"Play with the Teletubbies"
for the Sony Playstation
FAQ v1.00 5/28/03
by Peter Karsanow
What's new in this version:
Everything!
New in v1.00 (28 May 2003)
initial release for NTSC/UC version
0. Introduction
This is an FAQ for the Sony Playstation (PSX) young children's activity "Play
with the Teletubbies", released in 2000 by the BBC, Knowledge Adventure,
Ragdoll and Asylum Entertainment. The FAQ author is Peter Karsanow,
karsanow[AT}dellepro{DOT)com.
This document Copyright (c) 2003 Peter Karsanow. Some contents of this FAQ
heavily paraphrase the original manual.
The latest version of this file can be found on:
http://www.geocities.com/hentaihelper/p_rpgame.htm
as the file teletubbies.txt
1. What's this FAQ about?
"Play with the Teletubbies" ("Play" from now on) is a release that's meant
for young children, age 2 and up. If the kids like the show on TV, they'll
like the games/activities in this release. For lack of a better word, I'll
call this disc a game, although there are really very few game elements. A
description of the sequence of play, and my review of the graphics and sound
is further on.
2. Why does it need an FAQ?
Answer 1: Somebody requested one at GameFAQs, so here it is.
Answer 2: It's quite possible that one of the 2 reviews there was written
without access to a manual while playing, so that many of the activities
weren't obviously accessible. Given that this game could easily be "grown out
of" and show up used, usually without a manual, a FAQ that recaps the
important controls is a good substitute.
3. How do you play it?
First, set up the Playstation and the game disc for the little mons..., I
mean darling angels. There will be a number of short logo movies for each of
the companies involved as the game loads, so you can't walk away just yet.
The first hurdle is a non-animated start screen, where you will just have to
press the Start button.
Next, after a bit of introduction video, choose a Teletubbie. The button you
need to press (Triangle, Circle, X, or Square) is shown above the Teletubbie's
head. The choice affects which "favorite thing" the Teletubbie has [Po, the
red one, has a scooter. Laa-Laa, the yellow one, has a ball. Dipsy, the green
one, has a hat. Tinky-Winky, the purple one, has a purse.] and what they say
as they walk around. You can change the chosen Teletubbie later using the
Start button.
Once you have chosen a Teletubbie, the controls are:
direction control pad -
/\ (up) moves the chosen Teletubbie towards the back of the screen
\/ (down) moves chosen Teletubbie towards front of screen and eventually
into the "Superdome" where they live
> (left) or < (right) moves chosen Teletubbie to that side
Start button - exit an activity, skip a video or other non-interactive
sequence, pause the game - usually brings up a menu on screen
Select button - no function unless game paused with Start button, will then
exit the activity or the game
Triangle, Circle, X, Square buttons - press any of these to start an
activity at a highlighted object, repeat an activity when the
Teletubbie says "Again! Again!", exit from (at the door) or avoid
entering the Superdome. The only time the exact button pressed makes a
difference is during the Control Panel activity or choosing a Teletubbie.
L1, L2, R1, R2 buttons: Only used during the Control Panel activity to
change certain lights and sounds.
If you have an analog controller, the left stick can be used just like
the directional buttons.
4. What activities are there?
While walking around outside, your Teletubbie can get close to other
Teletubbies, rabbits, flowers and lots of different objects. Press one of the
Triangle, Circle, X, or Square buttons to interact with them and possibly
start an activity. You won't start an activity when your Teletubbie is alone,
or next to another Teletubbie. But anything else that lights up will do so.
Outside Activities:
Special Tree - plays a hide-and-seek game
your Teletubbie's favorite thing - Teletubbie will interact with their
favorite thing
Blue Grass - start following objects related to the "windmill" videos around,
get a rhyme when you catch up
Special Plant - move to the drum and play it with the buttons to make things
appear; the drum moves after 4 hits
Special Cloud - 4 clouds can be moved to produce music
Toy Train - control train speed with directional buttons; press Triangle,
Circle, X, or Square buttons to get special effects. Leave it alone for a
while and the game will stop the train for you, or press Start.
Windmill - shows a random "tuning in" video, one of the 11 movies, and the
corresponding "again, again!" video.
Walk your Teletubbie too close to the front of the screen, and you'll end up
in the Superdome, their house, where there are other activities as well.
Inside Activities:
Table - begin chasing Noo-Noo around; hold down Triangle, Circle, X, or
Square buttons to go faster
Toaster (big rectangular box next to wall) - after 4 pieces, Noo-Noo snorts
them all
Custard Machine (pink and blue counter next to wall) - press Triangle, Circle,
X, or Square buttons to move faster
Control Panel (central pillar) - press Triangle, Circle, X, Square, L1, L2,
R1, or R2 buttons to get different lights or sounds. Leave it alone for a
while and it will exit, or press Start. Match all the colors for a small
reward.
Door - walks the Teletubbie back outside
5. How can I watch the game's movies again, again!
Get a copy of one of the utility programs that lets you convert the .STR files
on the game disc into something you can watch or even convert into a more
conventional (.AVI, .MOV, etc.) form. I know of several for the PC; I
personally prefer PSMPLAY but it's your decision. The movies on the disc are
in the FMV_NTSC folder. The 11 "windmill" movies that the tykes will want to
see "again, again!" are all 320 by 240 in size, and 2 to 2-1/2 minutes long
each. The logo movies from the start of the game, and all the other
miscellaneous video sequences, are also in this folder.
6. How does this compare to watching the TV show?
The sounds and music appear to be taken directly from the show, as well as the
"windmill" and "baby sun" video sequences. The only minus is the blockiness of
the Teletubby and object models, but this is on the Playstation, and the kids
won't complain. Consider it like an interactive episode of the show, but you
may have to rescue your kid if they get stuck in something they don't want to
do anymore. Usually, pressing the Start button will give you the options you
need to fix the problem. Pick this up used (or relatively cheap at Costco if
they still have it in stock) for toddlers only if they're familiar with the
show.
7. What if my question wasn't answered already?
Then send it to me using my email address below, and I'll answer you, and
maybe revise the FAQ if necessary.
Author is Peter Karsanow (karsanow[AT)dellepro{DOT)com).
The latest version of this file can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/hentaihelper/teletubbies.txt
This document Copyright (c) 2003 Peter Karsanow.
