Madagascar – XB – Review

It’s common now for games based on
movies to be released near the release date of the movie it’s based on. I’m sure
game publishers want to strike while the “fire is hot,” so to speak. Gamers will
probably be more interested in a game based on a movie right after they see the
movie, not six months to a year after the movie has already been out. This isn’t
a bad trend because it usually allows the game developers the opportunity to be
involved in the development process with the movie studio from the very
beginning. Madagascar is another game based upon a major blockbuster movie
released near the same time as the movie. The results are a mixed bag that will
probably please some, especially the younger crowd, but leave others – the more
serious gamers – looking elsewhere. Now I must advise you that I have not seen
the movie yet. If my review is lacking information that was explained in the
movie then I apologize.

The basic premise of Madagascar
revolves around a group of animals that live in the New York Zoo. Marty the
Zebra has grown tired of performing at the zoo and decides to escape. After
Marty escapes, his other animal friends – Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe and
Gloria the hippo – start looking for Marty in the city. 

The game starts off with you playing
the role of Marty confined in the zoo. You can control Marty with the right
analog stick by moving Marty around and pressing the A button to jump. The
game starts off with a very simple mission to obtain three power cards to earn a
new ability for Marty. I thought this was rather strange that we had what was
essentially a 3D-platforming game but without the ability to perform any
attacks. It wasn’t a really big problem since I found the power cards right
away. For a young gamer this is a great way to ease you
into the game.

In fact the game tries to ease you
into almost every part of the game by cutting to a short cutscene to explain
instructions for the next section of the game. These little cutscenes were
helpful but seemed to occur way too often. The amount of actual game time seemed
to diminish because of the cutscenes. I would play a short section of the game
that would last maybe two to three minutes and then another cutscene would come
up. After the next cutscene the next part of the game was playable. This cycle
would repeat over and over again. Once again, for a young gamer these
instructions could be very helpful in learning how to play the game, though more
seasoned gamers may find it a bit frustrating.

Early on in the game you do get a
nice variety of gameplay styles that actually continues on through the game. For
example, in order to escape the zoo Marty has to sneak past some guards at
night. But the guards all have flashlights and if Marty is seen by the guards
then you have to start the level over again. The key to the level is playing it
very sneaking and moving slowly through the level. You can use different items
located throughout the stages such as trash cans and cleaning carts to help in
your escape. The AI is soft enough not to notice some of the rather loud noises
you may make during this level, which again caters to younger players. Other gameplay styles present included a small racing
sequence that was rather fun, and then the atypical jumping around collecting
coins seen in so many other games.

As many gamers know that a platform
game is only as good as the camera angle and unfortunately this seems to be the
biggest problem with the game. After every cutscene in the game the camera angle
would reset in what had to be the worse angle to see the stage. Instead of
running along and playing the next section I would have to move the camera angle
into a better position in order to see the stage properly. Moving the camera
wasn’t a picnic either since it wanted to move at a snail’s pace.

Madagascar, in spite of some of
these setbacks, still is an entertaining game. I did
enjoy the ability to use the coins (called Monkey Money) you collect in the game
to unlock some nice mini games. The mini games are Tiki Mini-Golf, Shuffleboard
and Lemur Rave (dance party-style game). Sure we’ve seen mini golf included
before as a mini game and dancing games have become popular as well, but what
about Shuffleboard? I can’t recall the last game that included a Shuffleboard
mini game in it (readers let me know which game it was cause I’m sure there had
to be one). The shuffleboard mini game was just a fun waste of time.

Gameplay: 7.3
It’s a decent 3D platform game that will probably be enjoyed more by younger
gamers. The different types of styles available during the game is good but not
enough to make the game stand out. If the pacing of the game wasn’t interrupted
as much with the cutscenes, the game could probably appeal to more established
gamers. The controls are good but the camera angle was always an issue after a
cutscene. Waiting several seconds to correct the angle is not a welcomed
featured.

Graphics: 7.3
The graphics in the game are nice and colorful, but lack the detail of the movie
characters. Since the movie is CG (computer-generated graphics) I would expect
the characters to look very similar to their movie counterparts. The characters
are close enough but seem hand drawn instead of done in the same CG style as the
movie.

Sound: 7.5
The voice acting in the game was well done even if the actors from the movies
weren’t involved. The characters sound very similar to the characters from the
movie who were voiced by celebrity actors (Chris Rock, Ben Stiller). The music
and sound effects for the rest of the game were good; the music fit the tone of the game and the sound effects came through loud and
clear.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
You shouldn’t have any problems getting through this game. The game is easy
enough that most gamers will probably finish it within a few days. There are a
few spots in the game that could have you scratching your head for a few
minutes.

Concept: 7.2
Madagascar does a decent job of keeping gamers entertained
with the 3D platforming gameplay. The extra mini games were very nice and
including some more would have been an even better feature.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The game does not support any online multiplayer features. The mini games do
include a multiplayer portion that can be played with just one controller. The
Mini Golf game can support up to six players, the Shuffleboard game supports two
players and the Dance game supports two players. The dance mini game is the only
mini game that requires you to have two controllers to play. A co-op mode during
the regular single-player mode would have been a nice feature.

Overall: 7.4
This isn’t the game that will revolutionize the videogame/movie crossover
market. It shouldn’t be but it is a game that will have younger games having a
good time. That’s all we can hope for sometimes. Having the young ones
entertained for a few minutes while the parents get some rest or get a chance to
play something else.