Computeropolis (video game)

Computeropolis is a 2004 platform video game based on Universal's 2004 CGI-animated film of the same name, developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Games. The game was released in 2004 for the mobile phones, OS X, Microsoft Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Game Boy Advance. The Game Boy Advance version was also released on a Twin Pack cartridge bundled with M.I.S.S.I.O.N. in 2006.

Most of the cast from the film reprise their roles in this game, while some of them were replaced. (for example, Jesse McCartney and David Spade are replaced by Yuri Lowenthal and J.P. Manoux as Peri Dazz and Nicky Kickzoo in this game) However, this does not apply to the Game Boy Advance version, in which audio clips from the movie are reused.

Gameplay
The player plays as Peri Dazz and can play as Nicky Kickzoo in co-op to defeat King Trojan and his henchmen. The player will also be able to customize Peri and Nicky. It includes cutscenes from the movie, and each clip is based on a level, e.g. escaping from King Trojan's lair.

Plot
Same as the movie plot but it has many edits and differences in the video game version.

In the cutscenes, before the levels began, Percy Anthony "Peri" Dazz is a 14-year-old computer designer living with his parents Heather and Earl Dazz. One weekend, Peri's parents leave town, leaving him alone in the house. For a while, Peri is bored until he comes up with an idea for his own computer game called Frenzy. Once he finishes, Peri transfers the game file into an "exe." file and opens up GameGenius.com to upload it. However, when he opens up the internet, he discovers a popup ad of a website called "Computeropolis.com" with a download link. When he clicks on the link, the computer has a blinding white flash that begins to suck up random things in the room. Peri tries to escape, but fails and gets sucked in.

Peri discovers an online city deep inside the realms of his computer. However, he is caught by two internet officers named Paul and Frank, who take him to a lab where he is increased by a PC Chip, which allows Peri to use the desktop menu from his point of view. After he is finished getting tested at the lab by using a mouse cursor, Peri meets Nicky Kickzoo, an enterprising scavenger hunter who is the character Peri created for his Frenzy game. Nicky initially despises Peri, who wants to get back home, but ends up taking him along.

The duo arrives at the Desktop Component League (DCL), a organization department company headed by CEO Manager Marc to fund his research; their duties as upholders of the law range from capturing viruses to protecting the city of Computeropolis. There, Marc orders Peri and Nicky to capture King Trojan, a virus capable of corrupting the entirety of the global system. During their mission, Peri and Nicky meet Travis, a fat, video game-obsessed kid who knows Peri from GameGenius.com and joins the heroes to stop Trojan. However, they are captured by Trojan and his oafish and mean-spirited minion Milo, and transports them to Trojan's Lair.

At Trojan's Lair, they see how the viruses are created. Then Peri, Nicky and Travis manage to escape while Trojan's minions chase them. The heroes succeed, but Peri forgets to upload Frenzy to GameGenius.com, as he already has an "exe." file of the game on his computer. Nicky convinces him to visit the GameGenius site, confident that Peri's game will get popular once it is published. When they arrive at the site, a GameGenius user learns that the Frenzy game will not be published due to negligent issues. Peri accuses Nicky of attempting to lie without telling him about the issue. Then the rest of the DCL arrives, with Marc asking Peri and Nicky if they caught Trojan; Trojan is still there and tells them that he is going to wipe out the entire city using viruses.

Outraged, Marc accuses Peri and Nicky of lying to him about capturing Trojan. Nicky admits he thought that if Peri spent time with him, he would befriend him. Peri leaves to find his home so his parents will be home in no time by the end of the weekend. Then Clippit, an intelligent user interface for Microsoft Office, appears and Peri asks him which way is his house. Then Clippit takes Peri to a portal which leads him back home.

Back home, Peri happens upon the screen saying that his game Frenzy is successfully published to GameGenius.com. Meanwhile, the DCL offers to reinstate Nicky, but he refuses, instead confessing to Clippit that he cheated, just as he is alerted to Peri's break-in. Realizing what happened, Nicky defies Clippit and enters the same portal. Nicky finds Peri sitting outside of his house and tells him that Trojan is going to destroy Computeropolis by using a capable of viruses. Shocked, the duo rush back to the computer in Peri's room and Peri opens up the Computeropolis file that Peri downloaded before; the heroes then get sucked into the computer and leads them to Computeropolis.

Peri, Nicky, Travis, and the rest of the DCL fight Trojan and his minions (including Milo). Trojan returns for a final confrontation to kill the boy. However, the DCL manages to download an antivirus program for Peri's computer, causing Trojan and his virus minions to disintegrate into digital pixel dust. The citizens of Computeropolis cheer for Peri, Nicky, and the DCL for wiping out Trojan, but Peri realizes that it is the end of the weekend so he had to get back home in time when his parents arrive there. Peri uses the portal that leads him back home. Back home again, his parents Heather and Earl return home and Peri explains to them what happened. They at first did not believe Peri due to his "imagination during his childhood", but Peri is not making this up, and then, they finally believe him.

Sometime later, Peri returns to Computeropolis to spend time with Nicky and the rest of the DCL. The cutscenes end with Peri and the gang celebrating their victory.

Levels
Coming soon!

Voice cast

 * Yuri Lowenthal as Peri Dazz
 * J.P. Manoux as Nicky Kickzoo
 * Fred Tatasciore as King Trojan / Additional Voices
 * Harland Williams as Milo
 * Dan Fogler as Travis
 * David Hyde Pierce as Manager Marc
 * Jodi Benson as Commander Cindy
 * Jon Lovitz as Notepad Ned / Paul
 * Grey DeLisle as Painting Paula
 * Kari Wahlgren as Carol / Additional Voices
 * Bill Farmer as Frank
 * Tress MacNeille as Heather Dazz
 * Jeff Bennett as Earl Dazz
 * Michael Gough as Additional Voices
 * Audel LaRoque as Additional Voices
 * Tara Strong as Additional Voices
 * Michael Wildshill as Additional Voices
 * Keith Ferguson as Additional Voices

Development
The game was originally going to be published by Universal Interactive, but was published by Sierra Entertainment instead due to Universal Interactive’s closure in 2003 when that company was folded into Vivendi Universal Games, which distributed the game.

Reception
The game received generally positive reviews. Metacritic calculated an average score of 75 out of 100 for the game. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 67 out of 40 for the PlayStation 2 version.

Sequels
A sequel to the game, which was based on the second movie, titled Computeropolis 2 was released on July 3, 2007. The gameplay of the game is quite the same as the game based on the first film, but with some differences. A video game for the third film Computeropolis 3 has also been made.

Screenshots
Coming soon!

Trivia
Coming soon!