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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (video game)
Encyclopedia
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (known as Night at the Museum 2 in other countries) is an action
video game developed by Amaze Entertainment
and Pipeworks Software
and published by Majesco Entertainment
for Microsoft Windows
, Wii
, Nintendo DS
and Xbox 360
. The video game is based on the film of the same name
. It was released on May 5, 2009. Ben Stiller
reprises his role in the film as the voice of Larry Daley.
. Platforming involves Larry using a rope to swing from hooks and a flashlight that activates different contraptions.
Battling requires Larry to lead his enemies to a certain painting or statue and activating it, causing the object to attack (ex. Thinker will swipe at a passing enemy, an ocean painting releases a shark, etc.) Larry will be able to pilot vehicles, which are the Lunar Lander, a Pitcairn Autogyro and Rexy the T-rex.
Larry Daley is the CEO and founder of the company Daley Devices, and learns that the Museum of Natural History, where he once worked as a night guard and found out that the exhibits come to life every night, is having renovations, replacing the wax figures and stuffed animals with state-of-the-art 3D holograms. Larry returns to the museum, where he learns from Jedidiah the miniature cowboy and Octavious the miniature Roman general There, Larry learns from Jedidiah the miniature cowboy and Octavius the Roman general that because of the renovations, they will be shipped to the Federal Archives(Octavius mistakenly calls it the Admiral Archives)under the Smithsonian Museum, asides from Rexy the T-Rex skeleton, Akmunrah and his tablet,(which is the source which makes the ehibits come to life)the Easter Island Head, nicknamed Dumb-dumb, and other signature exhibits will be staying. Larry meets with Akhmunra, who teaches him about the several ingots the tablet consists of, explaining that each ingot has a different power. He tells Larry he can use the tablet's powers using his flashlight and key-chain.
After returning home, Larry receives a call from Jed, informing him that the tablet was stolen by the cheeky monkey Dexter while all of them were supposed to be in federal archives without the tablet. Larry rushes to the Smithsonian in Washington DC. He steals a key card from a guard and enters the Federal Archive, and gets the tablet. However, night comes(Larry calls it "magic time" throughout the video game), causing everything to come to life. This brings the evil Kahmunrah, who is Akmunrah's evil brother, to life, imprisoning Jed, Dexter and the others. Larry is threatened by Kahmunrah, and is forced to give him the tablet. Kahmunrah smashes the tablet to pieces (an event that did not happen in the film), giving the ingots in the tablet to several other exhibits who are on his side(such as Napoleon, Ivan the Terrible and Al Capone) who hide the ingots. Larry escapes by releasing a squid, who captures Kahmunrah and his servants, escaping with the tablet with only one ingot left. Larry tracks down the exhibits follwing Kahmunrah, and finds the ingots in several places in the museum, such as the Art Gallery(where he steals the ingot from Ivan the terrible, fixing the exhibits Ivan damaged on the way), the Air and Space Museum(where he steals an ingot from Napoleon) and so on.
In the end, there is a huge battle over the finished tablet, which is won by Larry's friends and Larry banishes Kahmunrah to the Underworld. Like the movie, the game ends with the museum being open late at night and Larry telling his boss Dr. McPhee that he stuck motors in the exhibits, while he actually just brought the tablet home, and having the exhibits come back to life.
average of 50%.
IGN were the most positive source, saying that the game is “not exhilarating, not mind-blowing, but surprisingly solid. Good job, Pipeworks, you made a game that's educational, simple, and, best of all, never outstays its welcome.” Official Xbox Magazine called it “a solid choice for couch time with the kids.” IT Reviews acknowledged “there are decent moments,” but added that the game “is ridiculously short, a little too muddled and really quite poor value for money.” Gamespot also agreed on the longevity issue, saying that “a few cute moments can't disguise this movie tie-in's biggest problem: its criminally short length.”
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
video game developed by Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment was a video game developer from the United States that sold over 100 games in its ten-year history , for several video game platforms, with headquarters located in Kirkland, Washington. Amaze’s primary focus was licensed games based on movie franchises, comic series, and...
and Pipeworks Software
Pipeworks Software
-History:Part of Foundation 9 Entertainment, the largest independent game developer in North America, Pipeworks Software, Inc. began life as an independent studio with senior artists, designers, and programmers from such titles as Tribes, Pro Pilot, Populous, Aces, 3D Ultra, Front Page Sports, and...
and published by Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. The video game is based on the film of the same name
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is an American adventure comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Steve Coogan. The film is a sequel to Night at the Museum...
. It was released on May 5, 2009. Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
reprises his role in the film as the voice of Larry Daley.
Gameplay
Gameplay will involve Larry exploring certain exhibits in the museumMuseum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
. Platforming involves Larry using a rope to swing from hooks and a flashlight that activates different contraptions.
Battling requires Larry to lead his enemies to a certain painting or statue and activating it, causing the object to attack (ex. Thinker will swipe at a passing enemy, an ocean painting releases a shark, etc.) Larry will be able to pilot vehicles, which are the Lunar Lander, a Pitcairn Autogyro and Rexy the T-rex.
Plot
The plot of the game is almost the same as the plot of the film.Larry Daley is the CEO and founder of the company Daley Devices, and learns that the Museum of Natural History, where he once worked as a night guard and found out that the exhibits come to life every night, is having renovations, replacing the wax figures and stuffed animals with state-of-the-art 3D holograms. Larry returns to the museum, where he learns from Jedidiah the miniature cowboy and Octavious the miniature Roman general There, Larry learns from Jedidiah the miniature cowboy and Octavius the Roman general that because of the renovations, they will be shipped to the Federal Archives(Octavius mistakenly calls it the Admiral Archives)under the Smithsonian Museum, asides from Rexy the T-Rex skeleton, Akmunrah and his tablet,(which is the source which makes the ehibits come to life)the Easter Island Head, nicknamed Dumb-dumb, and other signature exhibits will be staying. Larry meets with Akhmunra, who teaches him about the several ingots the tablet consists of, explaining that each ingot has a different power. He tells Larry he can use the tablet's powers using his flashlight and key-chain.
After returning home, Larry receives a call from Jed, informing him that the tablet was stolen by the cheeky monkey Dexter while all of them were supposed to be in federal archives without the tablet. Larry rushes to the Smithsonian in Washington DC. He steals a key card from a guard and enters the Federal Archive, and gets the tablet. However, night comes(Larry calls it "magic time" throughout the video game), causing everything to come to life. This brings the evil Kahmunrah, who is Akmunrah's evil brother, to life, imprisoning Jed, Dexter and the others. Larry is threatened by Kahmunrah, and is forced to give him the tablet. Kahmunrah smashes the tablet to pieces (an event that did not happen in the film), giving the ingots in the tablet to several other exhibits who are on his side(such as Napoleon, Ivan the Terrible and Al Capone) who hide the ingots. Larry escapes by releasing a squid, who captures Kahmunrah and his servants, escaping with the tablet with only one ingot left. Larry tracks down the exhibits follwing Kahmunrah, and finds the ingots in several places in the museum, such as the Art Gallery(where he steals the ingot from Ivan the terrible, fixing the exhibits Ivan damaged on the way), the Air and Space Museum(where he steals an ingot from Napoleon) and so on.
In the end, there is a huge battle over the finished tablet, which is won by Larry's friends and Larry banishes Kahmunrah to the Underworld. Like the movie, the game ends with the museum being open late at night and Larry telling his boss Dr. McPhee that he stuck motors in the exhibits, while he actually just brought the tablet home, and having the exhibits come back to life.
Reception
The game received mixed reviews in general, with a MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
average of 50%.
IGN were the most positive source, saying that the game is “not exhilarating, not mind-blowing, but surprisingly solid. Good job, Pipeworks, you made a game that's educational, simple, and, best of all, never outstays its welcome.” Official Xbox Magazine called it “a solid choice for couch time with the kids.” IT Reviews acknowledged “there are decent moments,” but added that the game “is ridiculously short, a little too muddled and really quite poor value for money.” Gamespot also agreed on the longevity issue, saying that “a few cute moments can't disguise this movie tie-in's biggest problem: its criminally short length.”