Toy Story Retro Round-Up + Toy Story 3: Complete Edition gets a 9. It has Toy story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, ergo, it is immediately deserving of this score. Thank you for your attention.

I think I was always sort of aware that the Toy Story games were ahead of their time. While I didn’t grow up with the Genesis or Super Nintendo version, I played the Toy Story game on Game Boy. Which I’ll add was one of the most frustrating experiences I’ve ever had. Clunky controls, blobs of pixels that were supposed to represent Woody and friends and nonsensical gameplay made it a rough time. But it was Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue that truly captivated me and my best friend. After school we’d go home to their computer and play this magnificent 3D action platformer, for what felt like years. Now with the Toy Story: Retro Round-up Collection I can finally put this game in context of the broader Toy Story games. While I’ll stand by the fact that Toy Story 2 is the best of the bunch, Digital Eclipse has put together another fine, if a bit safe, collection exploring the Pixar games developed by Traveler’s Tales.

Traveler’s Tales was responsible for all the Toy Story games from the SEGA Genesis, all the way to the PlayStation 1. In between they also made the game for A Bug’s Life, Pixar’s often overlooked second feature. The collection has a lot of options to choose from. When it comes to the games, there are both Game Boy and Game Boy Color versions of all the titles, wherever applicable. As well as picking between the Genesis and Super Nintendo Versions for Toy Story. Finally, at the tail end are the other 3D games, my beloved Toy Story 2, as well as Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Toy Story Racer. It’s a varied collection that can be attributed to the Traveler’s Tales team from the late 90’s to early 2000’s. The games play authentically and smoothly. In part due to a few quality of life changes that are optional. Such as a render scaler for the 3D titles, as well as a stable framerate and even some lovely cheats and extras that make the older titles a lot more palatable.

I won’t go into each game in detail, but I think that the original Toy Story is a bit of a mixed bag. The visuals are absolutely superb for their time, with animations by pixar and some great sound design. Yet, the gameplay is a frustrating and often confusing experience. Unclear attack patterns, endless scrolling levels and a lot of repetitive tasks made it more enjoyable with several of those aforementioned cheats enabled. A Bug’s Life is a bit off. While it is a 3D collect-a-thon, you explore the world by planting seeds that turn into platforms. Attacking is done by throwing berries. The game doesn’t do a great job of explaining things, but as a template for their later 3D titles, the attempt is admirable. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is a bit of an odd duck here. Based on the short-lived animated series, it is a racing game on foot in which you collect coins to pay for better weapons and shortcuts. It feels like a strange mixup of the aforementioned A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2, but outside of its unique gameplay it didn’t really stick with me. Finally, Toy Story Racer also isn’t a traditional racing game, but much more focused on missions. The controls feel very tight, like controlling toy cars. If you have another player to play with, the experience is a lot more enjoyable.

And then there’s Toy Story 2. Truly, one of the greatest 3D action platformers of all time. Roast me on a pyre, I do not care. If you make me choose, I’d rather replay this than Super Mario 64 any day of the week. Its tight levels make exploration a joy. You always feel like a toy exploring this big world. As you collect Pizza Planet Tokens you proceed to new levels that take a few creative liberties but explore the story of Toy Story 2 pretty accurately. There's some backtracking when you unlock new gadgets for Buzz to play around with, so you’ll have to leave some Pizza Planet tokens for later. My biggest gripe is that the choice for the PlayStation 1 version is a tad disappointing. While the soundtrack, one of the greatest of its generation, is still intact, the rendering on the PS1 is very aggressive. Warped walls and uneven lines shift around as you move closer or further away. I recall this being non-existent on the PC version and much smoother on the N64 version. I understand that Digital Eclipse went for consistent performance here, and I suspect that getting the PS1 version running was a lot more straightforward, but I had hoped that the renderer would help alleviate some of these issues. However, comparing it to the PlayStation 5 standalone version of the game, I can say with confidence that the version in Retro Round-up is indeed the best way of playing this version of the game. I’ve had a blast replaying this game and having it now in an easy accessible form on Switch is fantastic.

As with most Digital Eclipse collections, there are a few extras included here. A sound player to listen to the music is very welcome. Some behind the scenes materials have been preserved, such as concept sketches, 3D renders of levels, artworks and promotional materials. Yet I will say that these did feel slightly more held back than their previous historical collections, such as Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollektion and the Atari 50 Anniversary Collection. I suppose it is in part due to the licensee here, but still I had hoped that there would be more to view from the creation of these titles. That having been said, the video interviews are engaging as always. I loved the interview with Jim Hanks, who has been playing the role of Woody more times than his brother and provided some wonderful insight into his work. Great stuff and it makes the collection come together a lot more.

If you’re going in all the way, then Atari has also released Toy Story 3: Complete Edition as part of a bundle with this Round-Up collection. It deserves special mention as this game isn’t just a straight retelling of Toy Story 3. Rather it uses segments from the film as a jumping off point to do its own thing. It is a more linear 3D action game, but it captures the spirit of Toy Story 3 very well. Unlike the other games, here you control multiple characters that each have their own abilities. For example, Buzz can throw other characters far away to reach ledges and large objects. Woody can swing on poles with his pullstring and Jessie can balance on specific platforms to cross gaps. The game is clearly aimed more at kids, and especially accommodating for parents who want to play in co-op with them.

Something I was always told about Toy Story 3 was the addition of the Toy Box. I didn’t think it would appeal to me much, given that sandboxes rarely are something I tend to get a lot of joy out of. But I gotta admit, the Toy Box is a truly fun concept. This Complete Edition adds back in all the content that was locked behind specific versions of the game. In the Toy Box you get a pretty barren lot of desert that you can fill in with toys, buildings and objects you collect in the main game. By gathering resources, helping out with quests and exploring the Toy Box you unlock new items, decorations and inhabitants for your Toy Box. There is a lot of creativity on display here and it is no surprise that this in turn led to the concept returning in the Disney Infinity games. While my primary focus was Toy Story 3 itself, I did go back to the Toy Box in between levels to see if I could add in a few new buildings and explore some more. It is pretty incredible that this concept holds up so well almost 20 years later. I’m sure that new kids and parents will find plenty to enjoy here together as well.

Overall as a complete package, Toy Story: Retro Round-Up + Toy Story 3: Complete Edition is filled to the brim with things to play and do. Both an insightful history lesson in the creation of these titles as well as the ability to play all these games. Did we really need Toy Story on Game Boy and A Bug’s Life in here? Probably not, but as part of the story the game is trying to tell it does have the nice feeling of completion, even if you probably won’t play these games too long. Again, I will always go to bat for Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue. That alone to me is worth the price of admission. But I was surprised by how much fun I also had with Toy Story Racer and especially Toy Story 3: Complete Edition. While you can pick up the latter on its own, in the larger context of the Round-up Collection it feels like the perfect bow to tie these games together with. Each one pushed boundaries in its own way, that can still be felt all these years later. Needless to say, this collection comes highly recommended for lovers of the Toy Story films, game history enthusiasts and those looking for a set of games that are fun to play alone as well together. You may not play them for infinity, but this collection certainly goes a step beyond.