Avatarwas a certified cultural phenomenon upon its 2009 release. Though some critics claimed the movie was overrated and full of plot cliches, that didn’t stopAvatarfrom grossing $1 billion by its 19th day, $2 billion after a few months, and now 13 years after its release,Avatarhas grossed $2.847 billion, making it the highest-grossing movie of all time, even beating out modern juggernauts likeAvengers: Endgame. And with a slew ofAvatarsequels on the horizon, it seems like a solid bet thatAvatarfever is going to come back in full-force, which is excellent news for Ubisoft’sAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Releasing either at the end of this year or at the start of next year,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoralooks set to be one impressive licensed game. Usingthe new Snowdrop Engine,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoralets players explore a gigantic open-world, all of it looking as magical and vibrant as its movie counterpart. ButAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoraisn’t the first game set in James Cameron’s universe, and the series' reputation in the gaming landscape isn’t the best.
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Avatar’s First Foray Into The Gaming Landscape
Coming out just after the height of licensed game popularity,Avatarreceived its own tie-in video game, and following the trend of the time, three distinctly different versions of the game were released. Officially titledJames Cameron’s Avatar: The Game, this game wasdeveloped by Ubisoft Montrealand released on just about every console of the time, ranging from the big-budget PS3 and Xbox 360 versions to the down-scaled PSP and DS iterations.
The first and the most popular version ofAvatar: The Gamewas the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC iteration. This version of the game adopts a third-person shooter perspective, and, naturally, boasts the best visuals of the different versions of the game. The big selling point for this version ofAvatar: The Gamewas the ability to choose to fight forthe greedy RDA human corporationor the Na’vi. Choosing either impacts the story, but not the gameplay all too much, with player being able to use both machine guns and bows regardless of their choice. The gameplay is fairly standard in this version, but the visuals are fairly solid for a 7th generation game.
The Wii and PSP versions ofAvatar: The Gameare, rather surprisingly, very similar. This version takes on a completely different story and gameplay type, where playersassume the role of a Na’vi warriorwho’s vastly outgunned and outmanned by RDA forces and must use stealth and guerilla tactics to survive. Though the visuals are rough, and the motion controls for the Wii port are often frustrating, this narrative and gameplay style works with theAvatarlicense much better than just a run-of-the-mill third-person shooter.
The third and final version ofAvatar: The Game, excluding the mobile tie-ins, was created solely for the Nintendo DS, and once again offers a completely different narrative and gameplay style. Rather than a third-person shooter or stealth game,Avatar: The Gameon DS isaZeldaclone, but a surprisingly good one, with detailed character models and environments, and charming visuals and level designs.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Can Easily Get Over Its Past
ThoughAvatar: The Gamewasn’t reviewed particularly well on launch, regardless of the different versions, they’re far from being the worst licensed games out there, and someAvatarfans still have fond memories of them. For die-hard fans, these titles were the only way to getmoreAvatarlore and stories, so regardless of their quality, they’re still appreciated by some.
That being said,Avatar’s reputation in the gaming landscape isn’t the best right now, and there’s plenty of room forAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorato improve on its predecessors. With the new Snowdrop Engine, the world of Pandora is going to look more vibrant and stunning than ever, and with the game adopting open-world gameplay mechanics, fans will finally be able to explore this living and breathing world at their own pace.
On top of this,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorais confirmed to be canon to the franchise, meaning that fans will be able to dive even deeper into the franchise’s lore to experience an all-new story set in theAvataruniverse, and one that may even tie intothe upcomingAvatarsequels. Put simply,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoradoesn’t need to do a lot to surpass its predecessors and add a new level of recognition to theAvatarbrand in the gaming landscape.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorais set to release in 2022 for Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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