The Polar Express (video game)

The Polar Express
European PlayStation 2 cover art
Developer(s)	Blue Tongue Entertainment (PS2, GC, PC) Tantalus Media (GBA)
Publisher(s)	THQ
Director(s)	Nick Hagger
Producer(s)	Nick Hagger Kevin Chan
Designer(s)	Nick Hagger Drew Morrow Morten Brodersen
Programmer(s)	Graeme Webb
Artist(s)	Andrew Dyson
Composer(s)	Stephan Schütze
Engine	RenderWare
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance GameCube Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2
Release	NA: November 2, 2004 EU: December 16, 2004[1]
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

The Polar Express is an action-adventure platform game based on the film of the same name. It was developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Microsoft Windows. A version for the Game Boy Advance was developed by Tantalus Media. All versions of the game were published by THQ. It was released in North America on November 2, 2004 and in Europe on December 16, 2004.

Gameplay

The game follows most of the main plot of the film. One major difference is that the Ebenezer Scrooge Puppet, who only makes a minor appearance in the film, plays a much bigger role as the main antagonist who attempts to prevent the children from believing in Santa Claus by stealing their tickets, and trying to get them thrown off the train to keep the children from getting to the North Pole. The game is broken down into six chapters, giving the player the opportunity to explore areas like the train, the North Pole, and more. The player controls a young boy in each of the 6 chapters.^[2] The game also contains puzzle-solving as well as some minigame-styled elements.^[3]

The Game Boy Advance version is a 2D side-scrolling platformer which also has some levels where you control The Polar Express train itself in 3D.

Development

THQ unveiled the game at the E3 convention in 2004.^[3][4] The PlayStation 2 version contains EyeToy support. A portable version of the game was also in development for the Game Boy Advance, by developer Tantalus.^[3]

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score GBA GC PC PS2 GameSpot N/A 3.1/10[11] N/A 3.1/10[11] GameZone 4.5/10[12] 7.2/10[13] 6.3/10[14] N/A IGN N/A 3.5/10[2] N/A 3.5/10[2] Nintendo Power 3/5[15] 2.9/5[16] N/A N/A OPM (US) N/A N/A N/A [17] Aggregate scores GameRankings 48.2%[7] 46.8%[8] 71.5%[9] 46.29%[10] Metacritic N/A 40/100[5] N/A 39/100[6]

The Polar Express received "generally unfavorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.^{[18][19][5][6]}

Reviewing the console versions of the game, for GameSpot, Avery Score felt the experience was "a soulless video game cash-in on the movie" and that it would "leave even the youngest of tykes painfully aware that they've been cheated".^[11] IGN's Matt Casamassina was likewise, very negative, finding every sort of gameplay featured were "flawed or underdeveloped" and criticizing its short length.^[2]

Dana Jongewaard, of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, was more positive about the game. While she conceded its short length and simplicity would make it a "questionable choice fore anyone over 8", she thought that the game's target audience would enjoy it. She also complemented the bonus EyeToy content.^[17]

The Gameboy Advance version was also more positively received by Nintendo Power, receiving praise for its graphics and gameplay, and recommending it for fans of the film.^[15] On the other hand, this version was more negatively reviewed by GameZone, describing it as "tired, worn out" and simply "no fun".^[13]

References

External links

• The Polar Express at MobyGames
• The Polar Express (Game Boy Advance) at MobyGames

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