In 2002, Krome Studios unleashed a brand-new character upon the already bursting platform genre - a veritable walking dictionary of Australian cliches and slang named Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. Making use of both his bite attack and collection of boomerangs, he set out to foil the dastardly plans of an evil Cassowary aptly named Boss Cass. A fairly generic platform title, it managed to impress with its clever dialogue and voice acting - but fell flat just about everywhere else. The game was filled with lush 3D environments, but as the action was limited mainly to running and jumping, it ended up being a title geared mainly towards the younger crowd. The difficulty level was non-existent, and a seasoned gamer looking to play through it could be finished in just a few short hours. Unfortunately, while Ty had a lot of room to improve in his sequel, he ended up delivering more of the same overdone platforming & item collecting experience. However the uniquely (and fully immersive) Australian theme and the sheer variety of gameplay available may sway some gamers long enough to give the title a look.

Features

• Battle baddies in high-tech mechs
  
• Suped-up air and land vehicles
  
• Arm yourself with 21 different boomerangs
  
• 7 levels of split-screen racing action
  
• Explore a wide-open go-anywhere world

The game begins much like Metroid Prime, dropping the player head-on into an introduction sequence designed to tell the story interactively rather than with a series of still screens or video. You are dropped straight into the middle of an all-out war between the residents of Burramudgee Town and Boss Cass's Uber Reptiles. For the player that has successfully completed the first Ty title, you might be asking "Why"? The Uber Reptiles are trying to break Boss Cass free from Currawong Jail, of course - the very place that Ty stuck him in at the end of the first title. As the introduction sequence is scripted, all that matters is that you manage to destroy the enemies where required, and that you keep yourself alive to complete each objective. Despite all of your best efforts, Boss Cass manages to break free from jail, and adds insult to injury by electing himself president of his own country. This single act places Boss Cass under the protective guise of diplomatic immunity, where Ty cannot hurt him. However, luckily enough Ty and his friends have just opened up Burramudgee Bush Rescue, an outfit dedicated to helping the town residents with whatever problems they may encounter. Once the introduction sequence is complete, gamers find themselves standing outside the newly-minted Bush Rescue headquarters with the world at their fingertips. A short tutorial sequence is available by talking to a pair of seedy characters on the right, but those that are comfortable enough with the controls should run straight ahead into town. This is where the meat of the mission-based gameplay is to be found.




There are slightly more than 40 missions to be completed, and as you might expect they are not all mandatory. Missions that must be completed to advance the story are marked on your map with red stars, and others are marked in green or orange stars. Those missions can be completed at will any time in the game, and are not required to be completed at all if you so choose. This brings us to the first problem with the game - the map. You must rely on it quite heavily to find your way around Burramudgee Town, and all of your objectives end up being very poorly marked on it. You will find yourself backtracking quite heavily, and ending up in areas that you have already completed while searching for the place that the game wants you to end up at. In respects to some of the missions, you may find yourself searching so long for an area that you just give up and move on to something else. There are always approximately three missions available to you to choose from at any one time, you are never painted into a corner and forced to complete one in particular. There is no bonus available for completing all of the missions other than earning yourself opals, which is what the game uses for currency. Opals allow you to purchase new boomerangs - and there are over 20 to choose from.