Pitfall: The Lost Expedition

"One of the best platformers, EVER!"

At least the Pitfall franchise hasn't gone bad. Yes Activision has cranked out another Pitfall game. Unlike the PS1 and Super Nintendo adventures, Pitfall is going for a more cartoony feel and revolves around our dear friend Pitfall Harry.

STORY
The year is 1931. While sharing a plane with some archaeologists, Pitfall Harry finds himself stranded in a jungle due to some turbulence that knocks their plane out of the sky. Not one to back down from an adventure, Harry decides to find the lost explorers, including one hot potential girlfriend named Nicole. Along the way Harry will have to swing vines, avoid native tribes and deal with a rival from back home who's looking to find the big treasure before our hero does. And what an adventure it is.

GRAPHICS
The graphics are exactly like you'd expect. They're cartoony so characters have only 3 fingers and one thumb. They're expressions are huge and over the top. Monkeys and jaguars and all kinds of animals look cartoony as well. It fits the material that it is. And that being said the locations are amazing. There is so much detail to see when you're in the big open areas. Snowy mountains, big waterfalls, hot lava pits...you'll love the scenery. I know I did.

SOUND
The sound features some great adventure and exploration music. with the audio playing in the background you'll feel the rush of swinging on vines, running from angry howling apes, and battling the natives who love to speak their fancy gibberish. And the voice acting is superb. Great audio.

GAMEPLAY
But can the game become an instant classic like the very first Pitfall so many years ago? And to that I say yes. It's the perfect platformer. This game is just a rush to play and you'll love all the things to do. Swinging on vines, battling enemies, swimming away from crocodiles, rolling around to enter tight spaces...this game just a ton of stuff to do.

I love any game that makes you feel like you're on an adventure. I love any game that makes you want to keep playing no matter what. The storyline and cutscenes are hilariously written and well thought out. They make you keep playing just so you can find out what happens next. Along the way you'll keep finding all kinds of new abilities and tools that'll help you on your adventure. Like the Sling, which you can use to fire rocks at enemies and activate far switches.

And for all the nostalgic fans out there, you can unlock both Pitfall and Pitfall 2 in the game. What more could you ask for?! I do have tiny problems that stop this from being a 10 though. One I found the camera was a bit of a pain to use sometimes. It isn't always perfect and trying to focus it is even more complicated. And finally I wish the game was a lot longer. Nontheless this is one of the best platformers I've ever played, and this is why I play video games. For the sheer fun of adventure.

IN THE END...
Get this newest Pitfall game, you won't be disappointed. It's got great fast action, amazing presentation, and it's a perfect platformer. I just wish it had more replayability to it. An amazing experience.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/16/06