PixlBit

Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper. These are probably the platformers you think of when talking about the PS2. In an era that saw the genre lose its footing to first person shooters like Halo and Killzone, Sony’s second console still had a stable of successful platformers. However, some were cast aside, left to wallow in the abyss of subpar imitators. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is one of those copycats. The series was never taken seriously despite its modest success with critics. This is mostly because the series does skew to a younger audience and truth be told, the aforementioned titles had more to offer. That’s not to say that this game has nothing to offer but only fans of the genre will want to get Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue.

The story is nothing too special but one thing I found interesting is how it provides context for the random, unconnected missions in this game. The main villain Boss Cass busted out of jail and a new police force, called Bush Rescue, has been formed to protect the area. Since you’re essentially the police, it makes sense why you would respond to all these random calls. Gameplay consists of you completing these missions until the next development in Boss Cass’ plans reveals itself. You run around the world and drive to the various drop off points on the map to the area where you talk to someone to start your mission. Some places are small and some are fully fledged levels. Ty can also participate in kart style racing side missions. These are functional but the karts feel floaty and at times you’ll find yourself losing races because it feels like you’re driving a chair with balloons attached to it instead of a kart. They simply lack polish and come off as unnecessary. This also serves as the multiplayer if you ever happen to want to share the disappointment with a friend.

With a few exceptions there are no loading screens. In their place are lockdown rooms where you can collect orbs while the locked door opens or the next area loads. These orbs are the currency in the game, which are also awarded after a mission is over. With them, you can go to the city hub and buy upgrades. These are actually pretty good and you’ll need most of them if you want to progress though the game with little difficulty. If you strive for 100% completion you can also collect other items like picture frames and orbs, just like in other platformers.

Ty controls very well. He runs, jumps, bites, glides, and tosses boomerangs, his primary method of attack. Buying new boomerangs is the real thrill of the game. Although nothing inspired, the different boomerangs do have different elements that change how you play the game. The Flamerang will set enemies on fire and will catch anyone who’s near them on fire as well. The X-Rang serves as a sniper rifle of sorts and allows you to aim and throw a boomerang from very far. My favorite, the KaBoomerang, will explode upon impact. Unfortunately, some of the boomerangs lack variety and some like the Freezerang just plain suck. Still, running around and smacking enemies with a boomerang is great fun and the various upgrades are varied enough to keep things interesting. The missions, although fun, are uninspired. Get used to driving to various points on the map and running around doing the same thing over and over. Most of the game boils down to get here to start, get here to end and in between are some enemies to get through. Some areas can be difficult if you don’t pay attention and most of the game can be pretty repetitious. Oh yeah, this game has mechs (don’t ask me why). You beat up on enemies by just spamming the square button and that’s about it. Honestly, mechs didn’t need to be in this game and having them in this cartoony world is just weird.

Graphics are colorful and everything is smooth, but textures and level designs are only serviceable. The city is well done, with citizens stopping to say hello to you. There are no big set pieces to impress you, nor are there any visually spectacular enemies or subtle animations to speak of. Get ready for a lot of “G’day, mate!” and “Struth,” as well as other stereotypical Australian idioms. Accuracy not taken into consideration, eventually the dialogue starts to sound silly. Other than that, sound effects and music is appropriate if uninspired.

Uninspired is the word that describes this game and it’s the reason why most gamers looked over this series. However, the second Ty game isn’t that bad. Controls and mechanics save this game from mediocrity and fans of platformers will have a good time with it. Coupled with its relatively easy difficulty, Ty 2 is the perfect power down game. After the high tension of a blockbuster game like God of War, it’s nice to pop in this game to just relax your nerves and clear your head as you senselessly whack enemies and traverse the dusty outback.