Monsters, Inc. (video game)
Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 platform game based on the film of the same name, published by THQ and released for Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, and PlayStation 2. The game was developed by Vicarious Visions for the Game Boy Color, Natsume for the Game Boy Advance. The handheld versions of the game were released in October 2001 in North America and in February 2002 in Europe. The PlayStation 2 version was developed by Kodiak Interactive and only released in North America in March 2002. The Game Boy Advance version was also released on a  Twin Pack cartridge bundled with "Finding Nemo" in 2005. Gameplay. PlayStation 2 version. "Monsters, Inc." is a 3D platformer. Players control James P. "Sulley" Sullivan through 8 levels based on environments from the movie, including the scream factory Monsters Incorporated, the streets of Monstropolis, Sulley's apartment, the Himalayas, and more. In each level, the main goals might include picking up one or more special items, or finding the exit. Sulley has to make his way across platforms, ladders and conveyor belts by jumping, climbing, flipping switches and pushing crates around. To attack enemies, Sulley can use his tail to  whip opponents. The game has no lives system, so levels can be attempted an unlimited number of times. Each level also includes a number of collectibles and special tasks. There are 100 discarded screams to pick up; finding a certain percentage of them unlocks mini-game bonus levels. There are also five scream canisters to find and a small challenge involving scaring five mice within a time limit. If both are completed, clips from the movie are unlocked. Reception. Media review aggregator website Metacritic scored the game at 52%, scoring the game at having "mixed or average reviews" based on  15 critic scores. Douglass C. Perry from IGN gave the game a 2.9/10 rating, called the gameplay, "formulaic, obvious, and occasionally cute". "Game Informer" magazine gave the PlayStation 2 version of the game a score of 5 out of 10: "It's tough to be impressed by a game based on a Pixar movie, when it's a given Pixar's CG is 2,000 times better than anything a current game system could offer". GameSpy's review of the game was scathing, saying "it's also not an overly difficult game, nor an overly long game, nor an overly attractive  game, nor an overly fun game" before giving the game a 43% score. GameSpot gave the game 55%, but also cited the game's issues saying "[it] will likely bore the older players and frustrate the young".