The Ice Age movie hit the theaters
many years ago and became one of the first 3D animated movies to become a really
big hit. Since then, there have been two other Ice Age movies released including
the newest movie Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs. And along with the movie, a game
was released with the same name.
Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs for the
PlayStation 2 follows extremely close to the storyline of the movie. You will
play as all your favorite original characters in the movies along with some new
ones. The storyline progresses just like the movie as you take control of
different characters to get past each mission or part of the story.
Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs is a
mixture of genres. On its basic level, it is a 3D platformer much like many
movie-based games that are released. However, this title has some other genres
thrown in that give it a different feel and it definitely was successful in
providing the player with a unique blending of genres. Most of the game is
played as a 3D platformer, but you will also play side-scrolling levels and
there are some mini-game type levels incorporated as well giving the player less
monotony and a more unique gameplaying experience.
The newest Ice Age game definitely
had some things going for it. The graphics were right on par with what people
have become to expect from the PS2 and the audio and voice acting are great.
Many tracks in the game felt really natural and went well with the levels, and
voice acting by the original actors makes for an enjoyable experience when
watching and progressing through the story.
But as with many games, there were
also some things that don’t work very well in Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs. The
main concern you will encounter is the controls on various levels. When trying
to fight enemies, you will find that sometimes it is hard to focus on one enemy
and fight them. This is especially prevalent when you are using weapons. The
weapon aim system is flawed. Sometimes it will work perfectly, while other times
you will have to fiddle with it a little bit to get your weapon to shoot where
you want or to throw where you want.
Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs is
definitely a mixed bag of tricks. Sometimes you will have a ton of fun on the
levels, while other levels will bore and frustrate you with control problems. At
the very least, this game is a good value for the money and the kids are sure to
like it even with the problems. But if you are looking with a little more
substance and storyline, this game may not be for you.
Gameplay: 7.0
For the most part, the mixture of genres and missions makes for a good, unique
gameplay experience that players will enjoy.
Graphics: 7.5
The graphics were right on with what graphics should be for a PS2. You won’t see
any real problems with the graphics.
Sound: 7.0
The audio for Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs was really saved by the original actor
voice-overs and good music for the levels.
Difficulty: Easy
The difficulty level was extremely easy and anyone could play this new Ice Age
title.
Concept: 7.0
The mixture of genres was a good concept for this game, but some of the levels
were unnecessary and the game could use a little bit more work on perfecting the
mixture.
Overall: 7.0
Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs had the basics of a great movie-based game but fell a
little short on its controls. However, if you are a fan of Ice Age, you will
still enjoy this game.
