When the original Shrek first came
out, it won many people over due to its adult humor and various situations the
characters were put in. What I mean by this is that the movie was a humorous
cartoon that children can enjoy, but it also was funny to adults due to its
undertones, and this continued in the second movie as well. Well, the third
movie is about to be released and with it a game by the same name.
The story for this game is similar
to the movie, and here is the brief outline: The King of Far Far Away, Fiona’s
father, has suddenly died, and now Shrek has inherited the throne. Shrek has no
desire to rule this kingdom, so he sets out with his friends, Donkey and Puss in
Boots, to find a better ruler, or he will have to undergo this task. The person
that has the most promise is Fiona’s cousin Arthur, and as with all of Shrek’s
previous adventures this task will be more then he bargained for.
When you first load up the game you
will notice that you have several different modes of play: Story, Gift Shop,
Multiplayer, and Minigames. The story mode for this game allows you to take on
the roles of the main movie characters as they try to get the next king for Far
Far Away. The Gift Shop allows you to spend money that you earn in the Story
Mode to get new costumes, difficulty modes, and other goodies. In Multiplayer
mode you will get to compete against your friends on the battlefield armed with
catapults and crossbows. The first person to destroy the other person’s castle
wins.
The Minigames are more fun than the
Castle Capture multiplayer mode and offers you the opportunity to play against
your friends as well. There are five different games that you can complete in
that offers a different challenge from the others. First up is the catacombs
leap which you must jump across various platforms and get to the other side as
fast as possible. In frog herder you must chase all the frogs into the nearby
ponds before the timer runs out. In Ships Ahoy you must use a cannon to sink any
pirate ships from getting too close to your treasure. The shooting gallery
allows you to fling tomatoes at moving targets while avoiding hitting your
friends. The last mode is Shrekleboard where you must shoot pucks into the
scoring zones; you have to beat Hook’s score to advance to the next round!
Since this is platforming game with
action thrown in, the controls for this game are very simple. The left analog
stick is used to move you throughout the levels. The Y button is used to lift
objects, X for basic attack and for B strong attack, and A to jump. When
pressing the right trigger you can block enemy punches, and if you have enough
fairy dust you can press the left trigger for special abilities.
Now that you know all of the buttons
let me break down the game for you. You start the level off with any of the main
characters and go bashing and destroying all the rocks, boxes, and anything else
that looks breakable to obtain hidden items, coins, and fairy dust. Then you
must proceed to take out any enemies in your way to get to the end of the level.
While going through the levels you will get minor puzzles that involve hitting
switches, moving boxes, and finding your enemies’ weak points before you can
beat them. The game really doesn’t go much beyond this, but it is perfect for
who this game is marketed towards – younger gamers.
The graphics for Shrek the Third are
decent, but don’t match up to what you will see in the theaters. It lacks the
polish and coloring that the movie offers. This also includes the lack of
animation that you will see in this game. The environments have a lot of
interaction and stuff to break, as well as a lot of variety as well. One thing
that will get annoying is the lack of camera control as you will get stuck
trying to get various items, as well as die because you are backed up into a
wall and you can’t see a way out.
The sound for this game is a mixed
bag. The main problem is that the developers didn’t get the voice actors from
the movie to reprise their role in this game. This will be a huge disconnect to
people who are fans of the movie and try to play the game. The voice actors are
not that bad in this game, and at times I swear it sounded just like the real
actors, then reality hits and they say some line and you can tell it is not
them. One good thing is that the clever writing is still intact so you will get
to hear some funny one liners all throughout the game. The music and the sound
effects for this game are decent yet nothing to marvel at.
Shrek the Third is rated Everyone
10+
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Gameplay: 6.5
The game ollows the platforming genre precisely and doesn’t stray too
far from it, which is not necessarily a bad thing, especially since this game is
aimed for younger players. What is really annoying about this game is the fixed
camera; it really becomes a hindrance during certain parts of the game,
especially during combat.
Graphics: 6.8
The graphics and animations for this game are not as sharp as the movie, which
might make some people frown, but they get the job done. You can’t skip
cutscenes either, which is a bad thing if you have to redo any levels.
Sound: 6.0
Not having the original voice actors really hurts this game, especially
since it is released so close to the movie. The actors do a decent job but it
would have been much better with the original actors.
Difficulty: Easy
This game is obviously made for the younger generation of gamers as it
takes no time to breeze through this entire game.
Concept: 5.0
It was nice to be able to play as a variety of characters, but it has
been done better in other games.
Multiplayer: 7.0
This element is decent, but the Minigames are more fun to play with
your friends.
Overall: 6.9
Shrek the Third is not a bad game, but there are a few bugs in this
game. While the bugs are not critical they are annoying in nature, but will not
bother younger players, which this game is clearly marketed to. If you are a fan
of the movie then I suggest picking this game up as a rental and nothing more.
