PlayStation 2

Madagascar

Madagascar, a game based on the DreamWorks movie of the same name, is geared towards fans of action-adventure or platformer titles. From my experience, the target audience is for young kids and pre-teens who have stomachs that are strong enough to handle the game's sudden camera angle changes. If you meet those requirements, you are certainly ready to enjoy the adventure of Madagascar.

Madagascar puts you in control of various characters from the film, like Marty the Zebra, Alex the Lion, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo, as they leave their cushy positions at a zoo in New York to journey to their homeland in Africa. Along the way, they break out of the zoo and hop a boat, getting into all kinds of trouble on the way home.

Let’s face it, movie to game adaptations aren’t met with the most enthusiasm upon announcement. I, personally, tend to not care when I get a press release in my inbox about a new upcoming game based on yet another movie license. Why? Because they’re often boring, badly put together, or somehow just plain uninteresting in some way, shape or form. Thankfully, Madagascar isn’t all too bad, and will even provide some fun for those interested in its subject matter.

Adults and children alike will agree on one thing: Brutality against hapless, overweight zoo security guards never seems to get old. Outside of this common thought, however, Madagascar is primarily a game for youngsters. And it's a pretty good one to boot. The gameplay is simple yet heavily varied, which in turn keeps the action fresh and fun. Decent bonus game (like Tiki Mini Golf) keep the thrills alive well after the story has concluded.

Most videogame adaptations of blockbuster movies tend to suck. It's just an accepted fact in this industry. So when publisher Activision announced a game based on the animated flick Madagascar, there was much reason to fear. Game journalists the world over cowered under their desks in frightful anticipation of bad cameras, poor level design and insipid gameplay. And hey, who could really blame them. Thankfully, a good many of these doubts were unfounded. Developer Toys for Bob delivers a solid platformer with its release of Madagascar.

A summer filled with blockbuster movies can mean only one thing -- lackluster movie-based games. While it's no surprise that Madagascar made the transition from movie to game (since the film sets an ideal stage for a video game), it's a bit of a shock that it made the jump without any major snags. Don't get me wrong; it's not the be-all end-all of platformers, nor will it make a believer out of anyone who was less than thrilled with the source material, but it is an enjoyable game that children and older fans will no doubt be pleased with.

"Madagascar", provavelmente, não será lembrado como um clássico dos jogos de plataforma, mas certamente está bem acima dos títulos insípidos vindos de produções dedicadas ao público infantil e adolescente. Com uma mecânica de jogo bastante sólida e uma variedade de missões expressiva, o título agrada a jogadores de uma ampla faixa etária que procuram diversão honesta. Para os usuários mais calejados o game poderá ser insuficiente, mas nem por isso, ser deixado de lado logo de cara. Nem que seja para dar algumas boas risadas.

Unfortunately the camera is horrible, to the point that you’ll take damage because of its uncontrollability. The graphics may be average at best, but the audio department is definitely a step in the right direction despite the fact that the film’s actors didn’t work on this project. It may not be the best game out there, but it’s definitely not the worst. If you know a kid who really enjoyed the movie, they will love this game, but older gamers need not apply. Recommended

Madagascar is the game version of the popular Dreamworks animated film about animals escaping from the zoo, travelling to the wild and discovering that there's no such thing as a Steak Tree. The game is pretty much exactly what you'd expect. A mixture of platforming sections and more novel one-off games, where you get a chance to play each of the film's characters, each who have their own abilities. For example, Alec the lion is the closest to the platforming standard, able to perform a double-jump and roar to scare away people. Alternatively, the radically hypochondriac Melman can't leap that far, but can spin his legs in a helicopter-blade fashion to slow his descent or be lifted up by jets of air. Marty the zebra can kick things, eventually do fairly enormous leaps and make wise-cracks in a Chris Rock style. Gloria the hippo is fat. The penguins can do something or another.