Madagascar 3 Xbox 360 Game Review
Alex the Lion, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and Marty the Zebra… oh, how we love them all in this house! So I was a le-e-etle bit happy when we were sent a copy of the game to go with the latest film release to try out. Of course, it’s aimed at children 3+ – but where’s the point in letting the youngest have all the fun? So the 11yr old and I threw ourselves into the action first…
The game follows the film storyline, taking you with the circus across Europe.You have to market your circus, completing tricks, racing around for (entirely random!) supplies… all while dodging BAD People Wardens as they try and catch you ‘for Health & Safety reasons’ *snort*.
As you arrive at each city the Penguins set you out into the city to find the oddball assortment of objects needed. It ranges from cheese to balloons (and an ironing board!), so that you can perform the Grand Publicity Stunt before you leave that city. It’s a great two-player game, with both characters helping each other out with different tasks – it was far more fun playing together than alone, when you just have to switch between the characters to get the jobs done (each character has their own special talent – Melman sneezes to break down boxes, and Gloria performs a fabulous hip-bump to smash her way through, for example).
As well as the main game play, you can opt for Mission Mode or Circus Mode. Mission Mode simply allows you to replay a whole city mission, Free-Roam or replay the finale. Circus Mode lets you replay the circus finale sections of each city, as well as select each of the tricks separately – which was actually our favourite part. Ticket Sales was fast and fun (though beyond the 5yr old’s ability to keep up with us, the 11yr old and I were very evenly matched) and Snack Toss which reduced the 11yr old to tears. You’re lobbing fruit at the crowd – in theory selecting the right fruit to match the right order… I was doing well until I realised the 11yr old was sniggering helplessly as he continuously threw as much fruit as possible at as many animals as possible. FAR too much stoopid hilarity (and WAY too big a score resulted from this blatant cheating).
Control wise, it’s aimed at children. Therefore it’s really very simple, with basic ‘move’ functions and the actions buttons to jump or ‘do’ your talent.
It’s a bright fun game, with brilliant dialogue that matches the films really well. The main storyline is rather repetitive (different locations, same ole tasks) and the 11yr old did get bored after 30 minutes. But he’s a rather sophisticated gamer, and this game isn’t targeted for him. The 5yr old LOVES it – and it’s a game she can easily coerce a parent or sibling into playing with her, as it’s genuinely fun to play.
