycles on them (yes, they really do exist in the game!), and you have to battle it out against computer-controlled opponents. A couple of the levels even have the old tanks on them! They look great!

One review I read (outside Amazon) criticized the ending as being "anticlimactic". I agree with that. It seems as though the creators got writer's block and just wanted to "wrap it up". I wasn't that impressed with that part. But the rest of the game? Great!

Some technical notes. You can run the game on a machine that matches the minimum requirements, but I would really recommend a machine that matches their recommended machine spec's on the box, if not better, and at least a mid-level video card with hardware 3D acceleration (something around $100-$150 as of this writing). Anything less and you're likely to be disappointed since the machine will be straining to accommodate the complexity of the levels, the 3D models, and the effects. The animation is likely to look jerky and playability will suffer.

Even though the game is really well made, it's not without a few blemishes. I actually had it crash on me a few times on the higher levels. Fortunately it crashed gracefully without a system lockup (it just took me back to the desktop), and I was able to just start it up again and reload from my last save point. A bit annoying, but it wasn't a big minus, IMO.

This game is a classic. I'm certainly going to keep it around. Now all Disney needs to do is to come out with the movie that was supposed to come out shortly after the game! Here's hoping.