Shrek The Third

When the original Shrek first came out, it won many people over due to its adult humor and various situations the characters were put in. What I mean by this is that the movie was a humorous cartoon that children can enjoy, but it also was funny to adults due to its undertones, and this continued in the second movie as well. Well, the third movie is about to be released and with it a game by the same name.

The story for this game is similar to the movie, and here is the brief outline: The King of Far Far Away, Fiona’s father, has suddenly died, and now Shrek has inherited the throne. Shrek has no desire to rule this kingdom, so he sets out with his friends, Donkey and Puss in Boots, to find a better ruler, or he will have to undergo this task. The person that has the most promise is Fiona’s cousin Arthur, and as with all of Shrek’s previous adventures this task will be more then he bargained for.

When you first load up the game you will notice that you have several different modes of play: Story, Gift Shop, Multiplayer, and Minigames. The story mode for this game allows you to take on the roles of the main movie characters as they try to get the next king for Far Far Away. The Gift Shop allows you to spend money that you earn in the Story Mode to get new costumes, difficulty modes, and other goodies. In Multiplayer mode you will get to compete against your friends on the battlefield armed with catapults and crossbows. The first person to destroy the other person’s castle wins.

The Minigames are more fun than the Castle Capture multiplayer mode and offers you the opportunity to play against your friends as well. There are five different games that you can complete in that offers a different challenge from the others. First up is the catacombs leap which you must jump across various platforms and get to the other side as fast as possible. In frog herder you must chase all the frogs into the nearby ponds before the timer runs out. In Ships Ahoy you must use a cannon to sink any pirate ships from getting too close to your treasure. The shooting gallery allows you to fling tomatoes at moving targets while avoiding hitting your friends. The last mode is Shrekleboard where you must shoot pucks into the scoring zones; you have to beat Hook’s score to advance to the next round!

Since this is platforming game with action thrown in, the controls for this game are very simple. The left analog stick is used to move you throughout the levels. The Y button is used to lift objects, X for basic attack and for B strong attack, and A to jump. When pressing the right trigger you can block enemy punches, and if you have enough fairy dust you can press the left trigger for special abilities.

Now that you know all of the buttons let me break down the game for you. You start the level off with any of the main characters and go bashing and destroying all the rocks, boxes, and anything else that looks breakable to obtain hidden items, coins, and fairy dust. Then you must proceed to take out any enemies in your way to get to the end of the level. While going through the levels you will get minor puzzles that involve hitting switches, moving boxes, and finding your enemies' weak points before you can beat them. The game really doesn’t go much beyond this, but it is perfect for who this game is marketed towards - younger gamers.

The graphics for Shrek the Third are decent, but don’t match up to what you will see in the theaters. It lacks the polish and coloring that the movie offers. This also includes the lack of animation that you will see in this game. The environments have a lot of interaction and stuff to break, as well as a lot of variety as well. One thing that will get annoying is the lack of camera control as you will get stuck trying to get various items, as well as die because you are backed up into a wall and you can’t see a way out.

The sound for this game is a mixed bag. The main problem is that the developers didn’t get the voice actors from the movie to reprise their role in this game. This will be a huge disconnect to people who are fans of the movie and try to play the game. The voice actors are not that bad in this game, and at times I swear it sounded just like the real actors, then reality hits and they say some line and you can tell it is not them. One good thing is that the clever writing is still intact so you will get to hear some funny one liners all throughout the game. The music and the sound effects for this game are decent yet nothing to marvel at.

Shrek the Third is rated Everyone 10+

Gameplay: 6.5
The game ollows the platforming genre precisely and doesn’t stray too far from it, which is not necessarily a bad thing, especially since this game is aimed for younger players. What is really annoying about this game is the fixed camera; it really becomes a hindrance during certain parts of the game, especially during combat.

Graphics: 6.8
The graphics and animations for this game are not as sharp as the movie, which might make some people frown, but they get the job done. You can’t skip cutscenes either, which is a bad thing if you have to redo any levels.

Sound: 6.0
Not having the original voice actors really hurts this game, especially since it is released so close to the movie. The actors do a decent job but it would have been much better with the original actors.

Difficulty: Easy
This game is obviously made for the younger generation of gamers as it takes no time to breeze through this entire game.

Concept: 5.0
It was nice to be able to play as a variety of characters, but it has been done better in other games.

Multiplayer: 7.0
This element is decent, but the Minigames are more fun to play with your friends.

Overall: 6.9
Shrek the Third is not a bad game, but there are a few bugs in this game. While the bugs are not critical they are annoying in nature, but will not bother younger players, which this game is clearly marketed to. If you are a fan of the movie then I suggest picking this game up as a rental and nothing more.