Tron 2.0 (Mac)

Back in 1982, the original movie Tron was an incredible change in how computer animation and live motion video merged. It was an introduction into the world of the microprocessor ... a world geeks like me just knew really existed! (OK, the cat's out of the bag ... I am a Tron geek, and I just had to get my hands on this edition of the video game, newly released for the Macintosh.)

One the other hand, as big a geek as I am, I am not really much of a gamer. After I had downloaded the Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy demo, it wasn't ten minutes before I had accidently killed Chewebacca with my lightsaber. I'm fairly sure that my karma, along with my force-self, is permanently damaged. As usual, I digress ... back to the game.

Tron 2.0 opens twenty years (surprise!) after the original. Your role, as Jet Bradley, the son of Adam Bradley (once again played by Jeff Bridges), is defined by the fact that your father has disappeared, his prize computer system is under a mysterious attack, and you've been transported into the virtual world of the microprocessor, a world where software programs are the characters populating the scene.

Immediately, I was in love. I felt like I was deeply and thoroughly immersed into the game.

After a brief introduction, I was pleased to find a nice training field which helped me learn to control actions via keystrokes and mouse movements (you can play the game with a track-pad, but I didn't have any luck with controlling fine movements that way.)

The story was fun, with a nice sound track and voice quality.

Plus, actually playing with the lightcycles was really, really fun.

I needed to keep the guidebook out, and periodically pause the game to collect and plan out how I wanted to move and interact with the game. I didn't find this much of a burden, but it wasn't entirely routinely obvious to me what I was supposed to "do" next.

One thing I liked, unlike some games which allow the main character to obtain a limitless supply of tools and devices, Tron 2.0 requires the player to plan out what things to add, and what to let go (much like really programs, bogged down by too much stuff or insufficient resources, the character is challenged to routinely upgrade in order to succeed.)

While the game allows interaction over the net for gameplay, I didn't actually connect with anyone and try this. But as a single player action game, I was more than suitably impressed.

I'm off on vacation now, where I'll introduce my young nephew to the movie Tron and to the game Tron 2.0; he is very good at games, and I imagine he'll be showing me a thing or two within just a few days.