Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! (or just Toy Story 2 The Game on the N64) is a 1999 platforming video game developed by Traveller’s Tales and published by Activision for various platforms including PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and PC. The game is based on Pixar’s beloved movie Toy Story 2 and follows the adventures of Buzz Lightyear as he sets out to rescue Woody, who has been kidnapped by the toy collector Al McWhiggin otherwise known as…The Chicken Man.
Story-Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue
The game closely follows the movie’s plot but expands on it by giving players more freedom to explore and interact with familiar environments from the film. You control Buzz Lightyear through multiple levels based on key scenes from the movie, such as Andy’s house, Al’s Toy Barn, and Al’s penthouse. The game is notable for capturing the essence of Toy Story 2, translating its charm and humour into interactive experiences.
While the story is mostly just a backdrop for the in-game action, it keeps you motivated and engaged, especially if you’re a fan of the movie like I still am…no you cried at the end of Toy Story 3…
In Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! each level contains five Pizza Planet Tokens, and most missions revolve around a combination of platforming, combat, item retrieval, and puzzles to get said tokens. This formula is very much a “kids game for kids based on a kids movie” which is fine…but don’t we all wish they made a Buzz Lightyear game like the one in this film?
Andy’s House
This introductory level is a pretty good and faithful representation of Andy’s room and house and is here to help players get used to the game’s mechanics.
The first mission involves defeating an enemy in Andy’s attic. You must defeat a group of toy planes using Buzz’s laser. It’s a simple combat-focused mission and a good introduction to the game’s “combat mechanics”.
You must gather 50 coins scattered throughout Andy’s house and give them to everyones favourite piggy bank Hamm, who can be found in the living room. This mission introduces basic exploration, encouraging you to get used to look in hard-to-reach places.
Kepping true to form, Little Bo Peep asks you to find her missing sheep, which are hidden across the level. The sheep can be found on the shelves in Andy’s room, under the bed, and in various other spots. This task promotes exploration and introduces light puzzle-solving, as you often have to figure out how to reach certain high places.
In this time trial, you need to race RC (the toy car) through a circuit within Andy’s house. Completing the race within the time limit earns you a Pizza Planet Token. This mission is a straightforward race and helps you practice your movement control, and also scratched an itch for me when replaying as I remember having an RC in real life.
One of the Pizza Planet Tokens is placed on a high shelf in Andy’s room, and you’ll need to use Buzz’s platforming abilities to reach it. This mission emphasises the game’s platforming mechanics and introduces the jetpack for hovering across long gaps.
Buzz Lightyears Neighbourhood hijinks
This level expands the game’s world, taking you outside of Andy’s house into the neighbourhood, where larger spaces allow for more complex challenges.
The first mission involves defeating a jackhammer-driving boss near a construction site. The boss’s attacks are slow but powerful, and you need to hit him with Buzz’s laser while avoiding his movements. This is a very standard ‘big character’ boss fight.
Much like the first level, you need to gather yet another 50 coins scattered throughout the neighbourhood. Coins can be found on rooftops, in backyards, and near the construction site. This is the first sign that this game may get repetitive.
Mr. Potato Head tasks you with finding five Little Tykes, which are small toys scattered around the neighbourhood. Another standard bit of exploration.
Then Buzz must help another toy by finding and delivering car parts to fix a broken-down toy car. The parts are hidden in different areas, and solving this mission requires traversing the environment efficiently. More repetitiveness.
The last Pizza Planet Token is located in a treehouse. To reach it, Buzz will need to climb the tree by platforming between branches and leaves, navigating obstacles along the way.
Construction Yard-Watch out for ‘Buzz’-saws
This level takes place in a construction site, featuring larger platforming challenges and more enemies.
Not helping get the repetition problem as once again, Buzz must defeat a jackhammer-wielding enemy. This boss has slightly more aggressive movements than previous bosses, and the confined construction yard does increase the challenge, but is even more repetitive.
As usual, coins are scattered throughout the level. This time, they’re hidden in even trickier places, like scaffolding and partially constructed buildings, forcing you to explore vertical spaces.
In a weird mission for a toy, Buzz is tasked with finding and delivering various construction tools to help workers finish their tasks. Then follows another RC time trial around the construction site.
The final mission requires climbing a crane. This is the most challenging platforming sequence so far, that involves precise jumping (which is hard on these older games) and jetpack use. Reaching the top rewards you with a Pizza Planet Token.
Avenues and Alleyways
This urban level introduces new environmental hazards and more intricate exploration.
The boss in this level is a creepy toy clown who moves unpredictably and throws bombs. Defeating it is pretty self explanatory along with the rest of the game as you must use your laser to defeat him while avoiding his attacks. Then go and get 50 more coins. The coins are spread throughout the alleyways, rooftops, and sewers in this level.
Slinky Dog asks you to find his missing bones scattered around the level. These bones are hidden in areas that require some creative problem-solving and advanced platforming. Followed by another RC time trial…more repetition.
The last token in this level is hidden deep within the sewer system. Navigating the slippery surfaces and dangerous enemies adds an extra layer of challenge, and the cramped environment makes platforming more difficult.
Al’s Toy Barn
This level is set in this familiar toy store and features a playful, colourful environment with a whole bunch of interactive elements.
A flying kite toy serves as the boss of this level. Buzz needs to use his laser to defeat the boss while avoiding its aerial attacks, in yet another repetitive boss battle. As always there are 50 coins hidden throughout the toy store, often behind toys or on high shelves. The verticality of the level forces you to explore the shelves and toy displays carefully.
Mr. Potato Head then asks you to find five chickens, which are scattered throughout the store. The chickens are often hidden in tricky places, requiring exploration of the toy aisles and display areas.
In the obligatory racing mission, you’ll race RC through a course that winds through the toy store while manoeuvring around obstacles like toy cars and blocks.
The final Pizza Planet Token is located in a ball pit, and you must find a way to reach it by platforming across toys and navigating obstacles within the store.
Al’s Space Land
The boss in this level is a Zurg-themed kite that you must defeat using your laser. The fight takes place in an open area, where the boss uses various long-range attacks.
Then grab yourself another 50 coins which are scattered throughout the space-themed store, before tracking down five space alien toys and racing RC on a space-themed track with moving platforms and obstacles.
The final token is hidden inside a large toy spaceship. Reaching it involves navigating tricky platforms and timing your jumps carefully to avoid obstacles.
Following these missions, you continue to follow the story of the film finding your way to Al’s apartment block, finding out that Stinky Pete is the real bad guy, fighting Zurg on an elevator before platforming through the airport and a final showdown with Stinky Pete. Each section of this game is ridiculously repetitive for a single play-through, with tokens and 50 coins and 5 [insert object/toy here] on each mission.
Gameplay & Mechanics
The game is primarily a 3D platformer where players control Buzz Lightyear from a third-person perspective. The gameplay mechanics are relatively simple yet fairly engaging, with Buzz equipped with his laser, jetpack, and spinning attack to navigate levels and defeat enemies.
Platforming: The core of the game involves Buzz jumping across platforms, avoiding hazards, and exploring the environment to complete objectives. The platforming feels smooth and responsive, though it can be a little clunky at times, especially when using the camera, which struggles with some tight spaces.
Combat: Combat is fairly basic, with Buzz using his laser to shoot enemies like Zurg’s minions, evil toys, and other enemies. The targeting system works well, but it’s simple compared to other games in the genre, mostly serving to break up the platforming sections.
Exploration and Collectibles: One of the game’s stronger elements is its emphasis on exploration. Each level is packed with collectibles like Pizza Planet tokens, which are earned by completing various objectives such as beating a boss, finding items for other toys, or completing timed challenges. The levels encourage replay-ability since some objectives can only be completed after acquiring certain power-ups.
Puzzles: The game also mixes in some light puzzles, usually involving moving objects or figuring out how to reach a high platform. These puzzles aren’t too difficult as this game is tailored to children but do add a bit of variety to the gameplay.
Graphics
For its time, Toy Story 2 boasts impressive visuals, especially on the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions. Buzz and the other characters are well-animated, closely resembling their film counterparts. The environments are in line with the films and are colourful. Each level is packed with little details that reference the Toy Story universe.
However, the game’s graphics have aged, and the low-resolution textures, especially in the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions, can be rough by today’s standards. The Dreamcast and PC versions fare better, offering higher resolution and a cleaner look, though the models still retain their late-90s polygonal design.
Does the Sounds & Music Create a Buzz?
The game features voiceovers from Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear and other sound-alike actors. The voice work is charming, and Buzz’s quips fit his character well, adding humour to the gameplay.
The soundtrack is a mix of original music and themes inspired by Randy Newman’s score from the movie. While not particularly memorable, the music does a good job of complementing the action, with upbeat tracks for exploration and more intense pieces for boss fights.
Sound effects, from Buzz’s laser shots to the robotic whir of Zurg’s minions, are crisp and appropriate for the environments and sound right.
Controls
The controls are straightforward, but depending on the platform, they can vary in fluidity. On the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, the controls are as responsive as games from that time. The camera can be a bit of an issue when navigating tight spaces or making precise jumps. The PC version will allow for mouse and keyboard inputs but isn’t as intuitive as a controller-based setup.
The jetpack mechanic, which allows Buzz to hover briefly, is one of the more interesting features, and mastering it is key to navigating more complex levels.
Replayability
The game has a moderate amount of replay value due to its collectibles and hidden objectives. Pizza Planet tokens are the primary goal in each level, and some are quite challenging to obtain, requiring multiple playthroughs or revisiting earlier levels with new power-ups. Additionally, die-hard fans may enjoy the challenge of fully completing the game by finding all of the hidden items.
However, beyond these collectibles, there’s not much post-game content to entice players back, aside from the occasional nostalgic revisit. Unfortunately as a movie tie-in or movie based games of the time goes, this isn’t one of the better ones like Spiderman or Indiana Jones and the Emperors Tomb.
Conclusion
Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue is a solid 3D platformer that captures the spirit of the movie while offering enjoyable gameplay. Its charm lies in its detailed levels, the sense of adventure, and its appeal to fans of the Toy Story franchise. While it has some issues, particularly with the camera and dated graphics, it can be a good title for your little ones who want to start gaming.
But this just wasn’t the Buzz Lightyear game we want…if only it was the game they show in the film.
Joys
- Solid platforming for the time
- Pretty loyal to the source material
Cons
- It is so so repetitive
- Dated graphics and controls
