Planet 51 - The Game

Planet 51: The Game is the Nintendo DS adaptation of the animated film. It was developed by Firebrand Games and published by SEGA, arriving in North America in November 2009.

The story puts a human astronaut, Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, on a world of green aliens whose 1950s-style society sees him as the alien invader. Chuck, Lem, and the robotic R.O.V.E.R. appear as playable characters as the game revisits the film's setting and events.

Its main campaign is built around driving hover vehicles through the open areas of Planet 51. Missions send players racing, chasing targets, transporting characters or objects, and evading the planet's army, with story missions advancing the adventure and optional jobs providing extra objectives.

Lem begins with a scooter and unlocks additional hover vehicles as the story progresses. Players can earn money from missions and driving stunts such as jumps and near misses, then spend it on vehicles and collectible material including stickers and comic strips.

The DS game also breaks up the driving with context-sensitive activities and touch-screen tasks, including throwing papers during delivery jobs and aiming during passenger sequences. Repeated collisions can draw police attention and lead to a pursuit.

This handheld version has its own features and structure rather than simply duplicating the console release. It includes a Destruction Derby mode for up to four local players with single-card support, while the R.O.V.E.R. missions found in the Wii edition are absent. Stickers can be exchanged between DS systems through wireless play.