Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Stitch: Experiment 626

Written by Chris Reiter on June 11, 2002

First Impressions: Aliens that look like dogs...? What's next...road kill that actually tastes good?

Every year Disney amazes the world with its colorful animation and characters that start temporary food chain franchises as well as video game conversions. This year is no different, and this year audiences will receive one of Disney's more quirky presentations in the all-new adventure Lilo & Stitch. Sony Computer Entertainment and High Voltage Software, the developers of the recently released Xbox game Hunter: The Reckoning, are bringing gamers a quite different experience straying somewhat from the movie's plot in rather a prequel to the film titled Disney's Stitch: Experiment 626.

The story of the film is about a Hawaiian girl named Lilo who one day adopts a dog with the name Stitch. Stitch isn't any ordinary dog, however. In fact, he's really an alien being from another planet who crash landed in Hawaii to escape the alien race searching to hunt him down and lock him up. The game's story on the other hand is taking place before this summer's blockbuster makes its move into Stitch's predicament, as he is setup to be experimented on by the evil alien race after him.

Into oddball worlds of an alien jungle, a giant's lair, a science laboratory, and even a military compound, you'll use Stitch to explore and collect hidden secrets within each of the comic levels. At his disposal, Stitch is able to shoot, dash, climb, jump, and roll past alien figures out to capture him. One cool feature is that the environments can be destroyed in real time. But most importantly is the fact that finding level secrets will give players access to movie clips, both from the movie and deleted ones, which will indeed give people a good reason to take the gameplay a little further.

Not as good as the movie quality of the film will look, but the game will take place in environments modified with invigorating colors and effects. Like for instance, light beams and explosions will take place in certain areas. In thrashing levels with the ability to do so, Stitch can take a chunk out of parts of it, and leave detailed impressions. Most of all, the addition of cinematic Disney animations should be a warm welcome to fans who saw the film and would be interested in playing the game afterward.