Toy Story 3: The Video Game

Toy Story 3: The Video Game is a platform video game loosely based on the film Toy Story 3. It was published by Disney Interactive Studios and developed by Avalanche Software (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PC, Mac OS X), Asobo Studio (PS2, PSP) and n-Space (DS). The game was released in North America on June 15, 2010 for the Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and the Xbox 360. A special PlayStation 2 bundle with Toy Story 3: The Video Game was released on October 31, 2010, followed by the game's individual release on November 2, 2010.

Toy Story 3 is the first game based on a film by Pixar to be published entirely by Disney Interactive Studios. Past Disney/Pixar movie games have been made in conjunction with Activision first, then THQ. It is the sequel to the second game that was based on the second film in the franchise.

Most of the voice cast from the film returned to reprise their characters in the game with the exception of Tom Hanks (Woody) and Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), respectively (Jim Hanks returned to voice Woody from the previous game and Stephen Stanton voiced Buzz). The game also contains content exclusive to the PlayStation 3 version. The game was well received by critics and was a top-seller in the UK. This was the last Disney/Pixar video game to be developed by Asobo Studio and the last Disney/Pixar game to be released on PlayStation 2.

Plot
Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii and Mac OSX Version

Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, Buzz Lightyear, Slinky, Rex, Hamm,the three squeak toy aliens, Buttercup, Mr. Pricklepants, Dolly and Trixie are the toys of a girl named Bonnie. But among them, Woody, Jessie, Buzz, Slinky, Rex, Hamm and the alien toys used to belong to a boy named Andy Davis. Hamm, Rex and Slinky tell the original toys of Bonnie about an adventure they had before they went to Bonnie and how they ended up in Bonnie's. It all starts when Andy is about to go off to college. The toys have not been played by Andy for years, so they make a plan to have Andy play with them one last time. But they fail, so the toys hide in a box headed for daycare, although Woody is reluctant. They are welcomed warmly into Sunnyside by a strawberry scented teddy bear called Lotso, who holds a "New Toys Welcome" carnival. Although Woody has a good time, he still thinks he should be with Andy, and attempts to escape from Sunnyside, but ends up being taken home by Bonnie, who found him in on the ground. Meanwhile, the other toys back at the daycare that Sunnyside is "not sunny" for everyone. It turns out that Sunnyside had been turned into a toy prison by Lotso, after he had been replaced by his original owner. The toys are locked in cages and guarded by security toy trucks and helicopters, while Buzz is reprogrammed by Lotso and now thinks his friends are "minions of Zurg" and guards their cages. Woody finds out about this and rushes to Sunnyside the save his friends. After freeing his friends, they manage to set Buzz back to normal and they escape by sliding down a rubbish chute and land on some dumpsters. Before they can escape, they fall into a garbage truck and end up in the dump. Even worse, they are pushed onto a conveyor belt headed for a few giant shredders, and Woody, Buzz and Jessie are separated from the others. After saving themselves, they go to save the other toys, who are also heading for a shredder. Working together, they jam the shredder, and it explodes, saving the other toys. The toys make it back home and are entrusted by Andy to Bonnie.

PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable Version

Rex looks back at the toy's past encounters with the help of his drawings, and tells the story of the film.

Andy is going to college, and hasn't played with the toys in years, so the toys decide to get his attention using some phones. However, the plan fails, and Andy merely takes the phone from Rex's hand and closes the toy box. Andy's mother tells Andy to start packing for college. Andy decides to bring Woody to college and puts the other toys in a trash bag, and plans to put them in the attic. But before Andy can, his mother puts the bag on the curve, mistaking it for trash. The toys escape the bag thanks to Rex's tail and go to the garage to hide. Buzz decides that they should go to Sunnyside Daycare so they can be played with once again. Woody rushes down to tell the toys about the mistake, but Andy's mom comes and drives them to the daycare center.

Woody decides to go back to Andy's, but gets stuck in a tree in the process and is brought home by a girl named Bonnie. Meanwhile, the other toys meet a friendly strawberry scented bear named Lotso, who places them in the caterpillar room. The toys realize that the kids in the caterpillar room are too young to play toys and the kids damage the toys. Buzz decides to go ask Lotso for a transfer to the Butterfly room, but Lotso refuses and switches Buzz to demo mode, making Buzz think that he's a real Space Ranger and that the toys are evil accomplices of Zurg, and locks his friends up. Woody learns from a toy clown of Bonnie called Chuckles, that Lotso had turned the daycare into a toy prison, which he had come across during his travels after being replaced by his original owner, and returns to Sunnyside and helps the toys escape, but they end up in a garbage truck going to the dump.

In the dump, they nearly fall into the incinerator, but are saved by the squeeze toy aliens, who use a crane to save them. The toys decide to return to Andy's home using a garbage truck.

Back home, Woody decides that they should go to Bonnie's place and changes the words on the toys' box. Andy reluctantly gives the toys to Bonnie.

As Rex looks as his pictures, Jessie tells the toys that Bonnie is home. Rex happily leaves, preparing for playtime.

Gameplay
Toy Story 3: The Video Game is a platformer where players are able to play as either Woody, Buzz Lightyear, or Jessie(In the levels: Loco Motives a.k.a. Train Chase and Witch Way Out? a.k.a. Bonnie's House, Buzz and Jessie are not playable, while in the level Hide and Sneak a.k.a. Prison Break, Buzz is unplayable, and in the levels To Infinity and Beyond a.k.a. Buzz Video Game and Muffin to Fear a.k.a. the Haunted Bakery, Jessie and Woody are absent). Each character has a special move:Woody can use his pull string to swing across certain areas, Buzz, the strongest of them, can fling other characters over long distances, and Jessie is the most agile and can balance on small platforms. Each of them can perform a shoulder charge and can throw luxo balls at targets or enemies. In the Buzz Video Game level, Buzz can use his laser to shoot enemies and crystals, and in other levels, this move is absent. Certain levels require players to switch between them to clear the levels. There are two main modes, Story and Toybox. Story mode consists of nine levels and follows the events of the movie (as well as the opening videogame sequence from Toy Story 2). In Toybox mode, titled Woody's Roundup, players can create and customize levels and fill it with inhabitants and missions. By completing various objectives within this world, players can earn money to unlock new objects and expand their city. Some of these objects are reported to include characters from other Disney/Pixar franchises.

An exclusive version of the game for Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 was sold at Walmart that includes four additional Theme Packs for Toy Box Mode. The Theme Packs include Sports, Knights, Cutesy, and Military. Players can use the Theme Packs to decorate buildings and dress townspeople and aliens in different ways after spending 500 coins on each pack in the Al's Toy Barn area of the game. The Walmart exclusive version also features a reflective foil background on the front of the case, rather than the standard black.

The PlayStation 2  and PlayStation Portable versions were developed by Asobo Studio. The player can play as either Woody, Buzz, Jessie (level 10 only), Squeeze Toy Aliens (level 12 and Alien Escapes) and the Green Army Men (level 2 only). The PS2 version graphics and sounds looks better than PSP version. The PS2 version was delayed on November 2, 2010 for unknown reason only in U.S and it has not been released in Europe or Australia. There is no multiplayer and Toy Box Mode. There are 13 levels in the Story Mode, that follows the events of the movie and there are no enemies or boss fights. After the player has completed a level in Story Mode, they can go back and replay it to try the 2 Challenge modes, which are Cube Destruction and Time Attack, that allow the player to win coins and unlock trophies. The 3 mini-games are Woody's Roundup (5 levels), Buzz Adventures (5 levels) and Aliens Escapes (2 levels) which follow the events of the Toy Story 2 movie. In the PSP version the final 2 levels of both Woody's Roundup and Buzz Adventures. Along with the 2 levels of Aliens Escapes have to be purchased via the PlayStation Store as downloadable content.

The PlayStation 3 version of the game features exclusive content such as the ability to play as Emperor Zurg in addition to Buzz, Woody and Jessie, complete with his own full set of unique missions. Players can drive around in Zurg's custom vehicle as well as blast at enemies using his trigun, his main objective is to eliminate Buzz Lightyear though players are free to do whatever else they'd like. In addition, the game also features compatibility with the PlayStation Move motion controller, and there are also downloadable mini-games designed specifically for the Move that can be downloaded for free from the PlayStation Store in Fall 2010. Also, Toy Box has more missions and there are additional cameo appearances and more characters.

Levels in Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, Mircosoft Windows and Mac OSX Version

 * 1. Train Rescue
 * 2. Andy's House (includes Andy's Basement)
 * 3. Buzz Lightyear Video Game (That part wasn't in the movie, but it was in Toy Story 2)
 * 4. Sunnyside Daycare
 * 5. Bonnie's House (It's during playtime, not in the movie)
 * 6. Prison Break (Only you can play as Woody or Jessie in this level, because Buzz is being controlled by Lotso).
 * 7. Junkyard
 * 8. Haunted Bakery

Levels in PS2 and PSP

 * 1. Western Playtime
 * 2. Operation Phone Call
 * 3. Keep Cool!
 * 4. Family Minded
 * 5. Trouble in the Caterpiller Room
 * 6. Goodbye Woody
 * 7. Strawberry Smells...
 * 8. Find the Computer
 * 9. Eye In The Sky
 * 10. Rodeo Rescue
 * 11. City Dump
 * 12. The Claw!
 * 13. Back Home...

Levels in Nintendo DS

 * 1. Runaway Train
 * 2. Andy's Room
 * 3. Flight Command
 * 4. Garbage Day
 * 5. Woody's Escape
 * 6. Over the Gorge
 * 7. Recess is Over
 * 8. Bonnie's Room
 * 9. Rock Climbing
 * 10. Buzz's Mission
 * 11. Lotso's Orders
 * 12. Woody's Return
 * 13. Star Command
 * 14. Garbage Dump

Development
Toy Story 3 was first announced at E3 in 2010, along with the app for the iPhone and iPod touch that lets fans play, personalize and stay connected to Toy Story. Disney Interactive later announced the Exclusive Content for the PS3 version on the game's release, including the ability to play as Emperor Zurg or unlock additional mini-games designed specifically for PlayStation Move motion controller.

According to an interview with the developers of the game, the developers wanted to give Pixar choices rather than dictate play, so they offered two pitches when they went to the studio with ideas in 2008. The first was a more traditional treatment of a movie licence game, where the player retells the film and hit the big beats of the story. The second pitch was this free-form mode which they called the Toy Box mode. Pixar loved the ideas and suggested that they develop both.

Toy Box Mode
Toy Box mode is an open-world collection of gameplay opportunities where the player runs around and completes missions, plays minigames, or just meanders around and creates his own fun. Every mission one successfully complete awards a certain amount of gold. Players then use the gold to buy new buildings and building customizations and clothing for the inhabitants of the town, such as a haunted house that releases ghosts upon the world that must then be taken care of, or a bearded farmer whose lost cows the player has to rescue. The buildings can be customized and placed wherever the player wants, giving the town a personal touch. That extends right on down to the type of people who live in the town.

An exclusive version of the game for Xbox, Wii, and PS3 was sold at Walmart that included four additional Theme Packs for Toy Box Mode. The Theme Packs included Sports, Knights, Cutesy, and Military. Players can use the Theme Packs to decorate buildings and dress townspeople and aliens in different ways after spending 500 coins on each pack in the Al's Toy Barn area of the game. The Walmart exclusive version also features a reflective foil background on the front of the case, rather than the standard black.

Differences from Film

 * In the train rescue scene, Jessie was the first to ride Bullseye, not Woody.
 * One-Eyed Bart and One-Eyed Betty do not appear in the video game.
 * Buzz Lightyear didn't save the orphans by Woody tossing them to him.
 * Evil Dr. Porkchop was not introduced until Rex came along.
 * Woody, Buzz and Jessie did not go to the attic to get the cordless phone.
 * The toys never played the Buzz Lightyear video game.
 * Lotso did not give a carnival for the toys.
 * The scenarios Bonnie played with her toys were not actually seen, but in the video game there are two levels based on her scenarios.
 * Chatter Telephone was not anonymous.
 * Woody did not rescue the toys, they broke out.
 * The toys did not go on a voyage during the garbage dump scene.

Exclusive Features for the PS3
You can play as Zurg and he will have his own unique missions. He also be able to drive around in his custom vehicle. There will also be some downloadable minigames in the fall for the PlayStation Move.

Critical Response
Toy Story 3 has received generally positive reviews. IGN scored the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version an 8.0, while scoring the Wii version a 7.5. GameSpot gave 7.0 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 version. The Official Nintendo Magazine scored the Wii and DS versions 80% saying that it was one of its kind but had horrendous voice acting which contrasts with IGN's review, who said the voice acting was "superb". Nintendo Power gave the Wii version a 7.5, calling it "surprisingly fun", while Game Informer had given the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions an 8, and the Wii version a 6/10, being the game's lowest score. Game Informer criticized the Wii version for its graphical downstep and "neutered Toy Box mode" (vs. PS3 and Xbox 360 version) where in this version "the missions are too repetitive, customization is barren, and its only 1-player, leaving in its place an eternal slog of fetching items."

Sales
Toy Story 3 was a top-seller in the UK. Toy Story 3 claimed its third week at number one of the UK full-price software charts over the weekend, whilst its big-screen counterpart also held onto the Box Office top spot.

Trivia

 * Older characters like Wheezy, Bo Peep, and Stinky Pete make appearances in the game.
 * Hand-in-the-Box makes a cameo in the haunted house, as well as Toy Box mode if you make buildings look scary.
 * During the first time playing through the haunted house (after clearing the 1st room) the song Grim Grinning Ghosts from the Disney attraction The Haunted Mansion can be heard. It plays in a continuous loop until the last room is cleared. Afterwards, the song cannot be heard again.
 * On level 12 in the PSP Version of the game, you can play as the Aliens.
 * Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head do not appear in the game. This could probably be for reasons to do with Playskool since Mr. Potato Head didn't always appear in certain Toy Story games.
 * Ken and Barbie are not in the game either, but Ken's Dreamhouse is seen in the Sunnyside Daycare level.
 * In level 2, if you go over to Andy's book shelf you will see the book of the short Tin Toy and other shorts.
 * Magic 8-Ball is seen on a shelf in the game.
 * The Luxo Ball is used as an objective and ammunition to throw at targets (also with the star and stripe pattern).
 * During the Buzz Lightyear videogame, when the play reaches some booby traps that block the path, there is a secret passage "To the left hidden in the shadows".