Pitfall: The Lost Expedition Member Review for the GameCube

It has been a while since a good Pitfall game came out, but the most recent one is one of the best, even with it's shortcomings. Pitfall: The Lost Expedition may seem like a generic platformer but it's a bit more than that, it has a sense of style and was part of once a good franchise.

The game consists of jumping, running and plenty of backtracking. It contains 4 main area types (lava, ice, forest and underground mines) which in turn, contain enemies to fight and treasures to retrieve. A nice addition to the treasures are the lost explorers that contain some of the game's idols (treasures). The idols act as an ingame currency that is used to buy upgrades, maps and a certain retro game. The worlds themselves are the usual sort but they are still fun with the ingame cutscenes.

The graphics aren't the best but are still pretty good in some areas. The quality is seen in the lighting effects from the torch Harry (main character) carry's around and the overall setting in a few areas; specifically the ice area. The framerate holds well but the game still feels a bit blocky.

The sound is arguably the best aspect of the game. The music fits the game perfectly, by not getting in the way of the action but is still noticable. The speech in the cutscenes is funny at times and the sounds of the animals are simply amazing.

Once you've seen everything and collected all there is, the only reason to go back is to play Pitfall 1 and 2 which can be unlocked. The game is short and can take an average gamer 11-13 hours while a veteran will take a shorter amount of time to beat.

This game is a perfect weekend rental and a must for platformer fans to try out, even if it's just for the original Pitfall games.