Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6448 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sega
• Released on: 2007-11-30
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
• Dimensions: .35 pounds

Manufacturer's Description

The official game of the New Line Cinema feature film 'The Golden Compass', starring Oscar winner Nicole Kidman, newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, and Daniel Craig. Based on Philip Pullman's best-selling and award-winning first novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy

Immerse yourself in a parallel world where giant armoured bears rule a kingdom, beautiful witches fly through frozen skies and a human beings soul manifests itself as a transforming talking animal - their demon. Assume the role of Lyra, a rebellious young girl, as she journeys through the frozen wastes of the North on an epic quest to save not only her own world, but ours as well.

Assume the role of Lyra's demon Pan to help her solve puzzles, collaborate with other characters to gain vital information and collect special items in order to explore, evade and deceive their way through confrontations and adventures. Gamers can also play as Lorek, a giant armoured polar bear and Lyra's companion, who battles enemies with his powerful attacks and special moves.

Customer Reviews

Makes a nice change from FPS games and the other reviewers are being a little harsh in my opinion.
I received this game as part of my PS3 bundle and I was so sure it would be 'pants' that I have had it nearly six months before putting the disc in the PS3. Firstly I read the book which was excellent and I was so intrigued by how the story would translate to a game, I thought I would give it a bash. There are so few games on the PS3 that are NOT first person shooters, I must confess my PS3 has been sitting in a drawer gathering dust. Firstly I would like to get the bad bits out of the way:

1) No movable camera which leads to our young heroine plummeting to her death as a cliff appears in front of her but you can't see it. It also impedes the jumping sequences but then again, I can put up with that.
2)The graphics are not what I would call next gen. Water splashes are poor if even existent and although some of the panoramic shots are good, the overall graphics are late release PS2 at best. I think we won't see the best of the PS3 for a few years yet, probably not until Sony decide to release the PS4.
3)Game can be too easy in parts (although it has it's tricky bits I would have liked more challenging puzzles but then I am 34 : )
4)Far too short!
4)No in-game save option. The game autosaves and there are checkpoints but you find yourself having to re-do most of a level if you switch off before the auto-save has saved.

Now the good bits:

1) Nice and varied game. Some games can be repetitive and each level is the same. One of the reasons I like this game is because each level is very different. Snoop around Mrs. Coulter's flat and lob vases at that horrid golden monkey, swab the decks on a Gyptian vessel and learn to evade your enemies, rampage around on your bear and clamber around in air vents.
2)Fun mini games during dialogue. They don't call her Lyra Silvertonge for nothing! Lyra must deceive her way out of situations and the outcome is dependant on your mini-game skill like pound the orbs, match the symbol, avoid the obstacles etc. You also collect deception items along the way to help you win! It is always worth talking to everybody Lyra meets on her travels and fully investigating her surroundings.
3)Pan the daemon! I loved Pan in the book and he is also great in the film and game. Pan will help you with his Ermine instinct, Sloth Swing, Hawk Glide and Wildcat Climb.
4)Some fun and challenging jump and swing sequences that would give Lara Croft a run for her money!
5)Play as Iorek the Armoured Bear and charge, swipe, stomp and grab your way through people, daemons, tents and towers. He is one angry bear and a good tension buster.
6)The Alethiometer is good fun. Lyra has a journal which she uses logs her adventures. She also has to answer many Alethiometer questions using her knowledge of collected symbols and her concentration. There are 108 symbols to collect and I have collected about 92 after two full plays. You need to be vigilant to spot them - Pan will help!
7) Unlockable bonus content. Collect as many symbols as you can and answer all the Alethiometer questions for goodies and cheats. There are lots of items to collect and each one will help you with deception and evade games.

Maybe I am a bit sad to like this game but I get fed up of mindlessly shooting things all the time and it has given me several days of entertainment so what more could I ask? Good all-round family fun. If you haven't done so already I highly recommend reading the book first because aside from being an excellen read it will make the game more intriguing.

Poor, not worth all the hype
Good graphics all round. What spoils the game is the very poor camera angles, you cant see what the cahracters are looking direclt at, so when jumping onto platforms, you often miss the target,

The puzzles to solve the answers on the compass are so difficult to work out, since when was a snake 'cunning'?

Very poor game

What has Sega done?
This has to be one of the worst games ever for the PS3.A child of 10 will find it boring after about an hour.The controls lack the direct response we have come to expect for modern games, and the so called puzzles needed to pass to progress the story are so easy that I wonder why they are even there.The graphics are very poor and the PS3's capabilities are totally wasted
This is just a game produced to make money on the back of a well advertised film which I have not seen and will not see due to this awful game having put me off. Save your money with this game and buy something decent. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.