Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue

Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue
Developer(s)	Traveller's Tales
Publisher(s)	Activision
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, PC, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3
Release date(s)	PlayStation PAL June 1, 1999[citation needed] NA November 30, 1999 AUS 2000 Nintendo 64 NA November 17, 1999 PAL April 02, 2000[citation needed] Game Boy Color NA November 30, 1999 Dreamcast NA June 30, 2000[citation needed]
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E) ELSPA: 3+ USK: 6
Media/distribution	CD Cartridge
System requirements Windows 95/98/Me P166 or higher 32MB of RAM

Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue is a platformer based on Pixar's computer animated movie Toy Story 2 and is the sequel to the first game. It was released for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Windows 95/98/ME PC in 1999 and 2000^{[citation needed]}. A different version of the game was released for the Game Boy Color. A sequel to the game was released 11 years later based on the third film.

Gameplay and Plot

The player controls Buzz Lightyear as he tries to locate and rescue Woody after he is kidnapped by Al McWhiggin, the owner of Al's Toy Barn. He can execute a jump and a double jump, as well as two attacks: his wrist laser and his spin attack using his pop-out wing tips, both of which can be charged. In addition, there are 5 power-ups that can be unlocked to help Buzz complete certain tasks. Most of the voice cast from the film returned to voice their characters in the game with the exception of Wallace Shawn who did not reprise the role as Rex (being voiced instead by Earl Boen). The game starts out at Andy's house, as Al just kidnapped Woody. Buzz, Hamm, Rex, Slinky and Mr. Potato Head head to find and rescue Woody from Al, and enter the neighborhood, eventually moving to a construction yard and eventually Al's Toy Barn. They end up an airport, where Buzz has a final battle with Stinky Pete. Hamm and Rex are with you each level, and Slinky and Mr. Potato Head appear in multiple levels, to give you tips and bonuses. Other characters including Rocky Gibraltar, Bo Peep, Jessie and Bullseye will also need your assistance.

Levels

There are fifteen levels in the game. The levels are grouped into five zones (3 levels per zone). Only the first level is available at first, but the player can unlock more levels by collecting Pizza Planet tokens. Each level starts with a FMV scene taken from the movie (except from the Nintendo 64 version—its low-capacity cartridge system meant that these movies were replaced with comic-strip type 'cutscenes'). In each level, there are five Pizza Planet tokens that the player must collect. The player must collect at least one token to unlock the subsequent level.

In the first level of every zone, Mr. Potato Head is missing a body part that the player has to retrieve in order to unlock a specific power-up. The power-ups are the Cosmic Shield (Level 1), Disc Launcher (Level 4), Rocket Boots (Level 7), Grappling hook (Level 10), and Hover Boots (Level 13). Some Pizza Planet tokens can only be collected with the use of a power-up, while others are merely easier to collect when a power-up is unlocked. Returning to previous levels is required to obtain Pizza Planet tokens that couldn't be retrieved earlier without a certain power-up.

The tasks that Buzz needs to perform to gain a Pizza Planet token are:

• Collecting 50 coins for Hamm;
• Finding five lost items (i.e. Bo Peep's sheep);
• Competing in a race against another character (i.e. RC car) or a time trial event;
• Solving a "puzzle" located somewhere in the level (i.e. mixing primary paint colors to create secondary colors);
• Defeating a mini boss.

These tasks get harder as the game progresses.

In the last level of every zone, the player has to fight a boss to proceed to the next level. A certain number of tokens is required in order to access these "boss levels." When the player completes a boss level, a bonus movie will be unlocked, which can be viewed at any time. In the last boss level, the player will face three mini-bosses from previous levels all at once: the Prospector (Airport Infiltration), the Gunslinger (Al's Penthouse) and the Blacksmith (Tarmac Trouble).

List of Levels

In the game are 15 levels available:

• Level 1: Andy's House (Boss: Tin Robot) (Mr. Potato Head: Ear)
• Level 2: Andy's Neighborhood (Boss: Zurg Kite)
• Level 3: Bombs Away! (Boss Stage: Bombs Away Airplane) (3 tokens needed)
• Level 4: Construction Yard (Boss: Jackhammer) (Mr. Potato Head: Eye)
• Level 5: Alleys and Gullies (Boss: Clown Top)
• Level 6: Slime Time (Boss Stage: Slimy Trash can Monster) (10 tokens needed)
• Level 7: Al's Toy Barn (Boss: Toy Dinosaur) (Mr. Potato Head: Arm)
• Level 8: Al's Space Land (Boss: Buzz Lightyear Buggy)
• Level 9: Toy Barn Encounter (Boss Stage: Giant Laser Bot with cages carrying pods with regular enemies) (18 tokens needed)
• Level 10: Elevator Hop (Boss: Spider Gunro) (Mr. Potato Head: Foot)
• Level 11: Al's Penthouse (Boss: Gunslinger)
• Level 12: The Evil Emperor Zurg (Boss Stage: Emperor Zurg) (28 tokens needed)
• Level 13: Airport Infiltration (Boss: Stinky Pete) (Mr. Potato Head: Mouth)
• Level 14: Tarmac Trouble (Boss: Blacksmith)
• Level 15: Prospector Showdown (Boss Stage: Stinky Pete, Gunslinger, Blacksmith) (40 tokens needed)

In total, the game contains 50 tokens.

Characters

Main Characters

• Buzz Lightyear - The main character in the game and the only playable character. Buzz has many abilities, such as a jump, double-jump, as well as two attacks: his wrist laser and his spin attack using his pop-out wings, both of which can be charged. In addition, there are 5 power-ups that can be unlocked to help Buzz complete certain tasks. Buzz is voiced by his original actor, Tim Allen in this game.
• Woody - Woody is a collectable, rare, cowboy doll, who is also Buzz's best friend. Woody got kidnapped by Al before the game even started, so he has a very minor role in this game. He only appears in the last level, where you see him with Jessie before you fight the Prospector. Woody is voiced by Tom Hanks in this game.
• Rex - Rex appears in every single level of the game, since he gives you tips and where to find Pizza Planet tokens. Unlike the film, Rex is voiced by Earl Boen in the game.
• Hamm - Like Rex, Hamm appears in every level, where he tells you to give him 50 coins, in which he'll trade you a Pizza Planet token. Like the movies, Hamm is voiced by John Ratzenberger in this game.
• Mr. Potato Head - Mr. Potato Head appears in most levels of the game. You have to find his body parts (example: eyes, ears, mouth), in which he'll give you a special power-up. Mr. Potato Head is voiced by Don Rickles in the game.
• Slinky Dog - Slinky appears in 3 levels. He'll give you a timed challenge, in which you complete it, he'll give you a Pizza Planet token. Like the movie, Slinky's voiced by Jim Varney in this game.
• Prospector - The main antagonist of the game and the film. Prospector appears in two levels, both as a boss. He gets defeated by Buzz at the Final Showdown, being the main boss of this level. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer.

Minor Characters

• Jessie (Toy Story) - Jessie appears in only 2 levels in the game. She first appears in Al's Penthouse, asking you to find all of her critters for a Pizza Planet token. She then appears at the final level of the game, standing at Al's luggage along with Woody. Jessie is voiced by Joan Cusack.
• Little Tikes - The Little Tikes are little, round, tikes who appear in 3 levels. There is usually a Tike that needs you to find the other ones.
• RC car - RC appears in the first two levels of the game. He gives you a challenge to beat him in a race so you could get a Pizza Planet token.
• Bo Peep - Bo Peep only appears in the 1st level of the game. She asks you to find her 5 lost sheep for a Pizza Planet token. Like the films, she is voiced by Annie Potts.
• Green Army Men - The Green Army Men only comes in the 2nd level. Sarge asks you to find his missing soldiers. Like the films, they are voiced by R. Lee Ermey.
• Bullseye - Bullseye only appears in 1 level of the game. He tells you to find 5 horseshoes before the time runs out for a Pizza Planet token.
• Gunslinger - The Gunslinger is a character who only appears in the game, and is possibly one of Prospector's henchmen. He appears in 2 levels as a boss.
• Blacksmith - The Blacksmith is a character who only appears in the game, and is possibly one of Prospector's henchmen. He appears in 2 levels as a boss.
• Bo Peep's Sheep - The sheep only comes in the 1st level. You have to find 5 of them and return them to Bo Peep.
• Emperor Zurg - Buzz Lightyear's archenemy. He appears in level 12 in the game as a boss. Also, a "Zurg Kite" is shown as a boss on level 2.
• Aliens - The Aliens appear in the Al's Space Land level, being scattered around the toy store. You have to find 5 of them and bring them to the Mothership. They are voiced by Jeff Pidgeon.
• Rocky Gibraltar - Rocky appears in 1 level where he gives you a timed challenge to find 5 barbells before time runs out.
• Electronic Plane - The first boss that is not a mini-boss. The plane appears in level 3 where he flies around Andy's yard.
• Tin Robot - The first mini-boss of the game. Tin Robot is a robot located in the attic of Andy's house. Once you defeat him, his head and a couple of other body parts shrinks and explodes off his body.
• Jackhammer Boss - The Jackhammer Boss appears in the Construction Site level. He is in the top of the construction site and you cannot defeat him with your laser, so you get the Disk Launcher, which Mr. Potato Head gives you.
• Mother Duck - A duck who only appears in 1 level. She lost 5 of her baby ducks so you have to find them and bring them back to her.
• Buggy Buzz - The deluded Buzz that is in the film appears in this game, however, he is in a dune buggy and is in the space area of Al's Toy Barn. He only appears in that level, even though his role was much more major in the movie.
• Space Encounter Robot - A large robot that was one of Zurg's minions, but it got bigger for some reason. Each of it's tentacles has a couple of Zurg's minions. The Space Encounter Robot is the third boss that is not a mini-boss.
• Clown Top - The boss in the level Allies and Gullies. He is at the top of the highest building, being one of the hardest bosses to get to. He is a spinny top with a clown face on it.
• Slime Monster - The second boss that is not a mini-boss. The Slime Monster is made out of slime, hence the name, and comes out of a trash can. The more you hit it, the more it grows.
• Chickens - A family of chickens who lives in Al's Toy Barn. Mother Chicken has 5 lost baby chicks and Father Chicken gives you a timed challenge to form a chain reaction to jump to the top of a gumball machine, where the Pizza Planet token is.
• Dinosaur Boss - A boss that appears in Al's Toy Barn. It is a blue and green dinosaur that is in a shaft on top of a few boxes. The Dinosaur boss location is surrounded by slime.
• Mice - A family of mice who appear in the Elevator Hop level. Mother Mouse lost her baby mice and Father Mouse gives you a timed challenge to slide down the elevator shaft in time.
• Spider Gunro - A spider boss that shoots cannons who appears in the Elevator Hop level.
• Zipline Saucer - A flying saucer that asks you to ride a zipline, where you quickly jump to another zipline at the red spot of the line. If you win it gives you a Pizza Planet token.

Reception

Reception for the game has been positive. Metacritic based on 10 professional reviews, has rated the game a 8/10 for the N64 version, and 9.1/10 for the PS1 version. Most high points for the PlayStation is the fact the game contains FMV sequences, unlike the N64 version. Rotten Tomatoes rates the N64 version with a 78% "fresh" rating, while the PS1 has a 83% rating.

See also

• List of Disney video games by genre

External links

• Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue at MobyGames