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Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa on PS2

This is a jovial adventure that does a satisfactory job of bringing the animated big screen tale to the PS2 format. Similar to the original Madagascar game, in Escape 2 Africa players can explore, collect and combat their way through a series of levels. Like the movie the game follows the antics of Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, Melman the Giraffe and the rest of the Madagascar crew including the shifty penguins and fun-loving lemurs.

Much of the enjoyment is gained through the quirky moves each character deploys, with each having individual special moves that are effective and genuinely amusing to watch. Melmans spinning legs can be used as a helicopter and also allow him to collapse on the ground and hit enemies with his flailing limbs.

Tasks are constantly changing as you progress through the levels - one minute you are driving a jeep, the next flying a monkey-operated helicopter. You must alternate players to the most suitable for the job, keeping gameplay varied and fun. The backdrop for most of this is a colouful and bright African scenery as you venture from Madagascar to mainland Africa.

 

A series of mini games are also available throughout which see the quirky characters try their hand, hoof or claw at such pastimes as football, racing, dancing and safari photo shoots. These act as nice diversion from the regular confines of the game, particularly in multiplayer mode.

 

While the original actors’ voices for the film are not present effort has been employed to make sure that they are the next best thing, providing an amusing commentary. The graphics are nothing spectacular but do the job in communicating the bright scenery and crisp animation. There a few blurs around the edges and the introductory titles have letter shaping that could be found on a megadrive, but these minor quibbles become unimportant as you gallop through the game.

 

For any fans of the movie - kids or those young at heart - Madagascar offers a sufficient title to appease fans of the genre. Full credit has to be given for the quick pace of the different challenges that are thrown at you but on the flip side you do not fully connect with the game, but see yourself dipping in to it when you fancy a laugh. The game has definitely been created with kids in mind, but rather than dumbing down and building on a simple platform, it just doesn’t over complicate the instruction and keeps the pace snappy for attention lacking youngsters. For the more mature player it can offer an opportunity for escapism and easy enjoyment after a hard day at the office!

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is released on the PS2 on the 28^th Nov 2008 and retails for £29.35

Kung Fu Panda hits DS

Anyone who likes the idea of a panda kungfuing its way through numerous levels should definitely consider investing in Kung-Fu Panda! A surprisingly enjoyable movie spin-off yields a video game character that stands its ground as an impressive addition for the DS.

Released in tandem with the DVD launch, it chronicles the adventures of Po the Panda and friends in a quest to become the ultimate fighting champion. Battle through the levels as you master the specialised Kung Fu stylings of the unlikely hero Po, his teacher Shifu and legendary Kung Fu masters the ‘Furious Five’ (Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane).

 

Through 13 legendary levels spanning land, water and air players must work their way to becoming the ‘Dragon Warrior’ as they battle a variety of foes, overcome dangerous obstacles, navigate multi-tiered environments and solve challenging puzzles before defeating the ultimate enemy Tai Lung.

 

The game makes the most of cutting edge 3D technology available on the DS, allowing you to fully interact with the surrounding 2D environment. As you wander into the background of the screen you lose some player definition. Each of the characters responds differently to controls to reflect their size; Po sometimes proves cumbersome to maneuver through the trickier tasks. In saying that you do feel a certain degree of weight behind his attacks. The tiger is a lot snappier to play with and whizzes through the levels. As you progress through levels, the amount of special moves available to you increases, many taking advantage of the stylus and touch screen. 

 

Designers of the game have fully integrated ancient China in creating the background for the levels with carefully thought-out architecture placed in numerous eco systems such as bamboo forests and snow covered mountains. Attention has been paid to the voice-overs and you get a good Jack Black impression that often has you laughing out loud at this amusing fat panda on the screen.

Overall attention to detail has been paid to the game, unlike most movie merchandise, making this a pleasurable and entertaining title for the DS. Some small annoyances such as lack of foes and repetition of moves as you attempt to master a new special one, can slightly hamper your experience. But these are quickly forgotten in the sheer wackiness of the Po and his kung fu credentials.

Released on the 14^th Nov 2008, Kung Fu Panda retails for £29.35 on the DS.

Fatal Fury

Players both new and old can enjoy this challenging fighting game with the release of Fatal Fury Battle Archives Volume 1. Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury2, Fatal Fury Special and Fatal Fury3 are all now available on one convenient disk for Playstation 2.

These instalments are well known for hand-drawn animation, stylish characters and the first outing of a 'two line system' that allows you to plan action on separate foreground and background planes and dodge attacks.

 

While the original, apart from its merits as a ‘play around’ to establish how amused you used to be at such simple games, barely merits more than a mention, the series springs to life with Fatal Fury 2 where you have eight playable characters. This is extended in Fatal Fury Special, which adds three characters and also allows you to play the big bad bosses from the predecessor.

 

A firm favourite is Duck King; a blonde Mohican, bad 80’s clothes wearing break-dancer, who combines his dancing and fighting moves to bamboozle the opponent. Once again, as you play onto new titles you can observe how graphics advanced from year to year.

Available at all major retailers.

Hours of Retro Fun.

Any self-respecting PS2 child will remember the World Heroes Anthology. For those of you who are not familiar with the premise; scientist Dr Brown, having invented a time machine, collected the fighters throughout the eras, meaning many of the characters are based on historical figures.

 

Often compared with Street Fighter, released in a similar computing age, it falls on a more playful side of the fighting game concept. The engaging characters (such as Rasputin, a medieval Russian monk who can make his hands and feet engorge to the size of his body and then crush/stomp your opponent) provide endless amusement. Later games include a demonic football player, an overweight Viking and a medicine man with a large tiki mask.

Now, the complete collection of the popular 2-D fighting game series for the PS2 has been launched on one disc. As you work through the chronological order of title releases, graphics sharpen and special moves become more elaborate and spectacular. 

Available at all major retailers.

They don't make 'em like they used to.

You don’t have to be a greasy gamer to appreciate this – anyone fortunate enough to have grown up with the classics in archade gaming will give a geeky little cry of joy at SNK’s latest release of Arcade Classics Volume One.

 

Reminisce with 16 hits from times gone by. These high impact, button smashing games, which took full advantage of the processing powers available at the time, serve to prove that age-old (or old-age?) belief that ‘They just don’t make ‘em like they used to…’

 

Highlights in the compilation include Magical Lord - released long before Harry Potter was even a twinkle in JK’s eye. It allows you to assume the role of an evolving wizard with a variety of spells to keep your creepy opponents at bay as you ascend from one world to the next.

Billed as 'a compilation of arcade classics', the mix of fighting, adventure and sports games encapsulate the spirit of 90’s gaming. Harking back to an age when the faster you pushed the buttons, the better you blasted through worlds, defeated your foes and the dreaded ‘end of level baddie’ to progress to the next stage. This simple formula, which constituted the foundations of classic gaming, is just as addictive now alongside it’s ‘technologically advanced’ successors.

Full list of games includes Art of Fighting; Baseball Stars 2; Burning Fight; King of Fighters ’94; King of the Monsters; Last Resort; Magician Lord; Metal Slug; Neo Turf Masters; Samurai Shodown; Sengoku; Shock Troopers; Super Sidekicks 3; Top Hunter and; World Heroes. Available at all major retailers.