Windows Vista Update

July 13, 2007 - Bee Movie is an upcoming animated film from Dreamworks, so obviously it needs a videogame tie-in. Luckily, Activision will be delivering said tie-in around the time the movie is released November 2.

The brainchild of Jerry Seinfeld, Bee Movie follows the exploits of Barry B. Benson (voiced by Seinfeld) and his first adventure outside the hive. In development at the appropriately-named Beenox Studios (makers of other tie-in fare such as Cars, Fantastic 4, and Madagascar), the game is a third-person action title that gives players control of the movie's main bee.

You start out inside the hive where you'll find the bee community is abuzz with activity like most metropolitan areas. Snappy music sets a lighthearted tone for the adventure. Contrary to popular belief, bees don't fly everywhere, though. They have cars to get around from place to place, and players will split their time between flying and driving. Barry has just graduated high school and it's time for him to get to work making honey like everyone else in the hive. Disillusioned with his one career choice, Barry decides to venture out into the world and see what else life has to offer.

But before heading outside there are a variety of missions to be completed inside the hive that will introduce players to the game's mechanics. Most of the gameplay is made up of racing, chasing, and aerial acrobatics, and collectors can look forward to tons of collectibles. Early on, a taxi mission will put you behind the wheel and task you with ferrying bees around the hive much like the taxi mini-game in Grand Theft Auto (but with 100 percent less hot coffee).

Most of the bees spend their entire lives inside the hive, but elite "pollen jocks" venture outside to collect spores and carry them back to the worker bees. The exit to the outside world is called the J Gate, and only pollen jocks are allowed through. Barry convinces the jocks to let him accompany a mission, though, and so begins the heart of Bee Movie.

You won't always have direct control of Barry as he explores the big city. Some flying missions are command prompts where a button sequence will be displayed and you'll have to enter it in order to dodge oncoming obstacles. When you are in control of Barry's flight patterns, though, there is a pretty cool technique to simulate a bee's maneuverability. The insects can't fly in the rain, so you'll be able to slow down time and angle around falling rain drops.