Toy Story: Mania Plug and Play Point 'N Shoot Video Game

Yee-Haw Partner! Ready for some Rootin' Tootin' fun?

In 2010, Disney·Pixar released this fun "Plug it in & Play" TV game, inspired by the immensely popular Toy Story Midway Mania attraction at Disney Parks! My wife and I would both say it's one of our absolute favorite rides when we go to Hollywood Studios (or California Adventure), so I jumped at the chance to get even a little bit of the experience at home.

While there is are Wii and XBOX versions of Toy Story Mania out there with better 3D graphics, what makes this one great for us is that this "Point 'N Shoot Video Game" doesn't need any kind of console to play. The game is built right in the controller. All you have to do is, well, plug it directly into your TV and your ready to play!

Included in the box are two sets of 3D glasses (which honestly don't really do a thing, so we don't wear them), a sensor bar, instructions and Toy Story Mania's signature cannon style controller.

Game Play - 
First you'll need three AAA batteries and four AA batteries to power up the sensor and controller. After those are installed, flip the sensor on-switch (you'll see a little red light turn on- that means you're ready to go!) and place it directly in the center near the TV (get it as close as possible).  Next, turn the dial on the controller to power it up. Again, a little red light will go on and you'll know you're all set. Plug in the controller according the instructions, turn on your TV and adjust it to the right input. At this point, you should see "Toy Story Mania" on your TV screen with a catchy little tune playing (yes, it will get stuck in your head). 

Next you'll choose how many players there are, put in the players' names and select one of five games (seen below):

Hamm and Eggs

Bo Peep's Baaa-loon Pop

Tossed in Space

Green Army Men Shoot Camp

Rootin' Tootin' Shootin'

During game play, the timer is on the bottom left of the screen and the scoreboard is on the bottom right. Hitting the green "+" bubbles will give you additional time and the red "-" bubbles will take away some time. There are also "X2" bubbles which will double the points you hit for a short amount of time. Like in the theme park attraction, the higher point targets are usually higher up in the scene.

The controller device does keep and save player names and high scores (overall high score and individual game high scores), which you can review -right now, as of last night, I have the highest score of about 120,000! I'm sure my wife will take that from me soon enough though; she held it for quite a while! Unlike the actual ride, this game does not keep track of shooting accuracy.

Overall, this is a fun, simple game that we enjoy. Of course, you can't expect the full theme park experience or you'll be undoubtedly disappointed. I see some reviews that are negative because they seemed to have expected the full ride in a tiny little box, ha! You get what you get; I mean, it's an inexpensive plug and play game based on a Disney Parks ride. You can't expect it to be exactly the same, but I say it's the next best thing if you're looking to get even a small portion of the ride's magic at home in your living room. 

The game originally sold for about $55, but is now currently on sale on Amazon or only $25.97! Head there to get a great deal. It's worth it! A big thanks to Brita who got me this for this past Christmas.

Check out some of the game play in my YouTube video below (featuring my wife Brita!):