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Dreamworks’ Madagascar is brought to the Nintendo DS, courtesy of Activision. The game follows the storyline of the movie, much like Activision’s own Shrek 2. Madagascar, developed by Vicarious Visions, lets you play as Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo, Melman the giraffe, and the craft 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 lasting some 9 levels. The gameplay doesn’t exactly break new ground, but it is fun and worthwhile to play through the additional 12 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. Vicarious Visions are handheld veterans and aptly converted the film to a videogame. Along the way, you’ll find a typical platformer with some stealth elements added for good measure. You’ll also find a number of coins in the game (over 1000) along the way that add to the replay value. Each of the characters has some special abilities and you’re able to switch between them using either the triggers or the touch screen. Otherwise the regular jumps, double-jumps, and kicks are found. Of special note is the game’s difficulty: although aimed at kids, some aspects of the game can be a frustrating.
Madagascar includes a number of minigames, some of which are in 3D and make good use of the Nintendo DS system’s graphical capabilities. The touch screen is also used sparingly throughout the game as a control measure. Lastly, Vicarious Visions added a wireless cooperative multiplayer mode to the game that only requires one person to have the 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. The backgrounds are especially vivid, and truly demonstrate the 2D capabilities of the DS. The backlit screen definitely adds to the effect.
The game’s audio holds up admirably. The sound effects are comical and reflective of the cute nature of the game. There are a few voice samples included, and like the console versions 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 a fun platformer. The presentation is stellar, and it makes good use of the NDS’s unique capabilities. That said it is just a tad too difficult at times. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- May 26, 2005
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