Pap the Disney
Gamer's Highlights: Finding Nemo:
The Video Game and The Finding
Nemo Submarine Voyage Mini Games
(Kinect Disneyland Adventures)
Developed by:
Traveller's Tales (Finding Nemo:
The Video Game)/Frontier
Developments (Kinect Disneyland
Adventures)
Systems:
GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
(Finding Nemo: The Game) Xbox
360 (Kinect Disneyland
Adventures)
For the longest
time ever, Finding Nemo
was my favorite Pixar movie
ever, and for many good reasons.
It's a movie that achieves that
rare mix of drama, humor,
adventure, and even some small
commentary on the welfare of sea
life, while still being
incredibly fun to experience,
making it one of the most
rewatchable films in the Pixar
canon (for me at least). The
film was also one of the biggest
animated films of 2003, which
lead to a huge presence at
Disney. Finding Nemo can now be
found everywhere, such as a
submarine voyage attraction at
Disneyland, a creative musical
at Disney's Animal Kingdom, a
whole area dedicated to the film
on Disney's Art of Animation
Resort and several attractions
at EPCOT. Such is the film's
legacy that it will be
re-released in 3D later this
week. To celebrate this
momentous occasion, I will be
talking about not one but TWO
Finding Nemo games. The first is
Finding Nemo: The Video Game,
released in 2003 at the time of
film's premiere, and the second
is a mini-game found in Kinect
Disneyland Adventures dedicated
to the Finding Nemo Submarine
Voyage, accentuating the legacy
this film has created at Disney.

Finding Nemo:
The Video Game was developed by
Traveller's Tales, a video game
development company who isn't a
stranger to adapting film
franchises into game form (one
of these is the various LEGO
games, such as LEGO Pirates of
the Caribbean). Traveller's
Tales may not be known for
creating the best video games
ever, but they make solid games
with great usage of the licenses
they were given. In Finding
Nemo's case, the game born out
of it is fun, though those
expecting something deeper might
be disappointed. The game
follows the storyline of the
film, taking some of the biggest
events in the film and turning
them into playable levels, such
as surfing with Crush the
turtle, escaping the sharks and
jumping through the jellyfish.

These levels are
presented in a 2D side-scrolling
manner, with some segments being
presented in a third person view
for a more dramatic view of the
action. You will also encounter
the major characters from the
film, such as Nigel the Pelican,
the fish from Mr. Ray's class
and more. In terms of
presentation, Finding Nemo: The
Video Game doesn't quite reach
the cinematic beauty of the
original film. Yet, it manages
to make the game recognizable in
its designs. The characters look
like their film counterparts,
and the levels range from the
dark and dangerous to the
colorful and enchanting. Like
many of games of its kind,
Finding Nemo: The Video Game
features actual film clips that
help tell the story of the
movie.
Finding Nemo:
The Video Game can be cynically
seen as a product of the wild
merchandising that occurred
during the original release of
the film, meaning its quality is
below the standards we are used
to experiencing. But in
actuality, Finding Nemo: The
Video Game is a fun title that
does a good job of giving us the
chance to relive the thrills of
the Pixar classic. It might be
too light in terms of gameplay
for the likes of gaming experts,
but it isn't too heavy either,
making it a great game for
families and casual gamers to
enjoy without worry of too much
stress or worry.

As stated,
Finding Nemo: The Video Game was
created to coincide with the
release of the film, a marketing
opportunity to get the word out
about the movie or further
reinforce it. This was when the
film was still brand new, and it
was unknown whether it would be
a huge success or be middling at
best. Nearly ten years later,
Finding Nemo is a powerhouse at
Disney, as mentioned at the
start of this article. In order
to highlight just how far the
film has come since then, the
next Finding Nemo game
highlighted this week will be
the Finding Nemo Submarine
Voyage mini game on Kinect
Disneyland Adventures.
Before we dive
into that game (no pun
intended), here is some history
of the attraction that inspired
it. One of the most famous
attractions at Disneyland way
back in the day was 'The
Submarine Voyage Thru Liquid
Space.' Opening in 1959, almost
four years after park opening.
The concept behind this
attraction was that it would
take guests into an underwater
world in Tomorrowland. The ride
kept operating until 1998, when
it was closed for several years.
The huge success of Finding Nemo
in theaters and other facets of
the Disney company, however,
inspired them to create a new
twist on the classic attraction.
The ride opened in 2007 to great
success and critical acclaim.

This brings me
to Kinect Disneyland Adventures,
a game that has been featured
several times on Gamer Tuesday.
To learn more about the overall
game, check out
the original article here.
The short version is that Kinect
Disneyland Adventures aims to
digitally recreate the happiest
place on earth using the Kinect
motion gaming technology and in
the greatest detail possible.
Many of Disneyland's major
attractions have been recreated
as mini-games that try to
capture the fun and spirit of
the attractions. The Finding
Nemo Submarine Voyage is one of
the many attractions that can be
experienced in the game.
When you enter
the Finding Nemo Submarine
Attraction, you can partake in
three different mini-games (or
chapters as the game calls
them). In the first mini-game,
you play hide and seek with Nemo
and Squirt (Crush's son) on the
coral reef. While Nemo is
counting, you will be collecting
coins. When Nemo is finished
counting, you then must hide
behind some objects that have
been scattered in the level.

In the second
game, Bruce, the recovering
carnivorous shark, has entered
his fierce hunter mode, and is
now chasing Nemo, Squirt and the
player through an old submarine.
The player does this by moving
his or her body, avoiding the
walls and objects that liter the
level.
In the third and
final game, Nemo and Squirt join
Crush the turtle on a wild ride
through the EAC (East Australian
Current), navigating through
strong currents while the player
collects coins. If you ever want
to experience just how far
gaming has come since 2003 then
look no further than these
Finding Nemo mini games. In
2003, Finding Nemo: The Video
Game featured graphics that were
adequate for the systems it was
designed for, looking similarly
to the movie, but not quite
reaching its high end detail.

Kinect
Disneyland Adventures, on the
other hand, was developed for
the Xbox 360, a high definition
system, and one that tried its
hardest to make it exactly like
the Disneyland Resort
experience. The Finding Nemo
Submarine Voyage mini games come
very close to matching the
artistry of the film. The levels
closely resemble the scenes
featured in the movie, while
characters are vividly rendered
to a very close relation to the
computer generated models of the
film. Musically, it borrows many
of the themes from the film's
soundtrack for an even more
authentic presentation.
So whether you
are playing through the major
events of the film or reliving a
beloved Disneyland attraction,
it is a guarantee that you will
be charmed yet again by the big
blue world of Finding Nemo and
friends. It's hard to imagine a
Disney legacy without the
colorful fish, and these games
remind us why.