Once there was a little fish named Oscar who
told a wee bit of a lie. The lie expands into something this street hustler did
not want, and now Oscar is embarked on an adventure that is both exciting and
deadly.
Dreamworks Shark Tale, from Activision and
Edge of Reality is based on the upcoming animated feature film and offers up 25
missions that run the gamut of challenges from chases and combat to dance
routines.
The game uses sound-alikes, not the actual
voice talent from the film, but it is almost impossible to tell the sound-alikes
from the real actors. While the film releases in October, Shark Tales is slated
for release in September and will be available on all platforms – GameCube,
PlayStation2, Xbox, GBA and PC.
With a dynamic soundtrack and a wonderfully
animated environment, this is a game that will have broad appeal, but especially
among the younger set. Some of the action demonstrated at a Pre-E3 Editor’s Day
had a strong arcade-like flair. In one chase scene, Oscar appeared to be on a
two-dimensional plane – horizontal and vertical – while being pursued from
behind by a shark that was lunging forward, huge teeth snapping at our hero.
Reef City is awash with characters and music
plays a big part in this game. Oscar will even be challenged to perform dance
routines, in which players have to time certain control elements in the order
given in order to accomplish the task, complete the level and more ahead.
Maintaining the visual integrity of the film,
Dreamworks Shark Tale is upbeat, lively and fun in design. This is not a heavy
game that will have players using death-grips on controllers, but rather a
light-laugh, a broad-smile type of game that is a perfect fit for the gamer who
seeks adventure without intensity. The game does have it’s share of challenges,
though, and players could well find this tale of a little street hustling fish
who matures into a shark hunter a heartwarming escape.
