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Kung Fu Panda 2 Review
For the purposes of this review, the Playstation 3 version was used
I want to start this review with a clarification. I love kids games. They’re great for a few hours of fun, if a little simple - but that’s the charm. Ice Age 3 was incredibly fun and Up’s multiplayer It’s a nice break from the sudden seriousness that seems to have plagued games recently.
Kung Fu Panda 2 starts where the movie leaves off (which I won’t go into too much detail for those who haven’t seen it), with Po and the Furious Five interrupted when celebrating, having to deal with yet another threat to the peace of the village. You take control of Po as you aim to aid the masters in getting to the bottom of the most recent disturbance.
The game uses a fairly simple adventure engine, with Po having access to a string of attacks, standard and strong, with jumping and disarming attacks thrown in to punish his foes. Po can, after the filling of a bar, summon one of the Furious Five to instantly take out an adversary. There’s also the ability to dodge and counter, which can be very useful in some situations, but isn’t usually necessary with the ease that attacked fall.
Throughout the game, Po will also learn a few special attacks. These are mainly used to deal with environmental problems, such as barriers or doors that might be blocking your path. However, they can be used as equalisers for when you are surrounded (though that usually shouldn’t be necessary), and can be quite useful for quickening the pace of disposing of the non-friendlies.
On occasion, Po will be faced with a puzzle that is blocking his path. Usually, these are a good way of breaking up the game between large groups of enemies, especially when the fighting mechanics boil down to ‘keep pressing square’. Unfortunately, these puzzles are simple, even for a game aimed at the audience that this is. Approximately one second after approaching a puzzle, Po will continually hint as to what you should be doing, not even allowing a single thought. It’s as if the game has second thoughts about having the puzzles there at all.
As standard with adventure games like this, there are also several collectibles to obtain, coming in the form of iron, gold and steel, which are littered all over the various levels. Whilst this is normally okay, the sheer vastness of collectibles that are to be collected, alongside the inability to see what is remaining (besides when you actually collect a piece) makes it an unnecessarily frustrating affair.
Kung Fu Panda does have the benefit of having Jack Black and co behind the voice-acting, which is sort of a positive aspect, as it is on occasion quite amusing. However, the dialogue often seems a little forced and disjointed, and for the amount of time spent battling in the game, it would have been beneficial for a bit more to be recorded so that the exclamations don’t get so overused and repetitive.
At times, especially when it comes to the graphics, it seems like playing a game from the previous generation. The surroundings are typically bright and colourful, as would be expected, but the textures are blocky and outdated. Characters, at times, look good enough, but can turn into fairly blurry messes even at times of low output.
But the main problem I have with Kung Fu Panda 2 is the framerate drops. Yes, it’s a “kids game”, and they might not be worried about slowdown in the gameplay, but it is sloppy and almost unforgivable in this day and age, *especially* when these drops come in cutscenes. If you have framerate drops in cutscenes, where the player has no input, and you haven’t picked it up, you haven’t done your job as a studio. Simple.
Combine this with audio lag, broken record syndrome and persistent freezes, and the overall image is not exactly appealing. For anyone wanting to pay attention to the storyline, which isn’t entirely all that bad for a children’s game, playing through Kung Fu Panda 2 becomes irritating and cumbersome due not only to the limited gameplay, but to the seemingly constant glitches.
In conclusion, Kung Fu Panda 2 is an archetypal showing of movie tie-in dross. Kids may be awed by the ability to play as a character from the film, but the dull gameplay, frankly insultingly easy puzzles alongside technical issues that plague the game from start to finish might irritate all but the youngest of children. That being said, it might serve as a nice distraction for a day or two on a rental basis, but I really can not suggest buying it for anyone other than the biggest of martial arts-trained monochromatic bear aficionados.
Score: 3.6/10
It may be possible that the technical issues are more the case of lazy porting, in which case, Kung Fu Panda 2 is “bearable” but falls well behind many other games designed for children, such as Up, Ice Age 3 or any of the Lego games, and as such, I still struggle to recommend it with such a pool of much better titles.
For the purposes of this review, the Playstation 3 version was used
I want to start this review with a clarification. I love kids games. They’re great for a few hours of fun, if a little simple - but that’s the charm. Ice Age 3 was incredibly fun and Up’s multiplayer It’s a nice break from the sudden seriousness that seems to have plagued games recently.
Kung Fu Panda 2 starts where the movie leaves off (which I won’t go into too much detail for those who haven’t seen it), with Po and the Furious Five interrupted when celebrating, having to deal with yet another threat to the peace of the village. You take control of Po as you aim to aid the masters in getting to the bottom of the most recent disturbance.
The game uses a fairly simple adventure engine, with Po having access to a string of attacks, standard and strong, with jumping and disarming attacks thrown in to punish his foes. Po can, after the filling of a bar, summon one of the Furious Five to instantly take out an adversary. There’s also the ability to dodge and counter, which can be very useful in some situations, but isn’t usually necessary with the ease that attacked fall.
Throughout the game, Po will also learn a few special attacks. These are mainly used to deal with environmental problems, such as barriers or doors that might be blocking your path. However, they can be used as equalisers for when you are surrounded (though that usually shouldn’t be necessary), and can be quite useful for quickening the pace of disposing of the non-friendlies.
On occasion, Po will be faced with a puzzle that is blocking his path. Usually, these are a good way of breaking up the game between large groups of enemies, especially when the fighting mechanics boil down to ‘keep pressing square’. Unfortunately, these puzzles are simple, even for a game aimed at the audience that this is. Approximately one second after approaching a puzzle, Po will continually hint as to what you should be doing, not even allowing a single thought. It’s as if the game has second thoughts about having the puzzles there at all.
As standard with adventure games like this, there are also several collectibles to obtain, coming in the form of iron, gold and steel, which are littered all over the various levels. Whilst this is normally okay, the sheer vastness of collectibles that are to be collected, alongside the inability to see what is remaining (besides when you actually collect a piece) makes it an unnecessarily frustrating affair.
Kung Fu Panda does have the benefit of having Jack Black and co behind the voice-acting, which is sort of a positive aspect, as it is on occasion quite amusing. However, the dialogue often seems a little forced and disjointed, and for the amount of time spent battling in the game, it would have been beneficial for a bit more to be recorded so that the exclamations don’t get so overused and repetitive.
At times, especially when it comes to the graphics, it seems like playing a game from the previous generation. The surroundings are typically bright and colourful, as would be expected, but the textures are blocky and outdated. Characters, at times, look good enough, but can turn into fairly blurry messes even at times of low output.
But the main problem I have with Kung Fu Panda 2 is the framerate drops. Yes, it’s a “kids game”, and they might not be worried about slowdown in the gameplay, but it is sloppy and almost unforgivable in this day and age, *especially* when these drops come in cutscenes. If you have framerate drops in cutscenes, where the player has no input, and you haven’t picked it up, you haven’t done your job as a studio. Simple.
Combine this with audio lag, broken record syndrome and persistent freezes, and the overall image is not exactly appealing. For anyone wanting to pay attention to the storyline, which isn’t entirely all that bad for a children’s game, playing through Kung Fu Panda 2 becomes irritating and cumbersome due not only to the limited gameplay, but to the seemingly constant glitches.
In conclusion, Kung Fu Panda 2 is an archetypal showing of movie tie-in dross. Kids may be awed by the ability to play as a character from the film, but the dull gameplay, frankly insultingly easy puzzles alongside technical issues that plague the game from start to finish might irritate all but the youngest of children. That being said, it might serve as a nice distraction for a day or two on a rental basis, but I really can not suggest buying it for anyone other than the biggest of martial arts-trained monochromatic bear aficionados.
Score: 3.6/10
It may be possible that the technical issues are more the case of lazy porting, in which case, Kung Fu Panda 2 is “bearable” but falls well behind many other games designed for children, such as Up, Ice Age 3 or any of the Lego games, and as such, I still struggle to recommend it with such a pool of much better titles.
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Kung Fu Panda 2 Review
For the purposes of this review, the Playstation 3 version was used
I want to start this review with a clarification. I love kids games. They’re great for a few hours of fun, if a little simple - but that’s the charm. Ice Age 3 was incredibly fun and Up’s multiplayer It’s a nice break from the sudden seriousness that seems to have plagued games recently.
Kung Fu Panda 2 starts where the movie leaves off (which I won’t go into too much detail for those who haven’t seen it), with Po and the Furious Five interrupted when celebrating, having to deal with yet another threat to the peace of the village. You take control of Po as you aim to aid the masters in getting to the bottom of the most recent disturbance.
The game uses a fairly simple adventure engine, with Po having access to a string of attacks, standard and strong, with jumping and disarming attacks thrown in to punish his foes. Po can, after the filling of a bar, summon one of the Furious Five to instantly take out an adversary. There’s also the ability to dodge and counter, which can be very useful in some situations, but isn’t usually necessary with the ease that attacked fall.
Throughout the game, Po will also learn a few special attacks. These are mainly used to deal with environmental problems, such as barriers or doors that might be blocking your path. However, they can be used as equalisers for when you are surrounded (though that usually shouldn’t be necessary), and can be quite useful for quickening the pace of disposing of the non-friendlies.
On occasion, Po will be faced with a puzzle that is blocking his path. Usually, these are a good way of breaking up the game between large groups of enemies, especially when the fighting mechanics boil down to ‘keep pressing square’. Unfortunately, these puzzles are simple, even for a game aimed at the audience that this is. Approximately one second after approaching a puzzle, Po will continually hint as to what you should be doing, not even allowing a single thought. It’s as if the game has second thoughts about having the puzzles there at all.
As standard with adventure games like this, there are also several collectibles to obtain, coming in the form of iron, gold and steel, which are littered all over the various levels. Whilst this is normally okay, the sheer vastness of collectibles that are to be collected, alongside the inability to see what is remaining (besides when you actually collect a piece) makes it an unnecessarily frustrating affair.
Kung Fu Panda does have the benefit of having Jack Black and co behind the voice-acting, which is sort of a positive aspect, as it is on occasion quite amusing. However, the dialogue often seems a little forced and disjointed, and for the amount of time spent battling in the game, it would have been beneficial for a bit more to be recorded so that the exclamations don’t get so overused and repetitive.
At times, especially when it comes to the graphics, it seems like playing a game from the previous generation. The surroundings are typically bright and colourful, as would be expected, but the textures are blocky and outdated. Characters, at times, look good enough, but can turn into fairly blurry messes even at times of low output.
But the main problem I have with Kung Fu Panda 2 is the framerate drops. Yes, it’s a “kids game”, and they might not be worried about slowdown in the gameplay, but it is sloppy and almost unforgivable in this day and age, *especially* when these drops come in cutscenes. If you have framerate drops in cutscenes, where the player has no input, and you haven’t picked it up, you haven’t done your job as a studio. Simple.
Combine this with audio lag, broken record syndrome and persistent freezes, and the overall image is not exactly appealing. For anyone wanting to pay attention to the storyline, which isn’t entirely all that bad for a children’s game, playing through Kung Fu Panda 2 becomes irritating and cumbersome due not only to the limited gameplay, but to the seemingly constant glitches.
In conclusion, Kung Fu Panda 2 is an archetypal showing of movie tie-in dross. Kids may be awed by the ability to play as a character from the film, but the dull gameplay, frankly insultingly easy puzzles alongside technical issues that plague the game from start to finish might irritate all but the youngest of children. That being said, it might serve as a nice distraction for a day or two on a rental basis, but I really can not suggest buying it for anyone other than the biggest of martial arts-trained monochromatic bear aficionados.
Score: 3.6/10
It may be possible that the technical issues are more the case of lazy porting, in which case, Kung Fu Panda 2 is “bearable” but falls well behind many other games designed for children, such as Up, Ice Age 3 or any of the Lego games, and as such, I still struggle to recommend it with such a pool of much better titles.
For the purposes of this review, the Playstation 3 version was used
I want to start this review with a clarification. I love kids games. They’re great for a few hours of fun, if a little simple - but that’s the charm. Ice Age 3 was incredibly fun and Up’s multiplayer It’s a nice break from the sudden seriousness that seems to have plagued games recently.
Kung Fu Panda 2 starts where the movie leaves off (which I won’t go into too much detail for those who haven’t seen it), with Po and the Furious Five interrupted when celebrating, having to deal with yet another threat to the peace of the village. You take control of Po as you aim to aid the masters in getting to the bottom of the most recent disturbance.
The game uses a fairly simple adventure engine, with Po having access to a string of attacks, standard and strong, with jumping and disarming attacks thrown in to punish his foes. Po can, after the filling of a bar, summon one of the Furious Five to instantly take out an adversary. There’s also the ability to dodge and counter, which can be very useful in some situations, but isn’t usually necessary with the ease that attacked fall.
Throughout the game, Po will also learn a few special attacks. These are mainly used to deal with environmental problems, such as barriers or doors that might be blocking your path. However, they can be used as equalisers for when you are surrounded (though that usually shouldn’t be necessary), and can be quite useful for quickening the pace of disposing of the non-friendlies.
On occasion, Po will be faced with a puzzle that is blocking his path. Usually, these are a good way of breaking up the game between large groups of enemies, especially when the fighting mechanics boil down to ‘keep pressing square’. Unfortunately, these puzzles are simple, even for a game aimed at the audience that this is. Approximately one second after approaching a puzzle, Po will continually hint as to what you should be doing, not even allowing a single thought. It’s as if the game has second thoughts about having the puzzles there at all.
As standard with adventure games like this, there are also several collectibles to obtain, coming in the form of iron, gold and steel, which are littered all over the various levels. Whilst this is normally okay, the sheer vastness of collectibles that are to be collected, alongside the inability to see what is remaining (besides when you actually collect a piece) makes it an unnecessarily frustrating affair.
Kung Fu Panda does have the benefit of having Jack Black and co behind the voice-acting, which is sort of a positive aspect, as it is on occasion quite amusing. However, the dialogue often seems a little forced and disjointed, and for the amount of time spent battling in the game, it would have been beneficial for a bit more to be recorded so that the exclamations don’t get so overused and repetitive.
At times, especially when it comes to the graphics, it seems like playing a game from the previous generation. The surroundings are typically bright and colourful, as would be expected, but the textures are blocky and outdated. Characters, at times, look good enough, but can turn into fairly blurry messes even at times of low output.
But the main problem I have with Kung Fu Panda 2 is the framerate drops. Yes, it’s a “kids game”, and they might not be worried about slowdown in the gameplay, but it is sloppy and almost unforgivable in this day and age, *especially* when these drops come in cutscenes. If you have framerate drops in cutscenes, where the player has no input, and you haven’t picked it up, you haven’t done your job as a studio. Simple.
Combine this with audio lag, broken record syndrome and persistent freezes, and the overall image is not exactly appealing. For anyone wanting to pay attention to the storyline, which isn’t entirely all that bad for a children’s game, playing through Kung Fu Panda 2 becomes irritating and cumbersome due not only to the limited gameplay, but to the seemingly constant glitches.
In conclusion, Kung Fu Panda 2 is an archetypal showing of movie tie-in dross. Kids may be awed by the ability to play as a character from the film, but the dull gameplay, frankly insultingly easy puzzles alongside technical issues that plague the game from start to finish might irritate all but the youngest of children. That being said, it might serve as a nice distraction for a day or two on a rental basis, but I really can not suggest buying it for anyone other than the biggest of martial arts-trained monochromatic bear aficionados.
Score: 3.6/10
It may be possible that the technical issues are more the case of lazy porting, in which case, Kung Fu Panda 2 is “bearable” but falls well behind many other games designed for children, such as Up, Ice Age 3 or any of the Lego games, and as such, I still struggle to recommend it with such a pool of much better titles.