A game that's based off of what may be considered to be a sci-fi cult favorite from 1982 might come with a few questions and expectations. For those who don't know, the Disney movie (ironically based on a video game) was about a computer hacker named Flynn who was digitized and sent into the world of his computer; where each program was a person who participated in gladiator-style games. In the digital world, Users are considered to be gods, and Flynn, as a User, is endowed with special abilities. Together, with a security program named TRON, the two of them prevent the Master Control Program from taking over both the digital and actual world.

At least two different TRON games were created as a direct result of the movie, and now Monolith has stepped forward to add another title to the list.

TRON 2.0 takes place twenty years after the movie. Alan Bradley, the programmer of the original TRON has successfully replicated the digitization technology, allowing for people to travel freely back and forth from the computer realm. The secret lies in an advanced artificial intelligence named Ma3a (mah-three-uh), who has the number-crunching capacity to track a whole DNA sequence, along with the correction algorithms needed to keep bad things from happening to people. The bad news is, Alan's company is in the midst of a major takeover from Future Control Industries (fCon), who are interested in gaining the digitizing technology for their own purposes. In a desperate attempt to save itself from a devastating virus that is corrupting the entire system, Ma3a digitizes Alan's son, Jet Bradley, and sends him into a parallel world where he can fight off the menace from the inside.

Anyone who has not seen the movie can pick this up and play it for the first-person shooter that it is. However, like all games that are based off of movies, it helps a great deal to see and enjoy the film beforehand. I will now write as though you are familiar with the movie.

The look of the game stays true to the source material, with objects and people highlighted by a persistent glow. The music is done by Wendy Carlos, the composer for the movie. Sound effects like the feet thumping are also taken straight from the film, yet manage to dodge the 80's cheesiness that was inherent in the movie. The game also features two original actors' voices. Bruce Boxleitner reprises his role as Alan Bradley, and Cindy Morgan does the voice of Ma3a. As an added bonus, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos lends her vocal talents as the light cycle racer Mercury.

Though this game is well-designed, I really don't feel that it is for beginners. The TRON 2.0 design includes elements that are similar to No One Lives Forever 2, another successful first-person shooter from Monolith, but the engine is heavily modified. All weapons are based off of four base weapons known as primitives: Disc, Rod, Ball, and Mesh. Primitives can be modified with the use of subroutines that will convert them into different weapons. The disc is exactly what it sounds like, a discus that you hurl at your adversaries and will always return to you. You will be able to exert some control over the disc by holding down the button, enabling the flight path to curve. The rod is a pair of sticks that power your light cycle. In combat, they work as a set of shock sticks that will quietly dispose of enemies, since they can't move while being shocked. With the appropriate subroutines, they can change into a shotgun or sniper rifle. The ball is a result of the corruption virus, and is pretty much a hand grenade. Its subroutines work off this theme by launching them. Lastly, mesh is an umbrella category that covers everything else, with a rapid fire blaster being the primitive and an energy sapping glove as one of its subroutines.

Of all these tools, the disc will probably get the most usage, since it is the only primitive that doesn't consume energy. It is also the only weapon that has a block feature, where you can deflect enemy disc shots. Though it is my favorite weapon, I did have my share of difficulties with it, especially when I missed. The disc would go flying off and I would be too busy dodging incoming fire to realize that it wasn't coming back. Even after hitting the recall button, it still took a while for my disc to return. Another thing to keep in mind is that the death of innocent bystanders will result into an instant loss and the game will end. This includes accidental deaths, where your disc ricochets off the wall at a bad angle, or if they walk in the crossfire and get shot by the hordes of ICP's (Intrusion Countermeasure Programs) coming after you. Though the moral aspects are appreciated, innocent program deaths can become very annoying.

Subroutines may also be added to provide other types of support, such as armor. However, they need to loaded into memory in order to be active. Each subroutine has different grades that determine the amount of required memory space how powerful they are. Alpha is the worst, taking up three memory slots, then next step up is Beta. Gold is the best version, and takes only one slot. You can either pick up better versions as you progress, or use Code Optimization Wares to improve them. Each computer system you inhabit will have different memory configurations, allowing players limited space to place their subroutines.

Subroutines can become corrupted when damage is taken from corrupted programs, decreasing their effectiveness. Also, when the player takes too much damage, a memory slot might become completely unusable. Procedural Subroutines (Defragment, Disinfect, and Port) work in the background to clean up the mess battles may leave behind.

You can upgrade your character by picking up build notes across the different levels. Each note will bring you a little closer to a full upgrade, and once you achieve a new version number, 2.0 as opposed to 1.9.7, you will be able to distribute your points across a number of stats. Transfer Rate allows players to download items at a faster rate and Processor will make Procedurals like Defragment work faster.

The dialogue and themes (if you couldn't tell) are heavily influenced by computer industry jargon. Archive bins are like treasure chests, and keys are called permissions. Many of the jokes appear geared toward tech savvy people. Probably the best people to appreciate the game's subtleties are those who either have a great deal of knowledge about computers, or spend too much with people who do. I happen to be both, and I have a cheesy sense of humor, so I loved every minute of it. For example, your companion is a Byte, who has major size issues when your character confuses him with a bit. Yes, I am probably one of the few people who chuckled when the ICP yelled "Freeze Program!" at me. There is also a scene where Byte is being used as a ball, as though in a game of pong, by two corrupted programs. Still, I can see many people relying heavily on the Help Files, which translate the items and goals into summaries people can understand. Or, I imagine there will be a lot of confused people.

One of the most annoying aspects of TRON 2.0 are the jumping puzzles. The game's visual style, with cubes stacked up to the sky, lends itself too easily to jumping in order to find things and get to areas. They're not difficult, but I grew irritated with them. This is supposed to be a first person shooter, not a platformer. If I wanted to jump around boxes and collect things, I would have gotten Mario Sunshine. Also, when you kill a program (or "derrez" according to game/movie lingo) they leave behind a ball of energy and health. The problem is, you have to actually press the "use" key in order to pick it up instead of simply running through it. This becomes extremely bothersome when facing multiple combatants. Another annoying aspect is again linked to the visuals in TRON. The original movie worked with very limited colors, mostly blue and red. This seemed to make sense for the time period, considering most computer screens were monochrome. Here, it makes gameplay unnecessarily difficult, since there will be times where you'll have to spot a red enemy against a red background. By the time I encountered the DataWraiths, who have stealth abilities, I wondered why they even bothered to use it. All they really needed to do is keep their distance and stand still. Not to say that the graphics aren't impressive. The characters are excellently drawn, and the Glow Effects that Monolith has been promoting really do work to make the whole digital world feel alive. If your computer can handle it, I strongly recommend turning them on.

Probably the most impressive scene from the movie TRON was the light cycle race. It was a technological achievement at the time, and little more than a screensaver now. If people can recall nothing else from the movie, chances are they remember the light cycles, and Monolith did a great job of including them in the game. Sure, it's really nothing more than an advanced version of Snake, which can be played on a cell phone, but the updated look is enough to make it seem new. There is even a first person mode, which is pointless, but lets you lose with style. However, there is a big flaw with the player A.I., which isn't so much out to win as much as it is out to make sure you lose. The competing light cycles will have no qualms about pulling kamikaze maneuvers on you, which seems very unrealistic and detracts from the overall experience. The recent patch that Monolith just released will let players skip over the light cycle sequences, which don't really fit all the game's shooting. But skipping them would mean that you'd have to admit that you're too wimpy to beat a few rounds of Snake.

There wasn't enough thought put into multiplayer, which only comes in two variations: Disc combat and light cycle races, both of which can be played online. While some of the levels are nice, it's difficult to get over the fact that these are the only things you can do. Plus, there aren't many built-in maps to choose from. Level and mod creating utilities will be available to all registered users, but that shouldn't be a substitute for something that should have already been in the game. A cooperative mode, like something out of No One Lives Forever 2, would have been nice. If nothing else, perhaps an arena that allows for use of the other subroutines would be great - like a game of tag with energy sapping gloves.

I would have also liked to have seen more User-specific abilities. There was one point in the game where I saw programs jump across huge chasms to get to me, and I wondered, "Why can't I do that?" Also, in the movie, Flynn was able to disguise himself by stealing the color off a dying program. I was hoping for a subroutine that would allow me to walk through guarded areas without attracting notice. I mean, Users are supposed to be like gods to programs, so it would have been nice to do some things that really set Users apart.

Overall, TRON 2.0 was a very enjoyable game, made even more so by the fact that I have fond childhood memories of the movie. There are some annoying aspects that keep it from getting a perfect score and a few things that they could have expanded, but people who are fans of the movie are in for a real treat. Monolith has done a fine job in making the player feel like s/he's been transported to a parallel world inhabited by computerized personalities. The player gets to move from a mainframe, to a desktop computer, to a PDA, and the quasi 80's style visuals don't keep the levels from looking good. Yet, there are times when TRON feels like it's dedicated to all the computer geeks and movie fans out there.

I know I'm not supposed to talk too much about tech-specs, but I thought this was worth mentioning: I tested this game on a 900mhz computer with 512Mb of RAM and a Nvidia GeForce 2 video card with all the video options turned down, and it ran smoothly. In times where people are wondering whether or not Doom 3 will run above two frames per second, it's refreshing to have a new game come out that won't just run on older systems, but run well. I enjoyed playing the game on both the lower end and high end computers, although I have to admit the computer world looks considerably duller without the Glow Effects.

So, if you enjoyed the movie, definitely go check out this game. If you haven't seen the movie yet, go out and rent it, then make your decision. If you saw it, but didn't like it, this game isn't going to change your mind.

Our Final ScoreOK

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