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Finding Nemo (video game)

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Finding Nemo
Developer(s)Traveller's Tales
Vicarious Visions (GBA)
KnowWonder (PC & Mac)
Publisher(s)THQ
Producer(s)Ralph Ferneyhough
Programmer(s)John Hodskinson
Artist(s)James Cunliffe
Composer(s)Andy Blythe & Marten Joustra
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: 9 May 2003[2]
  • AU: 3 September 2003[1]
  • EU: 26 September 2003
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Finding Nemo is a 2003 action-adventure video game based on the film of the same name by Disney and Pixar. The GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions were developed by Traveller's Tales, the Game Boy Advance version of the game was developed by Vicarious Visions, and its Microsoft Windows and Mac versions were developed by KnowWonder. All versions were published by THQ.

Gameplay

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All versions of the game roughly follow the plot of the film, though different versions of the games generally omit certain parts of the film's story.

The goal is to complete different levels whilst playing as the film's protagonists Nemo, Marlin or Dory. Whilst most levels are played in a left to right side-scrolling manner, the game also continues a number of minigames and other alternate It includes cutscenes from the movie, and each clip is based on a level, e.g. hopping through a batch of jellyfish. Most levels have optional tasks to complete to obtain Gold Starfishes, which will allow the player to play a bonus level.

The Game Boy Advance version consists of side-scrolling adventure/puzzle stages along with several minigames interspaced across its length. Each level and minigame is based on a specific scene from the film. Collecting star rings found throughout most levels will give the player the chance to play a memory matching game at the end of each level, which upon completion will unlock an image in the game's gallery. The game does not support saving in its Game Boy Advance version, instead opting for a password system to allow players to carry on from their last completed level, and can be also used to unlock all the images in the gallery.

Development

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On June 11, 2002, THQ announced that Traveller's Tales would be developing Finding Nemo titles for home consoles, to be released the same day as the animated film. It was to be the first game to be developed under THQ's publishing deal with Disney Interactive and Pixar.[3]

Reception

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Finding Nemo received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. whilst the GBA, PC, and Mac OS versions did not receive enough reviews to receive a consensus.[4][5][6] Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40 for the PS2 version; and 26 out of 40 for the GameCube version.[7]

Reviewing the console version of the game, GameSpot's Tim Tracy gave the game a 6.2 out of 10, whilst noting that it "does a fine job of re-creating the lighthearted story of the film", and "the controls and gameplay are very simple", it frequently veered into the territory of being frustrating, especially when one attempted to complete every objective.[8] Writing for Eurogamer, Kristan Reed echoed complaints of frustrations with the game's puzzles, though she generally praised the graphics, describing them as "an absolute revelation", ultimately giving the game a 6 out of 10.[9]

Reviewing the Game Boy Advance version of the game, Gamespy's Jon Gibson called the game "a thing of beauty.", whilst bemoaning it as "pretty basic in the gameplay department", ultimately giving the game 2 stars out of 5.[10] Nintendo Power was more positive, with its five reviewers giving the game an average score of 3.8 stars out of 5.[11]

Sales

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In the United States alone, Finding Nemo's Game Boy Advance version sold 1.2 million copies and earned $30 million by August 2006.[23] During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 10th highest-selling game launched for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable in that country.[23] The PlayStation 2 version received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[24] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[25] As of November 2005, the game sold more than 5 million units worldwide.[26] By February 2006, the game sold more than 7 million units.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "THQ Ships Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo for GameCube and Game Boy Advance". Nintendo Australia. September 3, 2003. Archived from the original on December 2, 2003. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  2. ^ I. G. N. Staff (2003-05-09). "THQ Ships Finding Nemo". IGN. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  3. ^ I. G. N. Staff (2002-06-11). "Finding Nemo". IGN. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  4. ^ a b "Finding Nemo for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Disney/Pixar Finding Nemo for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Finding Nemo for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  7. ^ a b c Ignis, Vauglan (26 November 2003). "Notas de Famitsu y Dorimaga" [Notes by Famitsu & Dorimaga] (in Spanish). UveJuegos. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d Tracy, Tim (3 June 2003). "Finding Nemo Review (GC, PS2, XBOX)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  9. ^ a b Reed, Kristan (3 October 2003). "Finding Nemo (PS2)". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  10. ^ a b Gibson, Jon (24 June 2003). "GameSpy: Finding Nemo (GBA)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 31 December 2005. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Finding Nemo (GBA)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 170. July–August 2003. p. 146 – via Archive.org.
  12. ^ Mason, Lisa (August 2003). "Finding Nemo (GC)". Game Informer. No. 124. p. 93. Archived from the original on 16 November 2003. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  13. ^ Reiner, Andrew (July 2003). "Finding Nemo (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 123. p. 107. Archived from the original on 24 February 2005. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  14. ^ Liu, Johnny (June 2003). "Finding Nemo Review (PS2)". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  15. ^ Pavlacka, Adam (27 June 2003). "GameSpy: Finding Nemo (GCN)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  16. ^ Pavlacka, Adam (7 June 2003). "GameSpy: Finding Nemo (PS2)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  17. ^ Pavlacka, Adam (27 June 2003). "GameSpy: Finding Nemo (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  18. ^ Bedigian, Louis (18 June 2003). "Finding Nemo - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  19. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (27 May 2003). "Finding Nemo (GCN)". IGN. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  20. ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (27 May 2003). "Finding Nemo (PS2, Xbox)". IGN. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  21. ^ "Finding Nemo (GC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 170. July–August 2003. p. 145 – via Archive.org.
  22. ^ "Finding Nemo". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. August 2003. p. 99.
  23. ^ a b Keiser, Joe (August 2, 2006). "The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games". Next Generation. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007.
  24. ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009.
  25. ^ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.
  26. ^ Davidson, Neil (November 4, 2005). "Disney scopes out position as player in big game world". Edmonton Journal. p. 73. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue, A New Underwater Journey Inspired by a Disney Presentation of a Pixar film, Finding Nemo, Now available for Nintendo DS". Buena Vista Games. February 8, 2006. Archived from the original on March 22, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
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