Last year’s Tron 2.0 on the PC was an FPS title that continued the Tron storyline that began over twenty years ago with the release of the motion picture.  It featured incredible graphics and solid gameplay.  Now, with the impending release of Tron 2.0: Killer App on the Xbox console, the game is also seeing a release on the Game Boy Advance.  However, whereas the Xbox version is looking to be a port of the PC game with some extra bells and whistles, Tron 2.0: Killer App on the GBA features a brand new storyline set after the events in last year’s PC game.  While the main quest of the GBA version is a pretty standard action game, the package gains a tremendous value with the inclusion of the two Tron arcade games, Tron and Discs of Tron, right out of the box.

Killer App’s storyline follows two programs in the computer world, Tron and Mercury, as they embark on a quest to find and eliminate a virus threatening their universe.  Each of them has a completely different quest with new missions, storylines and minigames to play through.  Their paths will also cross at points during the story, giving you more insight as to who they both are.

The main quests of the game occur from a top-down ¾ isometric view.  Using either Mercury or Tron, you progress through the missions defeating enemies and solving puzzles.  While the gameplay dynamic shifts quite a bit between the two main characters, the main quests of the game are similar in terms of mechanics.  You can strafe enemies, block their attacks and shoot your weapon at them and solve simplistic hacking puzzles, the only real difference between the two being that Tron fights with a disc and Mercury fights with a staff.

The real changes between the two of them occur in their available minigames.  Mercury has the Light Cycle missions available to her, and Tron has access to the Tank missions.  The Light Cycle missions play similar to those found in both the Tron arcade game and the recent PC game.  Basically an expanded version of Snake, Light Cycles has you playing against a group of other cyclists trying to block off your path with their light trails.  Additions to the Light Cycles game mode that weren’t in the original arcade game are the ability to pick up upgrades and power boosters as well as hazards on the track that will slow down your cycle and possibly allow your opponents to get the drop on you.

The Tank missions are slightly more different than those found in the arcade game, feeling more like BattleZone than anything else.  These missions occur from a first person angle and involve you navigating through a maze and searching out enemies on your radar, taking them out as they get in your view screen.

The real cool factor of the game is greatly increase due to the inclusion of the two Tron arcade games that came out in the early eighties, namely Tron and Discs of Tron.  Each of these games is back in all of their glory.  Controlling is also quite innovatively done, requiring the use of the L and R buttons in place of the trackball found in the arcade games.  The only real problem in the translations is their squished look, due to the wide GBA screen.

Otherwise, Tron 2.0: Killer App is a good-looking game.  The character models are nicely detailed and the animations, while a little stiff at parts, are great for a GBA game.  The environments are also detailed and remain true to the Tron storyline.  The minigames also look great, with a moving camera for the Light Cycles game that zooms in and out if the action heats up close to you, and a smooth first person mode for the tank modes.

The sound is also pretty good.  The game features voice acting by Bruce Boxleitner and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and a pretty decent soundtrack.  While the voice work does sound a bit compressed, its still pretty admirable that they put it in there.

Tron 2.0: Killer App is a decent action game, but doesn’t do a whole lot to separate it from many other action titles. However, the whole package benefits from the inclusion of the two Tron arcade games, making it a must have for nostalgic fans.   

Gameplay: 7.5
The main quest’s action gameplay is pretty simplistic, composed of top-down platform jumping and fighting.  The minigames are pretty cool, however, bringing a nice element to the gameplay and mixing it up a bit with the Light Cycle and Tank modes.

Graphics: 8.0 
Aside from some occasionally stiff looking animations, Tron 2.0 has a very good look.  The character models and environments are nicely detailed and retain the feeling of the Tron movie and the PC game.

Sound: 7.5
The game features some limited voice acting by Bruce Boxleitner and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, who also previously lent their voice talents to the Tron 2.0 PC game (Boxleitner, in fact, played Tron in the film over twenty years ago). While the voice effects may sound slightly compressed, its still cool that they are there.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.5 
Tron 2.0: Killer App may not innovate a lot in terms of gameplay, but the classic arcade games bring a lot of value to the package.

Overall: 7.5

Tron 2.0: Killer App is a good game, but not terribly original in terms of gameplay. The real value of this cartridge comes in the inclusion of the two Tron arcade games, meaning that old-school gamers and fans of the film should check it out if only for that.