TRON: Legacy is one of our most-anticipated films of the year, and TRON: Evolution ranks right up there with most-anticipated movie tie-ins. Of course, in the world of gaming that’s a dangerous aspiration, because licensed games tend to stink. Surely Disney would drill this one though, right? Well, the early reviews point to a strong chance of suckage.
Although only a few TRON: Evolution reviews have trickled in so far, the scores aren’t all that encouraging for what has the potential to be a great licensed title. The average TRON: Evolution review score is hovering in the 60th percentile, which probably ranks it alongside such movie-based stalwarts as the interactive version of Ernest Saves Christmas and Santa Paws: The Potty Trainer.
A review at PlayStation Universe says the visual style is crisp and the parkour gameplay intriguing, but describes the platforming mechanics as “unforgiving” and the combat as lacking depth. 1UP, meanwhile, says in its TRON: Evolution review that the game — which they grade a D+ — is comprised of “sloppy, unimaginative third-person action and some seriously reprehensible vehicular segments.” Ouch. Giant Bomb’s assessment isn’t much rosier, as it implies that the game’s just too much of a mixed bag to really be enjoyable.
We’ve been looking forward to the new TRON movie and game for quite some time, so here’s hoping that these early reviews of TRON: Evolution are bunk. However, three disparate outlets giving such similar comments and scores doesn’t bode well. With any luck, we’ll get a copy of the game ourselves and be able to run it through its paces to give you the honest truth. And hopefully, that truth is that the game’s not nearly as bad as these early reviews imply.