The Collection Chamber: LEMMINGS: A NEW COLLECTION

Can you lead the Lemmings to safety?

The Lemmings are back, and for the first time on PlayStation 2.

Danger is barely a footstep away for the relentlessly marching hordes of green-nhaired critters and, thanks to incredible EyeToy compatibility, you can now yse your body as well as your brains to save every lemming.
Featuring new and original levels!
Over 150 levels of madcap bashing, digging, building, climbing and mining!!!
20 EyeToy compatible levels - put yourself on TV to rescue the rodents.
Create your own levels then upload them for other Lemmings fans to share online
Download levels created by owners of Lemmings on PlayStation 2 and PSP (PlayStation Portable) (sold separately)

~ from the back of the UK PlayStation 2 box

From its 1991 debut through countless ports and spin-offs, every previous iteration of the classic puzzler Lemmings has escaped the confines of the Collection Chamber. Over the last six years we've seen Amiga tribes battle with DOS for the best version, a paintball fragging match, a fantasy platformer and a complete revolution of the series. It was only a matter of time before their PlayStation renaissance would appear. There were three games released in 2006, and all of them were developed by Team17 with Sony's backing. I've compiled them here into A New Lemmings Collection just to see how well they hold up.

The PSP entry remains the most faithful to the original. Here you get all 120 of the classic levels, faithfully recreated with 3D backdrops and crisp sprite work that keeps the same gameplay we all love on a 2D plane. It also adds 36 brand-new puzzles. This remake looks splendid on the handheld screen, and they still look nice when upscaled through emulation. The score, courtesy of Tim Follin - his last before retirement - is adequately bubbly and just a little annoying. Apt for the kind of game this is.

Highlight the ability with L & R and move the curser over the Lemming to give it to using the d-pad (left, PSP).

All of the original levels are faithfully recreated (right, PSP).

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this adaptation is the controls. It adapts the original's point-and-click interface into a digital controller inputs in a way that not only feels natural, but superior. It expands on what the SNES port of the original did by using the d-pad to move the cursor and the analog stick to scroll the scree. The shoulder buttons cycle through the abilities with a chunky tone that makes it appropriately obvious what you have selected. Cross button confirms, Square locks the cursor in place and Triangle zooms the camera in for a close-up view. The nature of the game demands you spend a lot of time watching some floppy-haired rodents on a carefree stroll, so the Circle button being used to speed things up is a great addition, though the emulator's built-in Warp function is a little better at this. Overall, it's a great playing puzzle game.

Not only do we have over 150 ready-made levels, but there's also a robust level editor. This addition isn't just tacked-on for perceived extra value, but a full-blown creative suite. It's so good I suspect the designers themselves used it to create the official levels. You can place terrain, hazards, objects, and even sketch out complex setups, then share creations with friends through the online feature (which is sadly now defunct). If you use it often, it may take up a chunk of the system's memory reserved for save games, but that's not really an issue when emulation is involved.

Attempting the PCSX2's buggy EyeToy feature. Unplayable, but it's great they're working on it (left, PS2).
Creating my own level in the level editor (right, PS2).

Released a few months after the PSP's March release, the PlayStation 2 port is essentially a clone of the handheld version. It has the same levels, same graphics, same editing feature. It does have a higher internal resolution making it overall the better option, but reviewers didn't think that the case at the time. Without the concept of portability, the game seemed like an undercooked budget title when standing next to the likes of God of War or Final Fantasy XII. The only thing it does differently is the inclusion of a bonus EyeToy mode, and it's quite inventive with it. You and your limbs become the bridges and barriers in an effort to guide them to the exit. Other times you have to manipulate contraptions such as a catapult or protect them from falling blocks. Like all EyeToy games, it is a little janky on real hardware but it works. When you play via emulation, however, it is non-existent. Current PCSX2 releases do have support for EyeToy functionality, but as of yet it's only made baby steps toward usability. My webcam stuttered to a less-than single-digit frame rate, but I do hope the tech wizards get to a playable state eventually. Until then, the PS2 version of Lemmings is just a basic port.

But there's one more game to talk about. The PlayStation 3 release of Lemmings is often written off as just another port of the PSP game, but it is, in fact, it's own distinct entity. This digital download exclusive to the PlayStation Network drops a lot of the features of the other two. It has no editor and remakes of the original levels are entirely absent. Instead we get a whole bunch of new levels with some new and novel gameplay twists. There's a whole host of new contraptions and character types, including one where the critter creep along in the dark with a candlestick, lighting up any torch that crosses their path. These are as inventive as any previous entry in the series, though it doesn't take away from the core gameplay like some of the legacy sequels do (looking at you Lemmings Chronicles).

Collect skill icons so you can assign them to more lemmings (left, PS3).

Levels are often built around new contraptions such as this copy machine (right, PS3).

Perhaps the biggest changeup to the formula is that abilities which you can assign to the marching crowd aren't always pre-assigned. Instead, you have to collect them on your journey to the end. Instead of unlocking a new door of frustration, they are instead cleverly used within the levels to create some ingenious puzzles that forces you to plot out your play. Add to this contraptions like teleporters and cloning machines and you have a worthy sequel that demands to be seen by its own merits, and not lumped in with the remake that came out at around the same time.

Taken together, the 2006 releases stand as a fascinating end to Lemmings' long saga. The PSP remake brought the beloved design into a modern portable, the PS2 experimented with motion gimmicks, and the PS3 title innovated beyond simple nostalgia. Unfortunately, subsequent mainstream Lemmings releases would be sparse. The series' mass-market appeal was already wining, but now they're relegate to the cheap online stores of mobile devices. Yet these three games show that even decades after its inception, Lemmings can still surprise, delight, and deliberately annoy in equal measure. For fans of smart puzzles and thoughtful design, it's a legacy worth remembering.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses PCSX2 to emulate the PlayStation 2, RPCS3 to emulate the PlayStation 3 and Retroarch with the PPSSPP to emulate the PlayStation Portable. X-Input (X-Box) and select other controllers supported. PSP Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 1.07 Gb. Install Size: 1.62 Gb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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