| Ratatouille | |
|---|---|
North American cover art for PC |
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| Developer(s) | Heavy Iron Studios, Asobo Studio, Helixe |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Platform(s) | Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PSP, GameCube, Wii, GBA, DS, Mac OS X, Windows, Mobile phone |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Wii Optical Disc, DVD-ROM, UMD, Blu-Ray, Game Card, GameCube Optical Disc |
| System requirements | |
Ratatouille is a video game based on the Pixar film, Ratatouille (2007). It was developed at Heavy Iron Studios and released by THQ, Nintendo (Gamecube only) and SCEA (PS2 and PS3 only) on June 26, 2007, two days before the first theatrical release in Russia. Ratatouille was initially released on twelve systems—Wii,[2] Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox 360, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Windows, Mac OS X, and Mobile—making it the most comprehensive simultaneous cross-platform launch in THQ's history.
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Disney announced on November 6, 2006 that they planned a Ratatouille video game release, which would coincide with the movie's.
Several of the actors from the film voice their characters in the game.[3]
Similar to the plot of the movie, Remy begins in the farm setting in which the film starts as well. Remy goes off with his brother Emile to retrieve apple cores for his father and one the trek he is taught the basic skills he will need to know so he can accomplish what he faces later on. After the task, the old lady living in the farm catches Remy and Emile, alerting the colony, thus forcing them to escape. After Remy successfully escapes the shotgun-wielding woman, he is caught in the rapids of the sewers and he wakes up in front of Gusteau's restaurant, where a small ghost of Gusteau guides Remy to the top of the restaurant, were the rat witnesses the garbage boy, Linguini attempts to fix the soup he accidentally spilt by scrambling in a bunch of random ingredients. Remy drops in and fixes the soup, however Linguini witnesses him, thus beginning a chase outside with Linguini on pursuit. After that Remy joins Linguini and helps him what he is forced to do for Skinner, the chef. The next day Remy helps Linguini cook the food for the customers while he helps his colony, which he reunites with, in the meantime. Skinner catches Remy and another chase is on. Later, Remy helps his colony steal prized foods at the market. After that, the grim eater also known as Anton Ego has arrived at Gusteaus for a review, a review that will be very important to the cooks; however they all leave after finding out about Remy, and now it is up to Remy, Linguini and Colette to cook for many people, even the critic Ego. Can Remy and they do it?
The PSP version's plot is after the events that occurred before. About to open their new restaurant Le Ratatouille, Remy's recipes are stolen and he, with the help of his colony (including one teen rat who always wants to challenge him to race with him) must find the recipes by exploring Linguini's Apartment, the Sewers, a nearby Marketplace, the Rooftops, and (Skinner's) Kitchen. Enemies include many insects, amphibians, rodents, and "flyers" such as bats and crows, and also bosses like Skinner, a giant sewer turtle and giant crows, who try without delay to stop him.
In this version, Remy cannot sniff (though he can skitter and look around by pressing the up button of the d-pad), run on a ball (though he can jump on a balloon or jump from bouncy surfaces), distract enemies by throwing them explosives, and use an umbrella to glide. However, he can swim, and he can buy the skill of diving from Pierre the Merchant (who also sells upgrades).
Originally Ratatouille was not planned for release on the original Xbox, due to the system's software sales dropping weekly. However, a deal with GameStop struck and the game was officially announced for the Xbox. The Xbox version was manufactured in a limited amount and sold exclusively at GameStop.
On Metacritic, the multiple versions of the game generally scored in the mid-to-low 60s, indicating "mixed or average reviews." The Game Boy Advance version received the highest score at Metacritic, with an average of 65 out of 100 based on 4 reviews.[4] The Xbox 360 version received the lowest score at Metacritic, with an average score of 56 out of 100 based on 9 reviews.[5] The Wii version was considered the worst among the releases due to unresponsive Wii controls, outdated graphics, and a few glitches. No score was given for the PlayStation 3, Xbox, Mobile and Windows versions of the game at Metacritic because not enough reviews had been tabulated.
Alex Navarro of GameSpot gave the game a score of 60 and called it "a sufficient, if unfulfilling, platformer." Navarro wrote, "There's little difference to speak of between any of the older console, PC, or Wii versions of Ratatouille. The PC version predictably looks the sharpest, and the PS2 version looks the dullest, though the differences are minor all around" and said "The PC version requires a decent gamepad to play properly, and the Wii version dabbles in motion controls." Navarro said the gameplay is fine for younger players but too simplistic for older players. He said the film's cast gives solid voice work but that the missions are a bit dull and repetitive. Navarro wrote "if your kid is desperate to relive Remy's adventures for him or herself, Ratatouille isn't a bad game to rent" and also wrote "it's the sort of game that will satisfy a younger fan of the film for a few lazy afternoon hours, and then be forgotten about immediately afterward."[6]
Justin Davis of Modojo.com gave the mobile phone version of the game by THQ Wireless a rating of 3 stars out of 5. Davis said the game appears like the game Diner Dash, but it's set in the kitchen instead of the dining area and instead of serving drinks, the player is dropping meat onto a stove, and Linguini's hands are controlled independently. Davis said the game was a "pleasant surprise" but that it was a little too short, with not enough depth.[7] Louis Bedigian of GameZone gave the mobile phone version a score of 7.7.[8]
The video game won the award for the "Best Animated Video Game" award at the Annies in 2008.[9]
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