Others say...

"Issue with windows operating system"
I am still trying to resolve game-crash issues with Buena Vista Games. I have well over 70 games and occasionally have had to deal with these kinds
of issues. Not often, because I have a high-end system, but this particular game has been a time consuming headache to even get to run.
(something I still haven't been able to do!)Companies that code these kinds of games that take many hours of trouble shooting to even play should at least provide a higher level of customer support. I will never
purchase another game from Buena Vista Games, this was my first, and last!
On the plus side Amazon took my return and promptly sent me a new one
without charging me, your organization rates a "10" for customer satisfaction! Thanks much! Paul K. Guzman


"The best deal...."
I got this for $2.99. This is by far, the greatest software deal I've ever gotten, short of getting Star Control II as a gift for christmas 10+ years ago. First, I liked the movie Tron, so it didn't take much for me to buy the game. Second, I'm in IT by profession... So fantasizing a PC and its architecture is fun for me personally... (although how they depict and use terminology is maddening, you realize its just for fun) Lastly... I got this thing ROCK CHEAP. (bargain bin at some random store) If you liked the style and gameplay of System Shock 2, you'll like this game, as much of the same look n' feel are the same, indeed some of the sounds and graphics are similiar. The storyline is similiar to the movie, and its fairly well laid out. I like the upgrading and optimization of routines. Overall very fun. And of course... the light cycles.
It will not make the top 10 greatest games of all time, (like I said its a derivative work of System Shock 2), but it is fun.

"Good choice"
This is definitely a buy for fans of TRON; however, even non-fans can find it interesting(it could even interest you in the original movie).

The story is unique enough to keep your attention, but is not that radical - at least considering the fact that you are inside a computer.

The controls are flexible enough that most anyone can enjoy the game without reaching for awkward buttons.

The only complaints I have are an occasional lag in the jump command that leads to my character dying (though this might only be my machine) and the fixed nature of the game. By this I mean that once you've beaten it, you're done. The puzzles consist of defending places or people, jumping, or how to take down an enemy without getting killed in the process. No code-breaking etc. Really, you are in a computer; now the nature of the "world" may prevent this sort of puzzle, but are we to think that a password is represented by a digital soldier who attacks you?

In summary, the game is pretty good, but has some room for improvement.

"The Electronic World Awaits...."
After reading through several of the reviews here I've noticed that the single most common denominator is that the majority of us are 30-something males who saw this movie in the early 80's and have had a deep affection for the basic idea of it all. I mean, c'mon now, who wouldn't want a few days *inside* the computer in neon highlighted clothes while throwing a guided Identity Disc at people and get to drive around in a Light Cycle? No other movie I can think of screams for some kind of sequel quite the way TRON does (especially in todays' computer-driven world), and Buena Vista has tried to fill the gap with this awe-inspiring game.

The plot revolves around an encroaching data corruption plague that threatens the computers of ENCOM, against the backdrop of a hostile takeover from rival corporation FCon (on paper it sounds like a Bill Gates-like boredom fest in the making, but it works out quite well). The main protagonist is Jet Bradley, son of Alan Bradley (voiced by Bruce Boxleitner himself), who is sucked into the computer world, a la Flynn, by Alan's brainchild computer program Ma3a (voiced by Cindy Morgan, Yori/Lora of the original movie). Needless to say the storyline is intriguing and wonderfully put into the aspect of the Digital World with such panache that I wonder how this game didn't do better sales than it did.

Graphics wise this game is a virtual feast for the eyes. Where Doom 3 might hold the title for most visually realistic FPS this game is by far the most beautiful. Syd Meade's virtual world comes completely alive in this game, and to get to be *in* it is a dream come true. Almost every surface of every character and object is gorgeously highlighted by the cool neon lines of Tron-esque cyberspace. There is absolutely no other way to play this game but on the highest possible graphics setting because to put it even a smidge below that would be almost criminal.

Gameplay is equally absorbing. You begin your stay in the computer world with your trusty disc weapon. There are a number of weapons you can pick up later in the game, such as the mesh Blaster (basically a machine-pistol), Suffusion (a cyber-shotgun), LOL (a sniper rifle), as well as a wide array of energy ball weapons. You'll find yourself highly reliant on your trusty disc though, and really there's nothing wrong with that as it's the most reliable weapon you have and a pure joy to use. In addition you can aquire various "subroutines" by downloading them from data bins located all over the digital world. These subroutines allow you to do various improved styles of combat, or give you armor bonuses, or can give you increased abilities such as jumping higher or running silently. Most subroutines start out as giant Beta versions which suck up a lot of space in your configuration, but can be upgraded to Alpha or Gold versions throughout the game, provided you can find the subroutine enhancement critter-thing (there seems to be one for each level). This increases the combat/power value of the subroutine while letting it take up less space in your configuration, thus allowing room for more. Quite clever indeed!

One of the biggest sells of the game is of course the universally loved Light Cycle. No one who tries this game can deny what a long-dreamt about experience this alone is, and the inclusion of the Syd Mead-designed Super Light Cycle only sweetens the deal further. Cycles zip around on racing grids and every sound you remember from the movies is there, from the digital "thwip thwip thwip" of your cycle passing over grid lines to the fantastic sound of an opponent running into your light-trail. There are admittedly some rather odd (and questionable) maneuvers that your computer opponents can perform that will have you shaking your head in disbelief, but overall the Light Cycles half pay for the game by themselves.

Jet begins his trek in the digital world hotly pursued by ENCOM's ICP's, basically Anti-Virus programs, who blame him for the spread of the corruption. With the help of Byte (an upgrade to Bit, from the movie) Jet travels from server to server, hard-drive to PDA, and all over cyber-creation. Some of these digital world locale's are genius in design and are pure fun to go through, notably the Net (complete with a pub called, quite cleverly, "The Progress Bar") to the old EN-8212 mainframe of movie fame. All the while Jet is pursued by ICP's and the corporate thugs of FCon, who seem obsessed with finding and capturing Ma3a.

As gorgeous and engrossing as the game is there are a few weak spots that prevent me from giving it a perfect 5 star review. Others have pointed out a dislike for the puzzle/key-finding aspect of the game, but I rather enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun exploring every nook and cranny of the Tron universe. But I will say that while most of the maps are great fun to experience there are a few that are outright frustrating. Right off the bat the PDA is a living, breathing nightmare to navigate and beat(can I get an Amen?). The old ENCOM mainframe is a lot of fun, no doubt, but something of a letdown when you discover that you can't find Tron himself but only a sparkly bubble known as the Tron Legacy Code. Further the FCon antagonists are quite a bit over the top in their sinister designs. The HR woman looked like she was on a 48 hour caffiene binge at any given time. And the tragically short encounter with the infamous digital Tank only left me wanting for more, in addition to the elsewhere-mentioned scarcity of Recognizers (the few times you see and hear them really bring this game out). And the ending was almost anti-climactic. This is a long game and to go successfully through it to an ending that was, shall we say, underwhelming at best, really just irks you.

I should note though that Tron 2.0 is left open for a sequel story-wise, but that the luke-warm sales of this game probably told Buena Vista Games that it wasn't necessary. And that's what really saddens me because the Tron universe has a truly rabid following. The Light Cycles alone could make a fantastic game in and of itself, and it's included in the package! The ending leaves a number of questions. Where's Flynn? Is the CEO of FCon who I think he is? And most of all, where the heck is the sequel??? Overall a fantastic game that I find myself playing again and again! Fantastic work Buena Vista and Monolith!

"Get it for the light cycles"

I admit I was a Tron freak way back when. I remember playing Tron disc games with a frisbee in grade school during recess. I assure anyone reading this review who isn't in their 30s, a movie like Tron really made us kids turned us into religious fanatics. I even have the remastered DVD release that my family finds annoying, for some reason, every time I pop it in to bring back those wonderful memories.

As for the PC game, Monolith did an excellent job in recreating the Tron atmosphere. The light cycle routine itself is phenomenal and works great as a stand alone game which would have blown my socks off even more had this been released in the early 80s. Problem is, the annoyances that are standard in Monolith games, are pretty apparent here. They definitely have a distinct, polished style of their own. But they never quite succeeded in the gameplay department. This is very apparent in Tron as much of your time is spent on jumping puzzles. I am not really one to complain of a jumping puzzle every now and then, but when I am thrown against a series of 50 or so moving platforms that could mean certain death when I don't time my jump just right, I really have to throw in the towel.

There is also too much of a 'find the key (or in Tron's case, a permission) and open the door' element in Tron. It is kind of sad that a game that looks this good, couldn't quite present something that is equally innovating in the gameplay department.

That being said, if you must buy the game, do so for the light cycles. The game itself should only be considered there for a curiosity.