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Madagascar: Kartz
Xbox 360
Now many of you will be wondering why I am reviewing a Kartz game. In fact many of you will even be wondering why on earth I have been playing on a move-game tie-in. Well, the joy of searching for GamerScore and the fact that my game rentals are coming through so quickly, it would appear gaming was going out of fashion means that I am likely to be playing titles I might not normally even come across.
Madagascar Kartz is pretty much what it says on the box - a go-kart racing game that features the characters and the scenes from the hit animated movie, Madagascar. The character King Julien, a bigheaded lemur with an ego larger than the savannah he lives in, sees Alex the lion in a go-kart. He then declares he wants one and then sets up a racing championship. The plot is simple, but how much story can you put into a racing game?
The main single player game focuses around the championship races. Each Championship is divided into four difficulties, designated by the size of the engine - 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and the mirrored-track 200cc competitions. Each of these championships are broken down into 3 cups, which in turn are composed of 3 tracks. This provides us with 9 tracks, which isn't too bad for a movie tie-in, racing game.
Of course, the game forces you start at the easy level and work your way up to be the fastest racer out there. The 200cc mirrored-tracks are no easy feat, so I guess it's good that they give you a chance to build your skills before chucking you into a series of difficult races.
The longetivity of the game is certainly noteworthy. The championship offers at least 36 races (more if you are like me and manage to mess up on a few of them, meaning you have to re-race!). In addition to the championship mode, there are several alternative modes you can try. These are the quick-races, enabling you to try out the tracks and find the short-cuts; the time-trials, which you try and get the fastest time possible to complete the level; a checkpoint racer, where you need to survive as long as you can by collecting hourglass checkpoints and a novel mode, called the "Move It Move!" race.
The "Move It Move It" mode is my favourite. The aim of this game is to spend the most time at the front of the other racers - but isn't this the aim of all races? Well no - not in the traditional sense anyway. Whilst being the leader, you gain control of a disco ball. Whilst in control of this disco ball, you are required to go through small checkpoint gateways to score points. The first racer to obtain 50 points wins the race. As I said, this mode was my favourite - it's novelty and frantic approach was a welcome step away from the usual "beat the racers to the finish line".
As any fan of Mario Kart will tell you, no kart game is just about driving skill. Madagascar Kartz features, like practically every kart game out there, a boost pad which will temporarily give your kart a speed similar to a rocket. These strategically placed pads will help you lead the others (or in some cases catch up with them!). In addition, each kart has a turbo stash of it's own. If you perform stunts in the air (a mere tap on the D-Pad whilst in mid air) or powerslide around corners, the turbo bar fills, ready for you to zoom away when you see fit.
Again, Madagascar Kartz follows the genre of weapon pick-ups. Scattered around all of the tracks are floating boxes, each containing a random power-up. This is where the game gets dirty. The power-ups range from flaming coconuts that knock out a racer in front of you to a barrel of bananas that cause the racers behind you to lose control. These allow for tactical gameplay so that you can plot your way to a victory.
Graphically, the game doesn't push the 360 too hard. They aren't amazing, but the characters do stay true to their movie form. Similarly, the scenes do look like they have been lifted out of the films, so very impressive. In addition to the Madagascar Kartz characters, Shrek (from the movie Shrek) and B.O.B. (from Monsters vs Aliens) are unlockable characters. These also have their corresponding tracks which look on par with the other tracks based on the Madagascar sets.
The audio is pretty (if you would excuse the pun) sound. Car engines, character voices and their catchphrases are what you would hope to expect from a racing game and a movie tie-in. There is an ever present soundtrack from the film - "I like to Move it Move it" echos through the menu screens and during the race set-ups. Although it is a cracking tune and mirrors the energy of the game, it does grind your nerves after a few minutes of continual play. It would have been good to have a varied background tune, but I guess they want to link as much to film as possible.
However, the controls is where the game loses points. It can get very frustrating when trying to win a race (especially on the higher difficulty racers) when your kart flies all over the place. Even tighter cornering by using the powerslide causes you to crash into the edges of the turn. I did wonder why there was an achievement for completing a lap without crashing into the sides... The controls for the stunts are not to bad, but actually getting to pull off a stunt can prove difficult. I don't know if the controls issue is common with kart games as I do not play a huge amount of them.
I will pass comment on the achievements available - there is an easy 500 points to be earned (for those interested in the 20k GamerScore Challenge). There are some right nightmares in there though and after hours trying, I still couldn't unlock. But the majority are fun and easy to pick up, such as complete a race with a specific character or perform x number of stunts on a specific level. There are one or two multiplayer achievements, but theycan easily be picked up by getting a friend to join in the action for 5 minutes.
Overall, Madagascar Kartz surprised me. The fact that it is a combination of a movie tie-in AND a kart game, Madagascar Kartz actually performs quite well. Not really a game you want to keep if you are a serious gamer, but if you want a bit of light relief or want a game for the kids then it is worth adding to your collection. If you are an achievement hunter and want a game for points, this game is actually enjoyable to playthrough (unlike so many 'easy 1000' ones that are no fun to play). But if you go for points, this game is nothing more than just a rental - unless of course you enjoy it so much that you'll want to keep it for some light-hearted gaming.
70%
Xbox 360
Now many of you will be wondering why I am reviewing a Kartz game. In fact many of you will even be wondering why on earth I have been playing on a move-game tie-in. Well, the joy of searching for GamerScore and the fact that my game rentals are coming through so quickly, it would appear gaming was going out of fashion means that I am likely to be playing titles I might not normally even come across.
Madagascar Kartz is pretty much what it says on the box - a go-kart racing game that features the characters and the scenes from the hit animated movie, Madagascar. The character King Julien, a bigheaded lemur with an ego larger than the savannah he lives in, sees Alex the lion in a go-kart. He then declares he wants one and then sets up a racing championship. The plot is simple, but how much story can you put into a racing game?
The main single player game focuses around the championship races. Each Championship is divided into four difficulties, designated by the size of the engine - 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and the mirrored-track 200cc competitions. Each of these championships are broken down into 3 cups, which in turn are composed of 3 tracks. This provides us with 9 tracks, which isn't too bad for a movie tie-in, racing game.
Of course, the game forces you start at the easy level and work your way up to be the fastest racer out there. The 200cc mirrored-tracks are no easy feat, so I guess it's good that they give you a chance to build your skills before chucking you into a series of difficult races.
The longetivity of the game is certainly noteworthy. The championship offers at least 36 races (more if you are like me and manage to mess up on a few of them, meaning you have to re-race!). In addition to the championship mode, there are several alternative modes you can try. These are the quick-races, enabling you to try out the tracks and find the short-cuts; the time-trials, which you try and get the fastest time possible to complete the level; a checkpoint racer, where you need to survive as long as you can by collecting hourglass checkpoints and a novel mode, called the "Move It Move!" race.
The "Move It Move It" mode is my favourite. The aim of this game is to spend the most time at the front of the other racers - but isn't this the aim of all races? Well no - not in the traditional sense anyway. Whilst being the leader, you gain control of a disco ball. Whilst in control of this disco ball, you are required to go through small checkpoint gateways to score points. The first racer to obtain 50 points wins the race. As I said, this mode was my favourite - it's novelty and frantic approach was a welcome step away from the usual "beat the racers to the finish line".
As any fan of Mario Kart will tell you, no kart game is just about driving skill. Madagascar Kartz features, like practically every kart game out there, a boost pad which will temporarily give your kart a speed similar to a rocket. These strategically placed pads will help you lead the others (or in some cases catch up with them!). In addition, each kart has a turbo stash of it's own. If you perform stunts in the air (a mere tap on the D-Pad whilst in mid air) or powerslide around corners, the turbo bar fills, ready for you to zoom away when you see fit.
Again, Madagascar Kartz follows the genre of weapon pick-ups. Scattered around all of the tracks are floating boxes, each containing a random power-up. This is where the game gets dirty. The power-ups range from flaming coconuts that knock out a racer in front of you to a barrel of bananas that cause the racers behind you to lose control. These allow for tactical gameplay so that you can plot your way to a victory.
Graphically, the game doesn't push the 360 too hard. They aren't amazing, but the characters do stay true to their movie form. Similarly, the scenes do look like they have been lifted out of the films, so very impressive. In addition to the Madagascar Kartz characters, Shrek (from the movie Shrek) and B.O.B. (from Monsters vs Aliens) are unlockable characters. These also have their corresponding tracks which look on par with the other tracks based on the Madagascar sets.
The audio is pretty (if you would excuse the pun) sound. Car engines, character voices and their catchphrases are what you would hope to expect from a racing game and a movie tie-in. There is an ever present soundtrack from the film - "I like to Move it Move it" echos through the menu screens and during the race set-ups. Although it is a cracking tune and mirrors the energy of the game, it does grind your nerves after a few minutes of continual play. It would have been good to have a varied background tune, but I guess they want to link as much to film as possible.
However, the controls is where the game loses points. It can get very frustrating when trying to win a race (especially on the higher difficulty racers) when your kart flies all over the place. Even tighter cornering by using the powerslide causes you to crash into the edges of the turn. I did wonder why there was an achievement for completing a lap without crashing into the sides... The controls for the stunts are not to bad, but actually getting to pull off a stunt can prove difficult. I don't know if the controls issue is common with kart games as I do not play a huge amount of them.
I will pass comment on the achievements available - there is an easy 500 points to be earned (for those interested in the 20k GamerScore Challenge). There are some right nightmares in there though and after hours trying, I still couldn't unlock. But the majority are fun and easy to pick up, such as complete a race with a specific character or perform x number of stunts on a specific level. There are one or two multiplayer achievements, but theycan easily be picked up by getting a friend to join in the action for 5 minutes.
Overall, Madagascar Kartz surprised me. The fact that it is a combination of a movie tie-in AND a kart game, Madagascar Kartz actually performs quite well. Not really a game you want to keep if you are a serious gamer, but if you want a bit of light relief or want a game for the kids then it is worth adding to your collection. If you are an achievement hunter and want a game for points, this game is actually enjoyable to playthrough (unlike so many 'easy 1000' ones that are no fun to play). But if you go for points, this game is nothing more than just a rental - unless of course you enjoy it so much that you'll want to keep it for some light-hearted gaming.
70%
Sonic Chris wrote:
> So it isn't an 18+ then? :P May have a dabble in these type of
> games (if you know what i mean - LEGO Indiana Jones etc.) try and
> get the ol' gamerscore up.
Some are quite tricky, but yeah, some of the games aimed at kids can be quite easy for points.
This one is about 5/10 on achievement difficulty :)
> So it isn't an 18+ then? :P May have a dabble in these type of
> games (if you know what i mean - LEGO Indiana Jones etc.) try and
> get the ol' gamerscore up.
Some are quite tricky, but yeah, some of the games aimed at kids can be quite easy for points.
This one is about 5/10 on achievement difficulty :)
So it isn't an 18+ then? :P May have a dabble in these type of games (if you know what i mean - LEGO Indiana Jones etc.) try and get the ol' gamerscore up.
Madagascar: Kartz
Xbox 360
Now many of you will be wondering why I am reviewing a Kartz game. In fact many of you will even be wondering why on earth I have been playing on a move-game tie-in. Well, the joy of searching for GamerScore and the fact that my game rentals are coming through so quickly, it would appear gaming was going out of fashion means that I am likely to be playing titles I might not normally even come across.
Madagascar Kartz is pretty much what it says on the box - a go-kart racing game that features the characters and the scenes from the hit animated movie, Madagascar. The character King Julien, a bigheaded lemur with an ego larger than the savannah he lives in, sees Alex the lion in a go-kart. He then declares he wants one and then sets up a racing championship. The plot is simple, but how much story can you put into a racing game?
The main single player game focuses around the championship races. Each Championship is divided into four difficulties, designated by the size of the engine - 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and the mirrored-track 200cc competitions. Each of these championships are broken down into 3 cups, which in turn are composed of 3 tracks. This provides us with 9 tracks, which isn't too bad for a movie tie-in, racing game.
Of course, the game forces you start at the easy level and work your way up to be the fastest racer out there. The 200cc mirrored-tracks are no easy feat, so I guess it's good that they give you a chance to build your skills before chucking you into a series of difficult races.
The longetivity of the game is certainly noteworthy. The championship offers at least 36 races (more if you are like me and manage to mess up on a few of them, meaning you have to re-race!). In addition to the championship mode, there are several alternative modes you can try. These are the quick-races, enabling you to try out the tracks and find the short-cuts; the time-trials, which you try and get the fastest time possible to complete the level; a checkpoint racer, where you need to survive as long as you can by collecting hourglass checkpoints and a novel mode, called the "Move It Move!" race.
The "Move It Move It" mode is my favourite. The aim of this game is to spend the most time at the front of the other racers - but isn't this the aim of all races? Well no - not in the traditional sense anyway. Whilst being the leader, you gain control of a disco ball. Whilst in control of this disco ball, you are required to go through small checkpoint gateways to score points. The first racer to obtain 50 points wins the race. As I said, this mode was my favourite - it's novelty and frantic approach was a welcome step away from the usual "beat the racers to the finish line".
As any fan of Mario Kart will tell you, no kart game is just about driving skill. Madagascar Kartz features, like practically every kart game out there, a boost pad which will temporarily give your kart a speed similar to a rocket. These strategically placed pads will help you lead the others (or in some cases catch up with them!). In addition, each kart has a turbo stash of it's own. If you perform stunts in the air (a mere tap on the D-Pad whilst in mid air) or powerslide around corners, the turbo bar fills, ready for you to zoom away when you see fit.
Again, Madagascar Kartz follows the genre of weapon pick-ups. Scattered around all of the tracks are floating boxes, each containing a random power-up. This is where the game gets dirty. The power-ups range from flaming coconuts that knock out a racer in front of you to a barrel of bananas that cause the racers behind you to lose control. These allow for tactical gameplay so that you can plot your way to a victory.
Graphically, the game doesn't push the 360 too hard. They aren't amazing, but the characters do stay true to their movie form. Similarly, the scenes do look like they have been lifted out of the films, so very impressive. In addition to the Madagascar Kartz characters, Shrek (from the movie Shrek) and B.O.B. (from Monsters vs Aliens) are unlockable characters. These also have their corresponding tracks which look on par with the other tracks based on the Madagascar sets.
The audio is pretty (if you would excuse the pun) sound. Car engines, character voices and their catchphrases are what you would hope to expect from a racing game and a movie tie-in. There is an ever present soundtrack from the film - "I like to Move it Move it" echos through the menu screens and during the race set-ups. Although it is a cracking tune and mirrors the energy of the game, it does grind your nerves after a few minutes of continual play. It would have been good to have a varied background tune, but I guess they want to link as much to film as possible.
However, the controls is where the game loses points. It can get very frustrating when trying to win a race (especially on the higher difficulty racers) when your kart flies all over the place. Even tighter cornering by using the powerslide causes you to crash into the edges of the turn. I did wonder why there was an achievement for completing a lap without crashing into the sides... The controls for the stunts are not to bad, but actually getting to pull off a stunt can prove difficult. I don't know if the controls issue is common with kart games as I do not play a huge amount of them.
I will pass comment on the achievements available - there is an easy 500 points to be earned (for those interested in the 20k GamerScore Challenge). There are some right nightmares in there though and after hours trying, I still couldn't unlock. But the majority are fun and easy to pick up, such as complete a race with a specific character or perform x number of stunts on a specific level. There are one or two multiplayer achievements, but theycan easily be picked up by getting a friend to join in the action for 5 minutes.
Overall, Madagascar Kartz surprised me. The fact that it is a combination of a movie tie-in AND a kart game, Madagascar Kartz actually performs quite well. Not really a game you want to keep if you are a serious gamer, but if you want a bit of light relief or want a game for the kids then it is worth adding to your collection. If you are an achievement hunter and want a game for points, this game is actually enjoyable to playthrough (unlike so many 'easy 1000' ones that are no fun to play). But if you go for points, this game is nothing more than just a rental - unless of course you enjoy it so much that you'll want to keep it for some light-hearted gaming.
70%
Xbox 360
Now many of you will be wondering why I am reviewing a Kartz game. In fact many of you will even be wondering why on earth I have been playing on a move-game tie-in. Well, the joy of searching for GamerScore and the fact that my game rentals are coming through so quickly, it would appear gaming was going out of fashion means that I am likely to be playing titles I might not normally even come across.
Madagascar Kartz is pretty much what it says on the box - a go-kart racing game that features the characters and the scenes from the hit animated movie, Madagascar. The character King Julien, a bigheaded lemur with an ego larger than the savannah he lives in, sees Alex the lion in a go-kart. He then declares he wants one and then sets up a racing championship. The plot is simple, but how much story can you put into a racing game?
The main single player game focuses around the championship races. Each Championship is divided into four difficulties, designated by the size of the engine - 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and the mirrored-track 200cc competitions. Each of these championships are broken down into 3 cups, which in turn are composed of 3 tracks. This provides us with 9 tracks, which isn't too bad for a movie tie-in, racing game.
Of course, the game forces you start at the easy level and work your way up to be the fastest racer out there. The 200cc mirrored-tracks are no easy feat, so I guess it's good that they give you a chance to build your skills before chucking you into a series of difficult races.
The longetivity of the game is certainly noteworthy. The championship offers at least 36 races (more if you are like me and manage to mess up on a few of them, meaning you have to re-race!). In addition to the championship mode, there are several alternative modes you can try. These are the quick-races, enabling you to try out the tracks and find the short-cuts; the time-trials, which you try and get the fastest time possible to complete the level; a checkpoint racer, where you need to survive as long as you can by collecting hourglass checkpoints and a novel mode, called the "Move It Move!" race.
The "Move It Move It" mode is my favourite. The aim of this game is to spend the most time at the front of the other racers - but isn't this the aim of all races? Well no - not in the traditional sense anyway. Whilst being the leader, you gain control of a disco ball. Whilst in control of this disco ball, you are required to go through small checkpoint gateways to score points. The first racer to obtain 50 points wins the race. As I said, this mode was my favourite - it's novelty and frantic approach was a welcome step away from the usual "beat the racers to the finish line".
As any fan of Mario Kart will tell you, no kart game is just about driving skill. Madagascar Kartz features, like practically every kart game out there, a boost pad which will temporarily give your kart a speed similar to a rocket. These strategically placed pads will help you lead the others (or in some cases catch up with them!). In addition, each kart has a turbo stash of it's own. If you perform stunts in the air (a mere tap on the D-Pad whilst in mid air) or powerslide around corners, the turbo bar fills, ready for you to zoom away when you see fit.
Again, Madagascar Kartz follows the genre of weapon pick-ups. Scattered around all of the tracks are floating boxes, each containing a random power-up. This is where the game gets dirty. The power-ups range from flaming coconuts that knock out a racer in front of you to a barrel of bananas that cause the racers behind you to lose control. These allow for tactical gameplay so that you can plot your way to a victory.
Graphically, the game doesn't push the 360 too hard. They aren't amazing, but the characters do stay true to their movie form. Similarly, the scenes do look like they have been lifted out of the films, so very impressive. In addition to the Madagascar Kartz characters, Shrek (from the movie Shrek) and B.O.B. (from Monsters vs Aliens) are unlockable characters. These also have their corresponding tracks which look on par with the other tracks based on the Madagascar sets.
The audio is pretty (if you would excuse the pun) sound. Car engines, character voices and their catchphrases are what you would hope to expect from a racing game and a movie tie-in. There is an ever present soundtrack from the film - "I like to Move it Move it" echos through the menu screens and during the race set-ups. Although it is a cracking tune and mirrors the energy of the game, it does grind your nerves after a few minutes of continual play. It would have been good to have a varied background tune, but I guess they want to link as much to film as possible.
However, the controls is where the game loses points. It can get very frustrating when trying to win a race (especially on the higher difficulty racers) when your kart flies all over the place. Even tighter cornering by using the powerslide causes you to crash into the edges of the turn. I did wonder why there was an achievement for completing a lap without crashing into the sides... The controls for the stunts are not to bad, but actually getting to pull off a stunt can prove difficult. I don't know if the controls issue is common with kart games as I do not play a huge amount of them.
I will pass comment on the achievements available - there is an easy 500 points to be earned (for those interested in the 20k GamerScore Challenge). There are some right nightmares in there though and after hours trying, I still couldn't unlock. But the majority are fun and easy to pick up, such as complete a race with a specific character or perform x number of stunts on a specific level. There are one or two multiplayer achievements, but theycan easily be picked up by getting a friend to join in the action for 5 minutes.
Overall, Madagascar Kartz surprised me. The fact that it is a combination of a movie tie-in AND a kart game, Madagascar Kartz actually performs quite well. Not really a game you want to keep if you are a serious gamer, but if you want a bit of light relief or want a game for the kids then it is worth adding to your collection. If you are an achievement hunter and want a game for points, this game is actually enjoyable to playthrough (unlike so many 'easy 1000' ones that are no fun to play). But if you go for points, this game is nothing more than just a rental - unless of course you enjoy it so much that you'll want to keep it for some light-hearted gaming.
70%