Pitfall: The Lost Expedition

"Now, was that Pitiful, or Pitfall? A little of both."

Some good things going on here in the Land of Pitfall Harry, and some really bad things.

Story: 5

While the story itself is funny it's just one of the aspects that wears on the player. Plane crash. Everyone sprinkled around the jungle has... a broken leg, yeah, EVERYONE. It was funny for a few minutes but then it just bugs. The humor of the game is good for the most part it's just that there is simply too much of it. Yeah, too much. Every dialogue piece has to have some inside joke or bad pun. Another aspect that just wears on the player. While half of the humor is good, half is bad and there is no way to skip the bad stuff, lest you may pass up vital dialogue, so it's just hit or miss.

Gameplay: 1 through 7!

Talk about mixed baggage. The side scrolling stuff is pretty decent (7), probably the best part of the game, but this game tries so many concepts that do not work it's just a chore to get by the poorly made parts. Hub worlds that are top-down as you explore for 2 explorers per area is just bad (1). Here you'll fight enemies clumsily with no lock on, no maps, and hope for the best. YUK. Each area also has a sort of thrill ride aspect as you don a hanglider, etc. slide down rapids, etc. and is almost decent but fails to inspire (5). Sadly most of the gameplay is trial and error though as the player often cannot see where they are jumping!!

Graphics: 8.5

A light at the end of the tunnel? Pretty much. Really good graphics here esp. in the side scrolling areas. Geysers burst, fallen enemies turn to ghosts, bright vivid colors really do inspire. Great character animations esp. for a GBA game. Great effects like the water splashes as you jump in! Diverse landscapes are truly laid out, sadly it seems for not though.

Sound: 3

I'm BIG on sound... and this game isn't. It sucks. There are a couple of tunes that are good but mostly it is some of the most bland/generic tunes imaginable (See: Top down, find the explorers music). The Caverns sounds like something from the Cars or Robert Palmer, which I like but NOT in a Pitfall game. The music by and large is grating and doesn't fit this game.

Buy: ?

I liked the big brother version of this on the Xbox (minus the skipping tunes) much more than this. I bought this game after playing the first level, which is good but as it turns out, not a good representation of this game. I didn't know about the uneven aspects. Maybe I expected too much but in the end I'm faced with another Pitfall game that is hit and miss, but mostly miss. Will this series ever be done right? Pity too because I do love the character and art style that they have drawn up for the series, now if only the games would measure up. Sadly, with so many plats on the market, there is no excuse to waste time on this stuff.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/04