Publisher: Activision
Ages: teens & up
Parental
Advisory:
Mild violence
Riding the wet coattails of the popular animated movie, Activision's Shark Tale provides a fun, family-friendly adventure game that is an interactive version of the film. It's not a fantastic game on its own, but is a blast for those who love the film.
In the murky depths of the ocean, the fate of Reef City lies in the fins of one little fish. In the game, players become Oscar, a fast-talking fish whose fibbing gets him into trouble. The title successfully recreates the funky urban, underwater metropolis found in the film, and includes such notable settings as Reef City, Whale Wash, Sunken Liner and Seahorse Race Track, and offers 25 missions that are inspired by situations in the movie.
The game serves varied activities that have players racing, sneaking, fighting and dancing. There are the race sequences that ask players to fly through the coral on the backs of taxi fish while dodging traffic and fending off great whites.
Fight sequences let players perform tail slaps, head butts and combo attacks. And dance sequences ask players to perform hip-hop dance moves to win over Reef City residents and garner the affections of a ladyfish. The dance sequences support a dance pads if players wish to use them. Overall, the game keeps the action fresh and interesting. It's all good fun served with some mild cartoon violence.
The game looks great and does a fantastic job of recreating the characters and look of the film. Most impressive is the way the game depicts the undersea environments as living, breathing places.
As movie-based games go, Shark Tale is a good one based on a good movie. It's not the ultimate gaming experience, but those who love the film will enjoy an interactive version on their consoles.
10/19/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
