Reviewed: November 14, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Activision

Developer
Shaba Games

Released: October 25, 2005
Genre: Fighter
Players: 1-4
ESRB: Everyone

7
8
9
7
7.8

Supported Features:

While it can still be argued which audience Shrek is aimed at, the result has been the same: games made on the Shrek license have largely fallen in the latter category among many other mediocre attempts to pull a kid’s interest and make a quick buck. How bizarre is it then to see a beat ’em up based on the Shrek series being called the next Super Smash Bros?

Shrek SuperSlam is definitely not an ordinary brawler. It compares more to the above-mentioned Super Smash Bros. or the Dreamcast series, Power Stone. The gimmick here is that each successful attack adds a little bit of “slamergy” to your “slam meter” (your bar labeled SLAM! starts to fill up). When full, your character can execute a unique special attack on the enemies in the arena, giving you the chance to earn points. By default, every Slam you do adds one point to your total for each enemy slammed and subtracts one point from the enemy or enemies.

The object of the game is simple - whoever scores the most points, wins.

Mega Challenge takes place on a large map, using a Shrek game piece to move from event to event. In this mode, you can unlock new characters and stages by beating events and gaining points to move on to higher rated events. This is definitely a high point in the game, giving you something to work for and 45 different scenarios to complete. The difficulty ranges from easy to frustrating per event, at times becoming especially maddening.

Melee gives you the chance to fight one to three computer controlled opponents either in teams or in a free for all, allowing everything from the scenario played to the speed at which the slam meter fills up be adjusted. The training and the trophy room are not really modes you can play; training is only there to teach you the basics of the game in three short tutorials, and the trophy room lets you look at the medals and trophies you’ve acquired throughout the game.

Multiplayer melee works the same as single player melee, except with you and any combination of up to three of your closest friends or the CPU. King of the Hill plays much like its humble school yard beginning-do everything you can to keep everyone else from reaching the top and subsequently scoring the most points. You can expect to yell at your friends in this mode almost as much as you would in the real thing.

So once you finally pick a mode and get started, fans of the popular Dreamcast series Power Stone will find themselves right at home. The gameplay remains the same, but the controls and objective have gotten a complete overhaul. This can be either a blessing or a curse depending on who picks it up; it’s easy to get into as there’s few buttons to master, but it doesn’t take long to do so. There’s a fast attack button that can result in a kick, punch, or slap; a strong attack button that either stuns, charges, slams, or doubles as a weapon button, and finally the customary throw, block, and jump button.

The game adds a bit more depth by adding a unique combo tree for each character in addition to the air attacks, charge attacks, block interrupts and dashes. Certain combos can knock down characters, stun them, or even break through their block, so it does take a little mastery to stand your ground with the best of them.

As far as movement goes, you’ve got the full 3D environment to roam, with an isometric camera angle that does just fine when there’s only two characters on the screen. Unfortunately, it does tend to get confused when three or four characters start running in all different directions and responds by randomly raising, lowering or rotating the view, none of which seem to help much. And while some characters certainly move faster than others, the entire control scheme feels sluggish and unresponsive. It takes more than skill to land an attack at times, and more than once I’ve swung wide through no fault of my own or the skill of my foes. It’s hard enough fighting other players without having to fight your controller.

Animation is smooth during cutscenes, although it seems rushed at times. The character models in game have wonderful animation for each individual action such as holstering a weapon, doing an aerial attack, or even pulling off a combo, but frequently interrupts, throws, and slams fails to flow right and look badly out of place. Not only does it pull you out of the world that everything else did such an excellent job of drawing you into, but at times impacts the game play, leaving you unable to comprehend what just happened on screen or properly recover.

The sound effects were appropriate, nothing to really annoy or impress. Everything sounded like it would be expected. The characters had their unique voices and battle cries, although the grunts and hit sounds are rather generic and sometimes led to confusion when a lot of people are on screen in a free for all. Not good in a game where it’s important to be aware of what’s happening to you and all those around you at any given time.

Although none of the major stars reprised their roles, the voice acting was good. They did not only a fine job of playing the characters, but playing the voice actors who played their characters. I certainly wouldn’t have known it wasn’t them if I hadn’t seen the credits.