The Polar Express
European PlayStation 2 cover art
Developer(s)Blue Tongue Entertainment (PS2, GC, PC)
Tantalus Media (GBA)
Publisher(s)THQ
Director(s)Nick Hagger
Producer(s)Nick Hagger
Kevin Chan
Designer(s)Nick Hagger
Drew Morrow
Morten Brodersen
Programmer(s)Graeme Webb
Artist(s)Andrew Dyson
Composer(s)Stephan Schütze
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: November 2, 2004
  • EU: December 16, 2004[1]
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The Polar Express is an action-adventure platform game based on the film of the same name. It was developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Microsoft Windows. A version for the Game Boy Advance was developed by Tantalus Media. All versions of the game were published by THQ. It was released in North America on November 2, 2004 and in Europe on December 16, 2004.

Gameplay

The game follows most of the main plot of the film. One major difference is that Ebenezer Scrooge, who only makes a minor appearance in the film, plays a much bigger role as the main antagonist who attempts to prevent the children from believing in Santa Claus by stealing their tickets, and trying to get them thrown off the train to keep the children from getting to the North Pole. The game is broken down into 6.5 chapters, giving the player the opportunity to explore areas like the train, the North Pole, a kitchen, and more... The player controls a young boy in each of the 6.5 chapters.[2] The game also contains puzzle-solving as well as some minigame-styled elements.[3]

The Game Boy Advance version is a 2D side-scrolling platformer which also has some levels where you control The Polar Express train itself in 3D.

Development

THQ unveiled the game at the E3 convention in 2004.[3][4] The PlayStation 2 version contains EyeToy support. A portable version of the game was also in development for the Game Boy Advance, by developer Tantalus.[3]

Reception

The Polar Express received "generally unfavorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[18][19][9][10]

Reviewing the console versions of the game, for GameSpot, Avery Score felt the experience was "a soulless video game cash-in on the movie" and that it would "leave even the youngest of tykes painfully aware that they've been cheated".[11] IGN's Matt Casamassina was likewise, very negative, finding every sort of gameplay featured were "flawed or underdeveloped" and criticizing its short length.[2]

Dana Jongewaard, of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, was more positive about the game. While she conceded its short length and simplicity would make it a "questionable choice fore anyone over 8", she thought that the game's target audience would enjoy it. She also complemented the bonus EyeToy content.[17]

The Gameboy Advance version was also more positively received by Nintendo Power, receiving praise for its graphics and gameplay, and recommending it for fans of the film.[15] On the other hand, this version was more negatively reviewed by GameZone, describing it as "tired, worn out" and simply "no fun".[13]

References

  1. ↑ "PlayStation Games & Media - Polar Express". PlayStation. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Casamassina, Matt (November 9, 2004). "The Polar Express (GCN, PS2)". IGN. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Gerstmann, Jeff (May 12, 2004). "The Polar Express E3 2004 Preshow First Look". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  4. ↑ Adams, David (May 4, 2004). "Pre-E3 2004: THQ Announces Lineup". IGN. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  5. ↑ "The Polar Express for Game Boy Advance". Game Rankings. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "The Polar Express for GameCube". Game Rankings. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "The Polar Express for PC". Game Rankings. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Polar Express for PlayStation 2". Ga. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  9. 1 2 "The Polar Express for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  10. 1 2 "The Polar Express for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Score, Avery (December 6, 2004). "The Polar Express Review (GC, PS2)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  12. ↑ Code Cowboy (December 23, 2004). "The Polar Express - GBA - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  13. 1 2 The Bearer (December 20, 2004). "The Polar Express - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  14. ↑ Aceinet (December 19, 2004). "The Polar Express - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  15. 1 2 "The Polar Express (GBA)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 187. January 2005. p. 140.
  16. ↑ "The Polar Express (GC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 187. January 2005. p. 138.
  17. 1 2 Jongewaard, Dana (January 2005). "The Polar Express". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. p. 106.
  18. ↑ "The Polar Express for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  19. ↑ "The Polar Express for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
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