Yogi Bear: The Game Review for Nintendo Wii (Wii)

This Camping Bear Can Take a Hike!

Yogi Bear returns in an all-new movie featuring a mix of live action and CG animation. To celebrate his return to the limelight, Yogi and his cuddly sidekick, Boo-Boo, take a detour on Wii. The big-screen movie looks like it could be fun for younger audiences, but does its video-game counterpart make a worthwhile companion for fans?

Ranger Smith has lost his collection of animal photos. So, Yogi volunteers to travel through Jellystone Park and snap shots of the various wildlife. Thus, your gameplay impetus is born. Yogi Bear on Wii is a straightforward, side-scrolling platformer, one where story takes a backseat to simple craft. The Yogi Bear sensibility from the cartoons of yesteryear comes across surprisingly well, but it might not be a franchise well worth remembering.

In terms of structure, Yogi Bear on Wii takes some obvious cues from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Areas of the park each contain several platforming levels, and the levels themselves are bite-size. Each level contains three hidden merit badges, and you’ll need to collect a set number of badges before being able to move on to the next area of the park. Unfortunately, the level design isn’t great, and being forced to retread levels will likely become a source of contention for many players.

Rather than build upon the natural forms one might find in a national park, Yogi Bear slaps blunt platforms conspicuously before you, and the path ahead is always obvious. Yogi can jump, crawl, belly slide, and belly flop. Like a typical Mario side-scroller, there are various enemies patrolling levels, and getting hit by the wildlife means instant death. You’re given a finite number of lives, but there are checkpoints sprinkled generously throughout each level.

After the first hour with the game, it hit me: I was basically playing Pitfall! from the Atari 2600. Sure, there are definitely a few new elements here and there – scaling vines, rotating platforms, etc. – but everything from the mechanics, to the general selection of actions you’re called upon to execute make Yogi Bear on Wii almost a spiritual successor to that now-classic video game.

Pitfall! for the Atari 2600 was released in 1982, and back then, it was absolutely the best thing the system had to offer. Fast-forward to the present, however, and Yogi Bear on Wii feels like a museum piece. Yogi’s movements are rigid, the collision detection and A.I. are all over the place, and the platforming challenge and creativity are laughable at best.

As I delved deeper into Yogi Bear on Wii, I was expecting more variety. What I got was more Pitfall! Jumping on the backs of turtles before they sink down beneath the water, evading flying fish – the level design isn’t particularly bad or broken; it’s just archaic in every sense of the word. Occasionally, I’d be tasked with a bit of stealth, hiding behind picnic tables or trees while campers patrolled to and fro. But the platform structures stay basically the same throughout, and there’s simply not enough variety or panache to make Yogi Bear an interesting or enjoyable romp.

The only major break from the platforming formula comes in the form of on-rails action. There’s no shooting, though Yogi and Boo-Boo are tasked with collecting pieces of pie as they fly through Jellystone Park on some airborne contraption. The gameplay for these segments is long and boring, presenting only a mind-numbing distraction from the game’s platforming mediocrity.

Perhaps the game’s most criminal offense is how it uses merit badges to slow down progress – it’s a completely transparent and obnoxious device. Completing Yogi Bear on Wii would likely take but only a brief time were it not for being constantly stopped in your tracks by a demanding park ranger in need of more merit badges. Collecting the loot means replaying the same, poorly conceived levels multiple times. In other, better games, this sort of gameplay construction might make for a nice incentive to scour nooks and crannies of a level; in Yogi Bear, it only serves to drive home just how bad the game truly is.

Yogi Bear on Wii offers no multiplayer component, and the single-player offering is shallow and unsatisfying. At roughly $40, the package is priced a bit lower than your average Wii game, but I’d still be hard-pressed to recommend it were it a $10-15 WiiWare title.

Considering the dated feel of the gameplay, it’s no surprise the presentation also looks at least a generation behind. Textures are bland and blocky, though to the game’s credit, the framerate is smooth. I experienced no noticeable slowdown during gameplay, but Yogi Bear on Wii is an otherwise completely lackluster production to behold. The water effects are subpar, and the animations are uneventful. The music is comprised of a respectable selection of MIDI loops that sit fine alongside the gameplay. Some of the sound effects are jarringly out of place, however, and the voice work is pretty barebones.

Most gamers are well-trained to be suspicious of any game based on a movie, yet a handful of impressive titles have made a positive mark on the medium – every once in a great while fans are treated to a companion piece worth investing in. Yogi Bear on Wii, however, takes the easy way out and offers no spirit, no pizzazz, and no real value to moviegoers hoping to extend their enjoyment of the Yogi Bear experience. Christmas might have come early on the big screen, but Wii owners will only find the Grinch in this holiday package.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.5 Graphics
Visually, Yogi Bear on Wii borders on mockery. The framerate is solid, and assets are placed with seemingly moderate care. However, the textures consist of blobs of polygons that make the game look about two generations old. 3.5 Control
Wii Waggle is, thankfully, kept to a minimum, and the basic controls work fine. Does that equate to fun gameplay? Hardly. 2.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Themes sound like stock fare unlikely to impressive or immerse any gamer. Sound effects are unremarkable and occasionally jarring. 2.1 Play Value
Curious to see what a decent platformer was like on Atari 2600? Then, Yogi Bear on Wii might make for an interesting history lesson. If you’re after contemporary fun, however, steer clear of this unimaginative drek. 2.2 Overall Rating – Poor
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.