Disney's TRON: Evolution

It may not re-write the book on action games, but for licenses, it just might.

Propaganda have done a really good job in crafting something that not only achieves its main purpose, but also doesn't completely suck.

Evolution's cool parkour sensibility, where acrobatics and wall-running are the order of the day, is hampered by its tendency to lead "Anon" to his death repeatedly.

Tron: Evolution is a game that has so much going for it, but lets itself down at the last hurdle. With average combat and poorly designed free running, the game ultimately redeems itself in the story.

It's always the same. Games that accompany movies still feel like they were thrown on the market without being finished. The good story of TRON: Evolution isn't enough to make up for the bad graphics and controls.

Surprisingly entertaining, but it borrows a lot from famous assassins and princes of Persia.

To put it simply, if you liked the new movie, despite its flaws, Tron: Evolution is a decent companion piece.

The gameplay is fairly basic and somewhat repetitive, but with patience, you'll probably be drawn into the Grid and find enjoyment from derezzing programs from start to conclusion.

TRON: Evolution is a good but not excellent game. The main structure is quite standard, and the game flow is good enough to keep the player glued to the experience. The multiplayer is fair and funny, even if the Light Cycle battles are not as good as the originals.

As a movie franchised game, it is better than most but the lack of variety and often difficult controls stop it from being a classic game.

A game that entertains without inspiring, doing enough to settle comfortably into the realms of "good" while never exerting the additional effort required to raise expectations any higher.

TRON: Evolution mixes free-running platforming with simple but engaging combat and is a fun if slightly repetitive trip back into the digital world of the Grid.

The game exceeds our expectations in nearly all areas and certainly rates highly in our minds-own check-list of movie cash-ins.

Tron newcomers probably needn't apply, but those who count the original film among their favorites may want to enter Evolution's grid.

It's too short and too flawed to recommend completely, but if you just want a quick, fun game you could do much worse than Tron Evolution.

The story mode is extremely short, and the online offerings feel a bit hollow.

I was happy to see that Propaganda at least put forward a decent effort and with a bigger budget and more development time, they might have been able to smooth out the game's edges and turn in something that could have been less of a "fans only" proposition and more of a mainstream contender.

TRON transports you right into a computer and apparently that computer is very old because the game has a lot of flaws. This game will still be able to let you have a fair share of fun but it would have been better if Propaganda Games had put just a little bit more effort in this one.

TRON: Evolution is a generic and competent action game that will appeal to fans of the franchise the most.

TRON: Evolution has the look and feel of everything that makes the TRON universe cool. You get the lightcycle, tank and identity disc battles that you've been craving for some time. Regretfully, all of this is plagued by very loose controls that create too much frustration to enjoy the rest.

If you loved the movie (the new one), you'll probably be interested in this plain action title. Otherwise, there's much better whichever the platform you own.

This is budget gaming at best, and even diehard TRON fans need to wait for this thing to drop to half-price or lower.

Tron: Evolution was obviously the best effort Propaganda could pump out in time for the movie, but it quickly becomes evident that the tale of Clu's uprising is sadly a rushed attempt to nab a fan's dollars and sense.

At its best, Tron: Evolution reminds us of Prince of Persia, but the platform sections are regularly broken up by boring and uninspired combat. The story is uninteresting, and while the looks are almost carbon copied from the movie, they don't work nearly as well in an interactive experience. Tron: Evolution ends up feeling more like a prologue to the movie than anything else, and therefore never really satisfies.

Tron Evolution could have been a great game, but it lacks much of the polish required to leave a lasting impression.

Some great ideas, but derezzes in its execution.

There's ultimately no real purpose to this game's existence, but if you get stuck with it for Christmas, you could certainly do worse for an evening or weekend.

It's a competent enough game but could have been so much more, if you fancy something like Prince of Persia though it's definitely worth a rental, and if you loved Tron and can't wait for the new film then you really have to give it a go, if only just for the story.

As a guy that appreciated Tron back when it was released who is already interested in seeing the new movie, the way Evolution fleshes out the world and sets up the events of Tron: Legacy makes it a lot more interesting than it would have been otherwise.

It's a repetitive cyberpunk Prince of Persia. The platforming and combat are flashy, but both feel awkward to control and get really competitive.

Considering the blahness of the single player mode, it's somewhat surprising that Tron Evolution also has a multiplayer mode where up to ten players can play neonized, light-cycle-accessorized versions of deathmatch or capture the flag. Like the single player, these experiences are less than gripping.

The game is too hard and many parts of it are too frustrating. The controls in Tron: Evolution are a total mess. Why is there a multiplayer in this game?

Everything's charmlessly contrived and shamelessly (but poorly) ripped from PoP.

Repetitive, confusing and bland fare that takes PoP's template and messes it up. [Feb 2011, p.100]

Lulled into thinking Tron: Evolution might actually be half-decent on first impressions, we feel a genuine sense of disappointment that it gradually turns out to be yet another poor movie tie-in that's fairly unmemorable, repetitive and a bit dull overall. Here's hoping that the movie is infinitely better than this.

This game actually doesn't have any flaw too negative, but neither anything remarkable.

The first movie's cult status will draw people into Tron: Evolution, but the single-player campaign's repetitiveness and the unmemorable multiplayer action point to a game that's best enjoyed as a rental rather than a purchase. Tron: Evolution isn't a total failure, just a disappointment for fans hoping for something as innovative as the original film was back in the day.

How cruelly ironic that a game filled with gleaming, glossy surfaces would be in such dire need of polish.

Tron: Evolution suffers from the original movie's main affliction: Monotony. While initially interesting, the gameplay feels repetitive, and an inconsistent control system causes additional frustration. The soundtrack is, on the other hand, awesome – but that's sadly not enough to make this game a classic.

Tron: Evolution had the potential for expressing a unique and interesting story, but fell short of expectations.

The universe is original, thanks to the instantly recognizable visual style of the film, but the gameplay is much more ordinary.

I was hoping for more from TRON: Evolution. Unfortunately, all I got was another disappointing movie tie-in that's not very fun to play.

When all is said and done, it is difficult to recommend TRON: Evolution as a game. Though it expands on some of the background leading up to the new film and gives us a bit more insight into Quorra's character, suffering through the tedious gameplay segments just isn't worth it, even for a hardcore fan.

Tron: Evolution will probably have a handful of defenders, but I can't reasonably suggest that anyone play it. It's a shoddy experience that ultimately isn't much fun. Tron superfans would do better simply watching the movie again and calling it a day.

If you want to get irritated by a game, Tron: Evolution is the one for you. The sluggish controls ruin the experience and the story doesn't make up for it at all. The beautiful looking world can't save the game from being anything more than a cheap marketing tool for Disney.

Tron: Evolution is a mess of poorly implemented ideas and sloppy mechanics boiling down to a game that offers very little even to its most hardcore fans. Its story is barely there, and the exploration of the universe isn't one that is worth traversing the problems that it wallows in.

No matter how the new movie turns out this tie-in makes all the usual mistakes with bland, unoriginal action and an incoherent narrative.

As much as it pains me to say it, Tron: Evolution proves that it takes a lot more than nostalgia and shiny graphics to make an enjoyable videogame.

An annoying platform/adventure hybrid that fails to utilise its fictional universe effectively. [Issue#67, p.84]