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Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Review for Nintendo Wii

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Review for Nintendo Wii

We all know that games inspired by movies are not exactly the best, and games inspired by kids’ movies are often viewed as attempts to “cash in” on popular franchises. However, we are occasionally treated to games that actually keep the young audience in mind, and can actually be fun family-oriented games.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa screenshot

Titles like Cars: Mater National, and Kung-Fu Panda have all been really great kid-focused titles based on movies, and it looks like Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is following in that trend. While this title may not be the most innovative or lengthy title out today, it does a great job of creating a kid-friendly world where kids can play through the story by themselves, or play with family and friends. And it doesn’t hurt that those lemurs are so darned cute!

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is basically a game with two parts: single player and multiplayer. The story mode can only be played with one person, who is then able to take the role of all four main characters. The structure is much like that of the Cars series of video games, with a variety of mini-game missions moving the game forward. These missions can vary from shooting an innocent lemur out of a slingshot to using Melman the giraffe to plug up stem holes in the desert. The gameplay in the single-player mode is varied rather nicely, and there are 12 different levels comprising this main mode. None of these levels are particularly long, but there are extra collection quests in every level that bolster replay value.

One thing that kids who play this title may appreciate is how the game deviates from the story. Because this game is primarily intended to extend the experience of the movie, it is nice that the game doesn’t re-hash all the plot elements of the movie. Even though the core “story” is all but lost in the video game adaptation, chances are good that if you have already picked up this title you know all about the characters, and it is nice that the developers kept their already well-informed audience in mind.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa screenshot

The second half of the game consists of multiplayer modes that can be played with a friend. These multiplayer modes consist of minigames, but surprisingly these minigames are not just recycled from the single-player. Some of the all-new mini-games include mini-golf, a rather interesting take on chess, and an operation-style medical game. All of these mini-games are actually very fun to play in a group, and this is the type of game where parents and kids can get in on the fun.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa screenshot

But despite being a lot of fun, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa does still have a few glaring issues. One of the biggest weak points of this title has to be the graphics. Honestly, the issues with the visuals in this game are far reaching and rage from absurd texturing (especially with water effects) to pesky seaming issues. And while none of these issues directly affects the gameplay, the overall look of the game just doesn’t hold water with most modern Wii titles and I think that is something that even younger players may find a little bothersome.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa screenshot

The sound in this title also suffers from being less-than-stellar, although most of the missteps here fall on the lackluster voiceover. Although I can understand not having the A-list stars from the movie reprise their roles for a videogame, the voice actors who swooped in to replace them do not sound genuine at all, and some of the characters’ voiceovers (especially that of King Julian, who is originally voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen) become quite annoying. I honestly believe I would have preferred scrolling text to some of the voiceovers. But for all the poor voicework, the background music isn’t half bad, and is nicely sampled from the movie.

Control in this title is actually very good. The Wii version differs from other console versions because it has enhanced motion control functionality. However, the motion controls are limited to action items, and always have a button option. For instance, there is a whack-a-mole style video game that you play with the giraffe character, and the main mechanic involves slamming the giraffe’s head down onto the various targets. The game gives you the option to swing down the Wii-mote, or use the Z button on the nunchuck. The motion controls, if you do decide to use them, are nicely responsive and generally only consist of a flick of the wrist or quick swing up or down.

Like most kids’ movies, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa has gotten the video game treatment, and has been produced for nearly every currently available console in existence. And while the Wii version of this title may not be the absolute best, it does a good job of conveying the fun energy of the movie that inspired it, and kids will love the fun mini-game inspired play. While this game is definitely not meant to please the adult crowd, it is a fun family title, and just may make that special little someone you know a happy camper this holiday.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.0 Graphics
Graphics are of very poor quality with constant seaming and texturing issues. Cutscenes from the movie suffer from poor compression. 4.1 Control
Both motion and button-based controls work well in the context of the game. 3.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The voiceover isn’t the best quality, but the music is enjoyable enough. 3.7

Play Value
The story mode is long enough to keep kids engaged for quite a few hours, and the different multiplayer modes are great for families to play together.

3.4 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Join Alex the lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and their entire madcap Madagascar crew on a whole new action-packed journey to save the African savannah in the Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa video game.
  • Your favorite characters from Madagascar return and you can play them all! In addition to Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman, you also get to play as the crafty penguins, the wacky King Julien and new hippo character Moto Moto! Learn all the moves of each character and choose which character is best for the situation at hand. Adventure through
  • 12 levels and 10 tournament mini-games from other movie and beyond. dt>
  • Unique new environments include the Watering Hole, a free roaming area that’s been expanded for the game, the volcano and the plane wreck.

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