Summary
More of the same, with a little less
The Good
As in Carnivores 2, the quality of the artwork and animation in Ice Age is topnotch. The 3D engine still renders both beautiful and convincing scenes, although it is in some ways beginning to show its age (the horizon depth being one such case). The controls are picture-perfect, though, and the design in general exhibits the same sort of simple brilliance that tends to characterize the best games.
The Bad
The sound is less than stellar. It's still good, mind you, but less good than in the previous iteration of the series. The "monsters" are also less frightening this time around, but that is largely due to the fact, I think, that most mammals are inherently less frightening to human beings than enormous lizards with teeth are.
The Bottom Line
Ice Age is a hunting sim. It is not a 3D shooter, nor an "action game." If you don't have the patience for hunting, then you won't like this game. If you do have the patience, and especially if you're already a hunter in real-life, you owe it to yourself to check this one out (or its predecessor, Carnivores 2). Just be careful. This ain't no turkey shoot!
