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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: XPEC Entertainment Publisher: Activision |
protect his people for any enemies that dare threaten their existence. Sadly, this is all just a dream. Instead Po finds himself with a
broom at his father’s local Chinese restaurant where he works. This is where Po’s adventure begins in “Kung Fu Panda,” the video in
game like most of the previous Activision efforts for games based on movies, but this one shows a little more promise and effort from
the team.
Players begin very quickly, learn most of Po’s basic maneuvers and techniques for fighting. This includes slow attacks, fast attacks,
jumping and blocking attacks. As the game continues, players are able to gain more energy that allows Po to unleash even more
attacks, including a rolling ball attack, much like that of Sonic the Hedgehog, a belly flop attack, a belly bump attack and much more.
Also, occasionally Po is able to wield a real weapon, allowing him to cause even more damage, but the weapons in the game
eventually break and it is back to hand-to-hand combat.
Throughout the game players will make use of many other items and will meet many of the characters that are introduced in the film.
Po works very closely with a group of famous martial artists known as the Furious Five, who all prove to be as nimble as Po, and also
as easy to control for the little amount of time players get to play as them. All of the characters interact with mini-games throughout the
story, including shooting objects with a giant ballista in order to knock down floating lanterns and blow up large bags of confetti to clear
paths.
Po will need to use all of his resources and all of the moves that he can learn in order to defeat the evil snow leopard, Tia Lung. The
master of evil has broken out of a high-security prison in order to punish all those who put him in there in the first place. Tia Lung
proves to be a worthy opponent in the game, as do his vast armies of minions.
In order to master all of the moves available to Po, players must collect coins throughout each level in order to buy upgrades for his
attacks. As players max out a certain aspect of Po’s fighting, Po is able to unleash fury on all the enemies that try to stop him. Also,
throughout the levels are special green coins and character statues that unlock additional mini-games and videos for players to enjoy
outside of the single-player game.
The game presents most of the same techniques that can be seen in other movie-licensed games from the past few years. However,
this game won’t bore players because of the many options for attacking, the many upgrades that are available and the wide variety of
hidden extras that can be found in each level. The game also has energy-restoring food for players to regain health in the middle of the
level and checkpoints that allow players to restart from that point if they happen to die, instead of having to start all over from the
beginning of the level.
The game offers an amazing presentation as the visuals are amazing and bring the animated world of “Kung Fu Panda” to life. The
animation is very smooth and has very few jumpy animations or glitches. The lighting is also amazing, offering fuzzy, lifelike shadows
on the ground follow the main character wherever they go. And the level design, while not going over board to the point of players
getting lost, is not as simple as other movie-based games.
One element of the game that may surprise many players is the voice acting. While Jack Black does not voice Po in the game, it would
be hard to believe. The voice-overs for Po sound spot on as Jack Black. He comes across as very arrogant yet loveable at the same
time. He holds the perfect tone throughout the game showing that even though Po is a funny panda who acts confident in his martial
arts skills, he often cracks under the pressure. Of course, like any voice-overs, the voice of Po is a little overused at times and the rest
of the voice work isn’t as believable, especially the voice of Master Monkey, who is originally voiced by martial arts film legend Jackie
Chan. Also, the music in the game works surprising well and sets a mood for the entire game.
On top of 13 single-players levels, “Kung Fu Panda” also offers multiplayer gaming for up to four players. Although the game offers a
limited number of multiplayer games, most of which have to be unlocked, they are fun for a little while and offer a little bit more to the
overall package.
For those that are true hardcore gamers, this is something to set aside for possible future hardcore gamers. As far as movie-based
games go “Kung Fu Panda” tops the charts and offers more than just the typical single-player gaming. With 13 levels, a vast list of
unlockables and a list of multiplayer games, this game is sure to keep young gamers busy for quite some time.
broom at his father’s local Chinese restaurant where he works. This is where Po’s adventure begins in “Kung Fu Panda,” the video in
game like most of the previous Activision efforts for games based on movies, but this one shows a little more promise and effort from
the team.
Players begin very quickly, learn most of Po’s basic maneuvers and techniques for fighting. This includes slow attacks, fast attacks,
jumping and blocking attacks. As the game continues, players are able to gain more energy that allows Po to unleash even more
attacks, including a rolling ball attack, much like that of Sonic the Hedgehog, a belly flop attack, a belly bump attack and much more.
Also, occasionally Po is able to wield a real weapon, allowing him to cause even more damage, but the weapons in the game
eventually break and it is back to hand-to-hand combat.
Throughout the game players will make use of many other items and will meet many of the characters that are introduced in the film.
Po works very closely with a group of famous martial artists known as the Furious Five, who all prove to be as nimble as Po, and also
as easy to control for the little amount of time players get to play as them. All of the characters interact with mini-games throughout the
story, including shooting objects with a giant ballista in order to knock down floating lanterns and blow up large bags of confetti to clear
paths.
Po will need to use all of his resources and all of the moves that he can learn in order to defeat the evil snow leopard, Tia Lung. The
master of evil has broken out of a high-security prison in order to punish all those who put him in there in the first place. Tia Lung
proves to be a worthy opponent in the game, as do his vast armies of minions.
In order to master all of the moves available to Po, players must collect coins throughout each level in order to buy upgrades for his
attacks. As players max out a certain aspect of Po’s fighting, Po is able to unleash fury on all the enemies that try to stop him. Also,
throughout the levels are special green coins and character statues that unlock additional mini-games and videos for players to enjoy
outside of the single-player game.
The game presents most of the same techniques that can be seen in other movie-licensed games from the past few years. However,
this game won’t bore players because of the many options for attacking, the many upgrades that are available and the wide variety of
hidden extras that can be found in each level. The game also has energy-restoring food for players to regain health in the middle of the
level and checkpoints that allow players to restart from that point if they happen to die, instead of having to start all over from the
beginning of the level.
The game offers an amazing presentation as the visuals are amazing and bring the animated world of “Kung Fu Panda” to life. The
animation is very smooth and has very few jumpy animations or glitches. The lighting is also amazing, offering fuzzy, lifelike shadows
on the ground follow the main character wherever they go. And the level design, while not going over board to the point of players
getting lost, is not as simple as other movie-based games.
One element of the game that may surprise many players is the voice acting. While Jack Black does not voice Po in the game, it would
be hard to believe. The voice-overs for Po sound spot on as Jack Black. He comes across as very arrogant yet loveable at the same
time. He holds the perfect tone throughout the game showing that even though Po is a funny panda who acts confident in his martial
arts skills, he often cracks under the pressure. Of course, like any voice-overs, the voice of Po is a little overused at times and the rest
of the voice work isn’t as believable, especially the voice of Master Monkey, who is originally voiced by martial arts film legend Jackie
Chan. Also, the music in the game works surprising well and sets a mood for the entire game.
On top of 13 single-players levels, “Kung Fu Panda” also offers multiplayer gaming for up to four players. Although the game offers a
limited number of multiplayer games, most of which have to be unlocked, they are fun for a little while and offer a little bit more to the
overall package.
For those that are true hardcore gamers, this is something to set aside for possible future hardcore gamers. As far as movie-based
games go “Kung Fu Panda” tops the charts and offers more than just the typical single-player gaming. With 13 levels, a vast list of
unlockables and a list of multiplayer games, this game is sure to keep young gamers busy for quite some time.
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