Okay, maybe that title is a little harsh. I'm sure there are people out there who might enjoy Puss in Boots, the video game tie-in to the recently released DreamWorks movie; people who could look past the problems I found with it. But I can assure you of one thing: there are better games out now and coming soon that are more worthy of your money! Far more worthy. 

The problems began the moment the 2D cutscenes that started off the game's story mode ended and I was handed control of the sword-swinging feline. Or at least... partial control of him. The initial Puss in Boots level had me fighting bandits in a bar, and the first thing I noticed right off the bat is that I was only able to move in a half-circle around the bandit in front of me. The combat is handled in the following manner: a bandit comes up to you, you draw your sword, and then you exchange blades. If you play the Wii version, you'll be shaking the Wii remote like a demented soul, and if you play the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions with Move or Kinect respectively, expect similar controls. This whittles away the bandit's health gauge while filling up two gauges of your own. These gauges, once full, give you the ability to either kick or scratch the bandit away. That's it. After knocking the bandit away, another one will step in the way, and the process repeats itself until you have emptied every bandit's health gauge. Then, you're moved automatically to another part of the fighting space to fight a new wave of bandits.

As I was fighting the bandits, trying to get over the fact that I had next to no control, I was saying to myself, "Gee, I hope the rest of the game isn't like this." But then the game thrust a figurative blade through my hopes with the next level, which had me (automatically) running after a bandit, only bothering to give me some control when I needed Puss to jump onto a platform, climb up a ladder, or walk across a tightrope. Then I entered into another fight sequence that had me fighting bandits that looked remarkably similar to the ones I had fought before. After that, I had to sneak up to a hotel desk (done by shaking the controller on the motion-controlled versions), and so long as I held the controls still when the word "freeze" popped up on screen, the man behind the desk would not notice me, even when I was only a foot away, and in plain sight.

Aside from a few other gameplay elements similar to the ones just mentioned, I have just described the whole of Puss in Boots' story mode, which carried me (it really felt like that most of the time) across nine levels based off the story of the movie. Between the 2D cutscenes narrated by a decent Antonio Banderas impersonator, I ran, I fought, I sneaked, and I even wooed a few she-cats with my guitar skills, but the whole time I was irked by the lack of control the game gives you throughout the whole trip. And if I didn't make my point clear yet, if you play the game with motion controls (I played it on Wii), the game will force you to shake the controller several times throughout the game, which may even put some strain on your wrist. 

Thankfully, salvation will come to you by way of the game's ridiculous length, or lack there of. In less than two hours you'll be done with the story mode of Puss in Boots, and not only that, but you'll be able to try out the game's challenge mode as well (which is nothing more than a few mini-games relying on gameplay elements from the story mode) in that short period of time. Normally, I would be frustrated to see a game end so quickly, but in this case, I was grateful.

It wouldn't be completely true to say all movie tie-ins are half-cocked attempts to cash in on established brands. However, it cannot be denied that many of these games suffer from the short development times they usually get. Puss in Boots shows the typical signs. From the less-than-worthwhile swordplay (save your money for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword) to the heavily-restricting gameplay, there is virtually nothing here to entice you to continue playing, let alone come back for a second go at it. Maybe children will get some enjoyment out of it, but there's much better stuff for them out there.

GameDynamo's Score for Puss in Boots (Wii)

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