Over the Hedge – GC – Preview

The makers
of Shrek and Madagascar will be launching a new animated film come May 19 – Over
the Hedge, a rather charming tale of encroached wildlife striking back and
foiling both an evil woman who cares nothing for the animals’ habitat and the
‘Verminator’ hired to do away with them.

While
Activision’s version of Dreamworks Over the Hedge does not really follow the
same story thread, the game’s release on May 9 promises to capture the essence
of the film and its terrific cast of characters.

Activision
held a media event recently in San Francisco to allow for some hands-on time
with the game and an overview of what will be offered.

For those
who do not know, the game centers on many of the characters from the film,
particularly Verne (the turtle), RJ (the raccoon ringleader) and Hammy (the
squirrel, who for lack of a better adjective could be termed very squirrelly –
as in he seems to be on a perpetual caffeine buzz and often gets words wrong,
like instead of call eagles "endangered," he calls them "engendered").

There is a
staging area for the missions in the game, and players can use the corkboard
located there to transition to unlocked levels as well as the minigames. While
there is variation in the game style for the Nintendo DS and GBA, the consoles
and PC are more along the lines of action-platform gaming with lots of combat
and puzzles. The puzzles, from what was seen at the Activision event, will not
have you scratching your head, but will allow you to progress through the game.

One example
is outside the Verminator offices. The mission (the game is mission-based) calls
for the player to get inside to rescue one of the lady animals taken captive.
The evil Verminator has a mind-control device that he applies to captured
animals, turning the captives into slaves ready to do his bidding – like fight
the ‘good’ guys. Armed with melee weapons (the golf club is a nice little weapon
as it also allows players to launch, or ‘tee up’ ranged attacks), you are tasked
with battling through the minions spawned by a pair of stations at the top of
the stairs.

This plays
out a bit like the Gauntlet series; destroy the sentry boxes and no more enemies
spawn. Then you have to pick up some crates and drop them on weight-sensitive
floor panels to open the gates to enter the building.

There are
zoning areas through each of the missions, so they are not seamless.

The
minigames have different tracks/courses that can be unlocked and they include
bumper cars, RC racing rally and range driver. The game does feature a co-op
mode as well. These are all for two players on the same machine. There are more
than 30 levels and four playable characters.

When it
comes to the characters, they are loaded with personality – not only in speech
but in animations.

With solid
and easy-to-learn controls, a wonderful three-dimensional look that integrates
the cutscenes flawlessly, destructible environment elements, a lot of charm and
light-hearted fun, Over the Hedge looks to be the kind of game that will most
certainly appeal to kids and those young at heart, in addition to fans of the
movie.