Toy Story 3 Complete Edition Review – Lotso Fun

The PS3 and Xbox 360 console generation wasn’t exactly the best era for licensed games, but even at the time, amidst a sea of forgettable, low effort cashgrabs, there were a few gems that would shine bright every now and then. In 2010, Disney and Avalanche Software came out with Toy Story 3 to accompany the release of Pixar’s modern animation classic, and it turned out to be one of those rare exceptions. Though by no means an unabashed masterpiece, Toy Story 3 was a legitimately enjoyable game that managed to successfully capture some of the movie’s magic while delivering a fun platforming experience in its own right. Now, Atari and Digital Eclipse have teamed up once again to bring the beloved licensed platformer to modern platforms, and the results are predictably solid. Toy Story 3 Complete Edition is worth a look for fans of the original game, and of the Toy Story IP as a whole- even if some of the experience’s flaws are difficult to ignore.

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“Atari and Digital Eclipse have teamed up once again to bring the beloved licensed platformer to modern platforms”

The original Toy Story 3 came out at the tail end of the era where we would still get multiple discrete versions of a game across different platforms, but despite its name, Complete Edition doesn’t quite compile all of the content from all of those versions into a single, unified package. This remaster is based on Toy Story 3’s PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, which means the exclusive levels and content from the PS2 and PSP versions (which were very good in their own right) and the DS version are MIA here. That is certainly a disappointment, though then again, it’s difficult to imagine a solution to this problem, short of Atari and Digital Eclipse including all versions of the original release in Complete Edition. That said, the previously PS3 exclusive ability to play as Emperor Zurg in the Toy Box mode is included, while Complete Edition also adds four new theme packs to customize the town with in the aforementioned mode, so that’s something. Still, Complete Edition is something of a misnomer here.

Luckily, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Toy Story 3 weren’t no slouches, which means what is on offer here in Complete Edition has plenty to enjoy, even if the release isn’t quite as comprehensive as some might have hoped. Present and accounted for here are both, the story mode, which tells a version of the movie’s tale, and the Toy Box mode, which lets you freely run around a customizable town full of missions, side missions, collectibles, and more. Both modes also allow players to swap between Woody, Jesse, and Buzz as playable characters, each of whom has their own unique abilities.

“Luckily, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Toy Story 3 weren’t no slouches, which means what is on offer here in Complete Edition has plenty to enjoy”

Where story mode is concerned, Toy Story 3 functions as a linear platformer with all the bells and whistles of the world of Toy Story. Narratively, the game doesn’t really match up to the highs of the movie it is based on, though that is perhaps an unfair expectation. Toy Story 3 the movie, like other instalments in the franchise, is a benchmark for animation filmmaking as a whole, especially where writing and storytelling are concerned, and that is definitely not something that the game was going for. The game, instead, loosely follows the movie’s story, covering all of its main beats, adding in flourishes of its own, and deliberately skipping over a lot of the details and nuances.

Outside of those obvious narrative deficiencies though, the game does a great job of capturing some of the movie’s best moments and sequences in delightfully crafted platforming levels. From Andy’s room to Sunnyside Daycare and more, Toy Story 3 allows players to roam around in several iconic locations from the movie while navigating fun platforming challenges. The platforming itself never loses its charm, while swapping between Woody, Buzz, and Jesse to overcome different challenges also keeps things interesting.

It has to be said, however, that Toy Story 3 does stumble in some ways that you don’t want to see in a platformer. Movement can often feel floaty and imprecise, while often there’s also input lag, which can lead to unnecessary moments of frustration. The controls can also sometimes feel a little wonky, and all of these problems put together can sometimes get in the way in ways that feel especially grating in what is essentially a platformer. While some may have hoped that at least the most blatant of these issues would have been sanded out in the remastered Complete Edition release, that doesn’t seem to be the case, which is disappointing.

On the other hand, the game does know how to keep players interested as far as gameplay variety is concerned. Moving from level to level is always fun, not only to see what kind of new environment you will find yourself in, but also to experience new kinds of minigames, challenges, and more. From levels focused on Buzz Lightyear’s adventures as a Space Ranger fighting against the evils of Emperor Zurg, to minigames involving horse riding, racing around rooms in Hot Wheels-esque cars, and more, there’s a delightful variety to the activities on offer in Toy Story 3.

“The game does know how to keep players interested as far as gameplay variety is concerned.”

And then, of course, there is the Toy Box mode, which I’ve brought up on a couple of occasions. Toy Box serves as a great way to aimlessly run around and tackle compelling and enjoyable optional objectives. You can customize NPCs’ appearances, change what buildings look like, tackle a variety of missions and side missions, and more, all while freely exploring a Wild West styled town. Though not an endlessly replayable mode, Toy Box is certainly a fun distraction. Meanwhile, there are also plenty of collectibles for players to find throughout the game’s offerings, including figures, cards, and more, all of which you can then view in Al’s Toy Store – another fun nod for fans of the movies to appreciate.

In terms of content, then, in spite of the fact that it ignores all but the original game’s PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, Toy Story 3 Complete Edition does pack plenty of punch. It is, of course, also a technical upgrade over the original release, as you’d expect from a remaster. It offers support for up to 4K resolutions and 60 FPS frame rates, though it is, at best, a conservative upgrade. Visually, it looks solid, though that is more down to the charming Toy Story aesthetic than anything else. Meanwhile, though support for 60 FPS is certainly an appreciable step up, I will say that I often ran into situations where the frame rate was buckling visibly. Hopefully that is something that Digital Eclipse and Atari will fix with patches in the coming weeks.

Overall, Toy Story 3 Complete Edition is a conservative upgrade of a solid, beloved diamond in the rough. It is, of course, also a welcome surprise, because a remaster of the Toy Story 3 licensed game wasn’t really something that anyone was expecting (or, truthfully, hoping for). Though it still has the flaws of the original experience and isn’t quite as comprehensive as its name suggests, Complete Edition is a fun, charming, delightful platformer that fans of the Toy Story universe and platforming experiences in general will surely enjoy.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.