This game was an unexpected favorite of mine growing up. I was sad that Street Fighter Alpha 2 was replaced by this game at first due to… well street fighter being all about fighting so a kid friendly game has to be brought into the household. At first I was upset about not able to play Street Fighter but looking back now, school yards during recess I do be acting like I was Ken or something so…. Yeah… anyways this game eventually grew on me and I haven’t beaten it until recently after all these years… even though on a different console. This is Toy Story 2 : Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue for Sega Dreamcast (and comparisons to the PlayStation, since I’ve played both)

Story : 9

The game follows the movie storyline with some “fodder” stages. Woody came out to a yard sale for a rescue attempt which he was left stranded in the area. A toy collector named Al saw Woody and stole him from the yard sale when he was told Woody isn’t for sale. Buzz Lightyear tried to chase after the vehicle but he was unsuccessful, holding a feather in his hand as he watches the vehicle drive away with Woody. It’s up to Buzz Lightyear to travel through the neighborhood and eventually the city to locate Woody before it’s too late, as Woody realizes he is a rare collectible from an old show back in the days. 

Most of the charm is there and it keeps the storyline in order with some gameplay that deviates from the story itself. Well the story stays the same, the journey ingame is different to say more clearly. 

Overall it’s an 9 out of 10. Can’t say no to a classic storyline and movie. 

Graphics : 6

I feel like this is the weakest point of the game. It’s basically a port of the PlayStation version with higher resolution. The draw distance is a lot better and models are just an upscale. The FMVs look very good with what the CD’s had to offer back in the 90s, probably the best out of the Dreamcast vs PlayStation. Sega had a lot of potential for it to make the game more appealing with the visuals but this is lackluster. The backgrounds are rather…. Bland and repetitive. Don’t get me wrong it has a lively atmosphere with characters from the Toy Story franchise and objects like vehicles, objects and play forming… but with most stages looking like one color in an area or just dull looking, it kind of brings down the gameplay. (Look at Andy’s house, Elevator hop, and Construction yard as examples of how dull the scenery looks). The enemies are repetitive in every aspect whether function or skin. Sure you get some variations (that floating bot bird looking thing at Al’s Toy Barn and a cowboy as examples) but most enemies act the same with your usual laser shooter, flying enemy, and a vehicle enemy. 

Don’t get me started with the camera… it’s pretty bad and you have to rely on the R and L buttons on the Dreamcast controller to have some sense of navigation at times. It’s a big issue for me when camera is a bit too sensitive where it’s hard to navigate around stages. 

Sometimes holding onto ledges can be a chore as the game doesn’t register at times. 

The menu is pretty basic but once you start the game, it’ll show you the levels in an etch-a-sketch style that is pretty cool and very creative. Character models look pretty good for most but I always have a weird look at Mr. Potato Head at times for oddly colored he looks and his pieces (elongated arms look weird to me). 

The stages are pretty big and lively with the ability to explore not only around the area but also up and down the stages (Andy’s neighborhood, Gullies, and Construction sight are great examples of climbing up to explore). Though load times can take a while at times waiting for almost a minute at times, maybe more. 

The graphics is a 6 out of 10. They look good but a dull background and similar features with the a PlayStation version makes it look weak for a Dreamcast game. 

Sound : 8

The music is pretty good for the for the most part. The iconic “You got a Friend in Me” is present in the game as an instrumental during level select and it’s a nice to listen at times. Though in-game music… A feel of adventure and silliness through each level and when level select, you get a feel of the area (alleys and gullies you hear wind while Andy’s neighborhood you hear birds chirping and lawn mowers) the voices are pretty good but very repetitive it gets annoying. The fmv audio does sound muffled at times but it’s not much of an issue, well for me personally. There’s not much to say about this other than the audio is above average at best. A lot better than the PlayStation version but not much. 

It’s an 8 out of 10. 

Difficulty : 3

It’s a kid’s game so the play through is fairly easy. Sure some objectives may be difficult and bosses may feel impossible to defeat until you learn the patterns or a way to defeat them but overall this game is not difficult at all. The target audience were kids but you can still get an enjoyment out of it from casual playing. It goes for the PlayStation too. 

The game is a 3 out of 10. Easy to play, some trial and error though. Power ups (later) makes it a cake walk. 

Depth : 6

The game only offers a story mode. It offers fifteen levels, five which are boss only stages. You start off at Andy’s room then traverse outside to Andy’s neighborhood until you leave the area and face an airplane as the boss (Bomb’s away). Then you reach out to a Construction Yard, finding your path to an Alleys and Gullies before facing the second boss, a slime in a trash can (Slime Time). Finally reaching to Al’s Toy Barn you search for woody as you enter the Space Land stage. Finding an exit you fave another boss, an alien ship (Toy Barn Encounter)Finding an elevator (Elevator Hop) you go around the vents and reach to Al’s Penthouse. Seeing how south things are going you go back to the elevator to be introduced to The Evil Emperor Zurg. Finally at the end you arrive at a terminal to do an Airport Infiltration and end up at a Tarmac (Tarmac Trouble) until reaching the final level facing Prospector Pete and his Henchman. 

The game consists of 5 missions per stage, usually with one of these objectives… a puzzle game, searching for 5 objects, Mr Potato Head limbs (usually gives a new power up), collect coins, a mini boss and a random pizza token hidden in the game. The power ups are usually locked behind a box or toy package really, and they can be beneficial during gameplay and necessary to complete some objectives during some stages. They consists of Rocket Boots, Hover Shoes, Discs, Grappling Hook, and a Shield. 

Some levels do carry a green laser which increases your laser power for a set amount of times before the bar depletes. Buzz himself is able to shoot lasers, a powered up laser when holding the attack button, spin attack which can be held for a multiple spins before he’s dizzy. He can also double jump and able to grab ledges which is neat if it works at times. He had a life bar which can be replenished by grabbing batteries found around stages and if he loses all the life bar, you lose a life. 

These are plentiful in the game so not much to worry. Characters are present in the game as objectives or Rex as a tip/help. Letter boxes are around stages too as tips and tricks to help you go through the game easier

The controls are the worst of the game. Buzz is sensitive to the movement where it’s more slippery anything and it can be a hassle to make him walk straight through small ledges or areas (construction yard I almost gave up due to the sensitivity). This is a huge issue when it comes to platforming that I didn’t had when playing on the PlayStation version. It ruins the game experience severely. 

The depth is a 6 out of 10. The game itself has large areas to explore but repetition, sensitive controls and easy difficulty makes it lack luster. 

Addictive : 5

The game can get easily boring immediately. I had to take breaks every hour or so that way I won’t be bored. The repetition really hinders the experience and second I start yawning… I do an objective closest to achieving (usually coins) and save the game and just exit for an hour so I don’t have to force myself to playing this game continuously. It’s a game that’s fun at first but eventually you do need a break. 

It’s a 5 out of 10. 

Overall, this version of the game isn’t any different than the PlayStation version. Being the last console to have the game released on, it’s supposed to be the “definitive” version of the game but I just don’t see much reason to play it other than graphics. Don’t get me wrong I like the game when I was younger but now being older and exposed to better platforms… it gets dull very fast. If you’re a Toy Story fan and want to experience a platformer back in the days, I recommend the PlayStation version with better controls and similar graphics. That’s my honest truth as the Dreamcast version isn’t with playing just for graphical upscale. 

My rating : 7 out of 10

Review rating : 6.2 out of 10