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Launch Player

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Review

Madagascar 2

6.0

Format Xbox 360

Developer Activision

Publisher Activision

Genre Platform, Party, Puzzle

12-Jan-2009 These guys were born free, but without a brain cell to rub between them

6 Comments

We never knew a lemur could be so egotistical. Easily the highlight of this Dreamworks movie tie-in, king lemur Julien gets all the funny lines and makes this a game that even adults can enjoy.

It doesn't matter that none of the movie cast are involved, the soundalikes are decent and really it's the script that matters.

Madagascar 2 shoehorns in the mini-games with very little explanation, but covers its tracks nicely with a bit of self-depreciative humour.
Only a bunch of animals this dumb could get lost in Africa. Their journey home involves a combination of platforming and bonus games. The platforming stages are fun because the controls are responsive and you're never in doubt where to go next. And just when that starts to get a little too easy, a mini game appears to mix things up a bit.

There are plenty to take part in. And although there's some repetition, it never crosses the line into cynical cash-in territory. The strength of the voiceovers make even the mundane ones a little more enjoyable than they should be.

While you can play some of the mini-games with up to four-players, the game really would have benefited from co-op in the story mode. As it is, the action switches frivolously between the four central characters, not allowing you to choose who you play as.

Adaptations of big-budget CGI movies never quite compare in the visual stakes, and this is a prime example. The environments don't look terrible, and the character animation is above average. Unfortunately, it's all quite blurry and low-res, as if it was ported straight from the Wii or PS2 version. For a next-gen price, you're not quite getting the star treatment.

While there's nothing outstanding about Madagascar 2, it is a game that will keep the kids quiet for a weekend. The difficulty level is perfect, the characters extremely likeable and it makes a good companion piece to the movie. It's certainly one of the better animated movie tie-ins of late.

Ben Talbot