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Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2 on the home consoles was a very good platformer that did fairly well on both the critics and gamers side of things. Now that the Aussie Tiger takes his adventures down under to the Game Boy Advance. One thing can be said for Ty 2: The Bush Rescue on the GBA is that it is a game that is simple enough for the kiddies, yet the interest level and challenge is steep enough for an older audience. The core of Ty 2 is your basic, down to earth, old school side scroller. While the levels allow for a bit more, free roaming than just left to right, the fact that it is still a 2D platformer still remains. Not that this is a bad thing, but even with innovative weapons and gadgets, the game still doesn’t have the balance, originality, or totally unique feel that the console versions enjoyed.
What you do get is a low tech, stripped down version of what you liked about the console versions. Ty's outback atmosphere fills most levels, with a few exceptions in the latter levels. You also get some of the famous weapons that fans will be familiar with including the boomerangs and the mech upgrades called Bunyips, with a few of these suits to choose from. Each Bunyips will help in certain levels to fend against either powerful enemies or environments that may cause damage to Ty. Ty will also be able to ride air and land vehicles that break up the monotony of each level. Graphically Ty looks better than average, with wonderfully laid out levels, great animations for the enemies, and some nifty special effects and boss battles. There are also cut scenes, which while not animated, have some nice rendered shots that tell the story well. Audio hurts a bit, as the sound effects are very repetitive, as is the music score. Another downer to Ty 2 for the GBA is that it is a bit on the short side. You could literally have this one conquered in a decent car ride across state. Even trying to find hidden items is not enough to really go back and replay the game multiple times. But hey, for fewer than 20 bucks, I can think of worse games or things to do with your money, especially if you are a fan of old school 2D platformers. Overall, Ty 2 is not the wonderful surprise on the GBA that it was on the consoles, but it does serve its purpose in bringing Ty to the portable realm.
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