Parents' Guide to

Up

By Harold Goldberg, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Glitches keep this game from getting a hearty thumbs "Up."

Game Mac , Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi , Nintendo Wii , PSP , PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , Windows , Xbox 360 2009
Up Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Rob_aus
Rob_aus Parent of 2 and 7-year-old
April 29, 2010
age 8+
Our whole family enjoyed it, but some parts were particularly tricky (getting past the crocodiles) for the kids.
parrym
parrym Adult
July 31, 2009
age 6+

Fun game, more tame than most.

Fun game so far. I purchased for my 7yr old who loved the movie. Graphics are good, but not world class. Game play is easy to learn, but some of the action can be challenging though not frusterating. This is action / adventure oriented with minimal fighting, at least compared to Lego Starwars, etc.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 3 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Up is Disney's latest Pixar movie, currently shown on thousands of screens nationwide in 3-D. THQ's video game UP, not in 3-D, follows the movie's story line. This platformer game features a thoughtful, inquisitive kid named Russell; Carl, a delightful old man who fears assisted living; and a balloon-propelled flying house which ends up in Venezuela for an often humorous escapade.

You'll control both Carl and Russell (ever tethered to the flying house) during the game, and you'll often have to work in tandem to get things done. As you move around this world, you'll amass coins for health purposes by killing bugs and breaking rocks. Russell can shimmy across ledges while Carl can use his cane as kind of grappling hook. Russell can use his backpack as a weapon, too. Some of the game levels involve flying bi-planes in dogfights. While there is multiplay for up to four people, there is no online play.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (9 ):

Up's characters have all the charm of their movie counterparts – right down to the way they move. The graphics are top notch, though not exactly Pixar quality. In both foreground and background, the unlikely heroes, outrageous villains, and tropical environs look about as good as any movie-based animated game can for this generation of consoles. And while you can't explore everywhere you want to as you could in the WALL-E game, you don't really notice that you're on a path from which you can't really stray.

Up, while good, is not THQ's finest hour when it comes to its stable of Pixar-related games. Some of the attention to detail – which makes or breaks a game like this – is missing. Carl, the oldster, often whacks Russell with his cane when he is trying to crack open coconuts or smash bugs. Carl is not supposed to do that but the computer-controlled Russell gets too close to the cane, and - whack - he's down on his back. Also, when swimming through a supposedly harrowing cave filled with rapids and giant snakes, there's not much to do except collect coins. In fact, if you don't do anything, you still get to the end of the run unscathed. And sometimes, Russell's dialog is cut off by another line of dialog. That essential suspension of disbelief is occasionally missing and with it goes your willingness to be emotionally touched – which is sad because the movie itself is so appealing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why most children's movies have accompanying video games? Did you choose to play this game because you had seen and liked the movie? What you would do if you were about to embark upon an epic journey that included a house raised by balloons. Who would you pick to go with you and why?

Game Details

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