Monsters, Inc. (video game)

Monsters, Inc. is a platform game and is a tie-in to Pixar's 2001 film Monsters, Inc., released for Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, and PlayStation 2. by THQ. The game was developed by Vicarious Visions for the Game Boy Color, Natsume for the Game Boy Advance, and Kodiak Interactive for the PS2 release.

The game was first released in October 2001, in North America, for both handheld systems, and then later in February 2002 in Europe. The Game Boy Advance version was also released on a Twin Pack cartridge bundled with Finding Nemo in 2005.

Gameplay
Monsters, Inc. on the PlayStation 2 is a 3D platformer based on the Pixar film. Players control James P. "Sulley" Sullivan through 8 levels based on environments from the movie, including the scream factory, 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 simply 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 amount 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 5 scream canisters to find and a small challenge involving scaring 5 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, saying "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."