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Dreamworks’ Madagascar is brought to the Xbox, courtesy of Activision. The game follows the storyline of the movie, much like Activision’s own Shrek 2. Madagascar, developed by Toys for Bob, lets you play as Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo, Melman the giraffe, and the crafty Penguins as they begin a journey from the Central Park Zoo to the island of Madagascar. Why? Because they wanted to try out what it would be like to live in the wild! The game is clearly aimed at kids, and its target audience will definitely enjoy it.
Madagascar begins with Marty as he struggles with self-identification. You’re eventually introduced to the other characters through an interactive brief tutorial. The gameplay doesn’t exactly break new ground, but it is fun and worthwhile to play through the 11 levels. Though you initially begin in Central Park Zoo, as you meet all the characters, and are introduced to the game mechanics, you’re eventually sent off to Madagascar much to the bewilderment of some of the characters.
The gameplay doesn’t break any new ground, though it’s arguable that they didn’t really need to. Toys for Bob aptly converted the film to a videogame. Along the way, you’ll find a number of coins that can be used to purchase items, including minigames and other collectibles. Each of the characters has some special abilities. For instance, Alex has can claw at enemies, Marty packs a nasty back kick and can use stealth, Melman has a helicopter spin and can throw items, and Gloria can charge into things or simply smash into them with her butt. Otherwise the regular jumps, double-jumps, and kicks are found. A few puzzles found their way into the game, as did some stealth elements. Toys for Bob also included three minigames: shuffleboard, golf, and a rhythm-based game.
The game’s visuals flow with the style of the film well, as is the norm for Activision’s movie-to-game conversions. The characters come off naturally, with excellent animation and a look that is directly derived from the film. You’ll spend some time in New York, and the stylized comes alive. The jungles of Madagascar are truly where the game shines – you’ll have a chance to truly go wild and view some wildlife .The camera of Madagascar behaves well for the most part. It generally keeps up with the action, and for the few times that it does not, it can be quickly reset. The framerate holds steady, too.
The game’s audio holds up admirably. The sound effects are comical and reflective of the cute nature of the game. Though I have yet to watch the movie, I can’t imagine it being much better than the game in sound effects. The voice overs aren’t quite as impressive since Activision didn’t include the original voice actors. Nonetheless, the sound alikes are convincing and don’t become a liability for the game.
Madagascar is undoubtedly a fun little platformer. The game boasts respectable gameplay, and an impressive audio-visual combination, as well as a comical plot from the folks at Dreamworks. There’s plenty to do in the levels, and plenty to unlock for a second play through.
-- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- May 26, 2005
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