Surprise, surprise,
surprise. A licensed game for a movie, aimed predominantly at kids that is
actually pretty darn good and even innovative at times. I didn’t really have
too high of hopes for this game, especially in light of so many bad movie to
game franchises and the unmitigated disaster that was the first game, but I came
away very pleasantly surprised and confident that Activision did right by the
license. Shrek 2 is one of those rare games that should appeal to gamers and
fans of the material, no matter their age or experience level.
In Shrek 2 you control
Shrek, as well as three predetermined friends from the movie. The characters
that accompany Shrek depend on the level and situation that you are in, but they
range from old favorites such as Donkey and the Gingerbread Man to new
characters such as Puss in Boots and Lil’ Red (as in Lil’ Red Riding Hood). As
you play you can switch to any of the other three characters on the fly and at
will, with each character possessing abilities and attacks unique to them. One
of the most endearing things about this game is that you aren’t tied to any one
character, allowing the gamer to predominantly control whichever character they
enjoy the most. The various character’s unique abilities also comes into play
as you try to solve the games myriad of puzzles, helping to keep the game fresh
and also forcing the gamer to use each character, no matter how briefly that may
be.
The gameplay is standard
platforming all the way. You’ll do a fair bit of battling foes, as well as
collecting a wide range of collectibles, but thankfully, the fetch quest aspects
indigenous to most platformers is kept to a very tolerable minimum. Whatever
characters you aren’t using at any given time, seem to possess some pretty
decent AI, which comes in handy in some of the battles because the game does
have a knack for sending hordes of enemies at you all at once. The unused
characters fight very aggressively and intelligently, allowing them to more than
“pull their own weight”. Interspersed throughout the game are levels or
sequences called “Hero Time”. In these sequences the focus is entirely on a
single character as they traverse a level where their unique abilities are
allowed to shine. For instance, in one “Hero Time” you’ll guide Donkey as he
rides atop his “significant other” the Dragon as they try to catch up to Fiona’s
coach which has been commandeered by a wicked, witch; while in another you’ll
control Shrek as he tries to help the local sheriff by loading up some unruly,
fighting locals into the paddy wagon. The “Hero Time” sequences don’t pop up
too often, but they serve their purpose very well by breaking up the platformer
sequences with unique styles of gameplay. In addition to the single player
game, you also have the option of playing through the game cooperatively with
three other friends. This is a really nice addition, with each player
controlling a specific character. If you have less than four players playing
together, then the characters not being controlled can be switched to at will by
the human players.
The graphics this game
sports are pretty stellar all the way around. While not quite on the same level
as the movie, they are pretty doggone close, which is an impressive feat
indeed. The environments are vibrant and highly detailed, adding greatly to the
sense that you are in fact exploring a “fairy tale” land. The characters,
playable and non-playable alike, are rendered with an obvious amount of tender
loving care, as they are spitting images of their silver screen counterparts in
both looks and motion. Really, the only drawback in the graphics department is
the bane of all platformers, the blasted camera. Most of the time you’ll be
viewing the gameplay from a very specific perspective, with which you can
manipulate somewhat, but hardly ever to the degree you’d like. It’s not a huge
problem, if ever costing you health, but you will find times where you’ll wish
you could push it over “just a little bit more”.
The sound department, for
the most part, fairs every bit as well as the graphics. For whatever reason,
the developers didn’t use the actual voice talent from the movie, but they’ve
hired some very competent replacements. The voice talent, for the vast majority
of the time, is indistinguishable from their movie counterparts, but from time
to time, you might find a line or a word that doesn’t sound quite right. Their
lines are delivered with the appropriate inflections and emotions, creating both
a believable and enjoyable aural experience. The music is suitably cheery and
fits in perfectly with the environs and subject matter. The only drawback and
it’s kind of big with me simply because it was blown so badly is the voice actor
that narrates the storybook pages prior to and after each level. There is some
really witty and funny material that ties in perfectly to the whole Shrek “vibe”
that is just completely blown by the actor reading the lines. His reading of
the lines is so robotic and monotone that the jokes written into the storybook
pages (which often times only required a minimum of emotion to pull off) comes
off grating rather than funny. With these sections they had such a chance at
comedic gold that rivals that of the movie, that it’s a shame that the ball was
dropped. It may not seem like a big gripe, and in the big scheme of things, it
really isn’t in an otherwise stellar game, but it is enough that you’ll take
notice.
In closing, Shrek 2 is
certainly a very pleasant and welcome surprise, a rare licensed game that does
justice, and even enhances the source material. Fans of the movie, both young
and old, will really enjoy the game. It features all of the characters, places,
wit, and comedy that make the movies so enjoyable that you just can’t help but
to have fun. If you’re one of the few who’ve had no exposure to the Shrek
mythos or someone who just enjoys platformers, give Shrek 2 a try, you likely
won’t be disappointed. If however, you’re not a fan of Shrek (I’ve yet to meet
anyone who’s not), then you should probably take a pass.
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Gameplay: 8
Standard
platforming the vast majority of time, but it’s really well done platforming.
Controlling the big roster of characters and switching among them is a breeze,
with each being different from the last. The “Hero Time” sections are generally
a blast to play.
Graphics: 9
The graphics are
really great at recreating the look and feel of the movies. Very well done all
the way around, but the camera can be mildly problematic and frustrating.
Sound: 9
The voice talent
does a remarkable job of delivering their lines and mimicking the original
Hollywood talent. The only stumble is narrator of the storybook pages.
Difficulty: Medium
The difficulty of
the game ramps up slowly and methodically, for the younger gamer no doubt, but
as you play you’ll find enough challenge for the experienced gamer to remain
interested.
Concept: 8
There’s nothing
too terribly innovative about a movie tie-in game, but Activision did take the
high road by creating something far different than what most would’ve expected.
It would have been pretty easy just to throw together a simple platformer where
you controlled Shrek through the same paces we’ve all taken a million other
characters through a billion other times. But they changed things up by having
you control a party of four distinctive and more importantly different
characters.
Multiplayer: 8
I love co-op play. There’s just something endearing
about playing a game with friends or family where you aren’t trying to kill each
other (although, I do like that too), but rather trying to achieve the same,
common goal. About the only problem with the co-op play is that it can make the
game much easier if you’re playing with partners who know what they’re doing.
Overall: 8.5
A very fun and
enjoyable game for a very fun and enjoyable franchise. The game does an
admirable job of capturing Shrek’s world and its inhabitants, while remaining
compelling and interesting. Fans of the movie will quickly become fans of the
game, as will fans of platformers. It’s well constructed and thought out, while
being different enough from most other games of this nature that it deserves to
be checked out by everyone.
