I saw the Disney film Tron on its opening weekend. Twice. My friend and I were entranced by the visuals and concept. Programs being people and moving about within the circuit boards of machines as humans do on city streets and hallways??!! That was a fantastic premise that is under-appreciated in the Post-Matrix generation we live in today. Still, I absorb Tron factoids like an addiction. I never got the Tron 2.0 version for the PC last year, but aside from that, I have been a hard-core fan for over two decades. In fact, my tech consulting business's name is borrowed from the movie. Both my friend and I went on to technical fields based, in part, to the attraction of what we saw way back then.

The reviews of Tron 2.0 for the PC last year seemed to be a mixed bag, but I get the feel that most people like it very much. The film, and game, seem to be a joke to a lot of people these days. Compared to The Matrix films, Half-life/Halo, Marilyn Manson and other staples of today's "slacker-angst" generation, Tron and it's parallels are silly and dated. It's clean, understandable and approachable. Not popular now. Back then, programmer Alan Bradley had created a program called "Tron" that was a hacking-security program. With the help of a programmer named Flynn, who is digitized and thrown into the computer world, the Tron program defeats the evil all-consuming MCP (Master Control Program) and saves the (digital) world. Along the journey, Flynn encounters lavish worlds and breath-taking views of a world that we do not see. Despite popular belief, not much of the original film was CGI. A portion of it surely was, but mostly it was painstaking manual-art that gave it the look it projected. Another reason to respect it.

Tron 2.0 picks up a generation after the movie ends. Alan's son, Jet, is now the hero and the one that gets to test his meddle in the digi-domain. Jet has to explore, battle and decipher this world in an attempt to find his missing Father. Launched into the mainframe as a digitized user, he has to avoid death from various nefarious means. Your main weapon is your Identity Disk. Though difficult to explain, think of it as a Frisbee that holds every Bit of information about you - but can be thrown (then returns) with deadly results similar to using a boomerang. If Steve Jobs were to create a weapon, this would be it. 

The arcade Tron game(s) did a good job of bringing the feel of the game to you, but since this is based on a unseen future world and (maybe?) on the sequel being developed, there is not as much familiarity. In fact, some of the familiar items ARE back, but with enhanced ability (ex: Light Cycles are more advanced). So, you are not as able to anticipate what actions will occur from various weapons and machines, as there is no base for reference as existed from seeing the (first) movie. 

Unlike the previous Tron games, this is a glorified first-person shooter. It kind of goes downhill from there. With the potential that exists within the Tron universe, a much more imaginative game could have been created. But, it's a shooter with dazzling visuals and sidebar action to keep it fresh enough to be engaging. There is a tremendous amount of frustrating annoyance to this game. The agonizingly slow (and pointless) load screens are the first thing to anger you. Almost immediately into starting the game, you are faced with what seems like an "error." I kept pressing buttons - thinking something was wrong, or the game was waiting on ME for something. Nope ... it was just loading. I attribute this to the graphical weight. Once the game resumed, it was utterly lavish and ... gorgeous. The movie was known for it's look, which took months of hard work to achieve. This game is the same in that the colors and world in general are - out of this world. The greens and purples come straight from the pallet of a digital Da Vinci. Fortunately, the first of the game requires no quick moves, so you can just look around and enjoy the eye candy. Then, walk up to someone and begin your quest for information. Yes, there is ample exploring and RPG in addition to run-and-shoot action. 

There are some nifty features such as being able to gain strength and knowledge after killing a opponent. If you engage the space in which he was killed, you can "absorb" his inventory. Like merging his programming into yours. That might include things that will help you enter areas or get information to otherwise advance your progress. Like many other games out there, completing levels gives you enhancements that will help you. Just like winning a car race and getting better tires with the $$ winnings. You can tailor your strengths based on what it lacking in your arsenal. Just like upgraded game releases, you increase your own level (Jet 2.0!). Along with the upgrades, viruses exist and you must be cleansed if that becomes an issue.

Everything in the game is parallel to a computer term or, in some cases, action. The names for items in the game make you feel like you are constantly reading a tech manual. You don't just die - it's known as "end of line." Ahhh ...  flashbacks of mainframe programming!! The world here is geometry, logic and physics, though does not play like a SAT test. It's just that the terms are not familiar like "Super-Gun" or simple, generic names like that. If you are a absolute newbie with tech-terms, that adds a curve to recalling what is what - when it matters. One of the most encountered term-goodies is a "Subroutine." That's a sleek term for power-up. There are all kinds of subroutines to help you. One will allow you to move about with more stealth. Like a RPG in which you carry a small satchel, you are limited to how much you can hold in your digital-baggie.

The audio is excellent. The voice acting is top-notch. They have two stars from the original film: Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan. Also, as "ma3a", we have the lovely Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Mystique from the X-Men movies). The environmental sounds are hard to judge against reality, as I have not explored the insides of a chip in quite a long time!! But, the sounds are quite nice. The music is good, and adds to the experience rather than distract you as some scores do. The band "Breaking Benjamin lent their talents to the music. I know nothing about them, but liked what I heard. Too bad Information Society's Kurt Holland is involved with a competitor game company - his style is a natural for this environment. 

The graphics, to be modest, are awesome. You traverse a glowing neon world with flashes and flares that makes it even more lavish. I attribute the horribly slow and annoying load screens this factor. The load screens are such a issue, it's only the reward of the revealed graphics that make it tolerable. The light cycles are leaps above the original film's bikes - which were one of the only CGI elements of the film. 

This game could easily go different ways in it's evaluation. I can readily see where it can be liked or hated. I imagine it depends on your basis of comparison - if that it your prerequisite for a game's worth. If you view it as a first-person shooter (only), then I have seen many that are far superior. If you want a RPG, this is a cluttered mess compared to the competition. Tron 2.0, like the original film many years ago, is an attempt to mesh worlds that were not meant to be blended. It's not the first game to offer several genres of game in one title, but since it is a game that is (kind of) about a game, it's standards are different. The weapons are unique. The "rewards" system is engaging. It is suited for us geeks that enjoy the tech-speak and fantasy element of walking around inside the computers that make up so much of your lives. Yes, the load screens and horrible jumping/falling aspects are abysmal, but there are also a lot of things to admire and appreciate. I think the price is good for what it is. I try to avoid weighing price and quality, but sometimes it helps make a purchasing decision. In this case, it's a good value.

Gameplay: 7.0
There are tons of annoying, slow load screens and some of the (jumping) movements are beyond horrible. Despite many, many attempts and failures, I still do not feel like I have a good grasp of the jumping maneuver. But, there are fantastic positives such as the light cycles games. Unlike the simple (though fun) action from the arcades and movie, there are more dimensions to Tron 2.0's light cycles battles. There are power-ups and the ability to blow away walls of light. The weapons are fun and easy to use. There's nothing more annoying than getting a cool weapon and no instruction manual! There is a lot of dependence on the user manual, but overall it's easy to play and learn.

Graphics: 9.5 
Easily the strongest aspect of the game - the graphics. Glowing rooms, machines and people. The flashes of light will mesmerize you as you react to what's going on. They spent a long time making the visuals more than a subtle enhancement to the game. In many ways, they ARE the game. 

Sound: 7.5
While not as memorable as the look, the music, voice and sounds stand out quite well. The music during load screens will drive you nuts, but only because it serves to remind you that you are waiting ... and waiting. It was great to get original stars to participate in the game. Cindy Morgan plays more than one role, and Rebecca does a nice job playing her role. It's always nice when they snag quality actors for games. I wonder if she will be in the upcoming Tron movie?  

Difficulty: Hard
I was surprised at how challenging the game was. I expected a learning curve, then adjustment... then success. Nothing comes easy in this one. Movement controls and camera issues still annoy me, but i adapted enough to achieve moderate success. It will test your patience and thinking. There are puzzles and combat. If you can't do both, you'll find little to enjoy here.

Concept: 8.5 
To create a world from imagination is a great, and terrible, assignment. What would the glowing insides of a microprocessor look like to a living, breathing program? That does not exist in our world, so creating that has to be respected. making a game to match the look is a challenge. They could have rested with knowing it looked good, but with horrible gameplay, all the beauty is useless. 

Multiplayer: 
XBox Live! enables you to play online with up to 16 people. That's pretty amazing. Though I am not a current XBL subscriber, I fully intend to try this feature out. Exploring the world inside the computer should be even more enriching with a collection of friends to help you out.

Overall: 7.5
The super-stripped premise is you are sent in to locate your missing father while averting a Civil War amongst programs. That is, in the most basic terms, what's going on. However, the world is more rich and the experience is more fulfilling than that simplified analogy. It's a deep, vast Universe contained within a tiny virtual space. Like micro-organisms on the leaf of a plant, the cyber world represented here is full of exploration and things we do not recognize. Thus, navigation and succeeding in this world requires a lot of patience and trial and error. It can be terribly frustrating, as when it's bad - it's bad. Maybe XBox Live can provide some upgrade patches in the future. They promise being able to apply new touches to it already ... so why not some improvements on it's obvious shortcomings? But, it is what it is; and that's good enough for now. I found it to be rewarding and full of replay interest. I was often frustrated to point of walking away from movement "errors," but I soon returned to the glowing world to try again. I look forward to trying it online - to see how deep the digital rabbit hole goes.