Reviewed: June 4, 2004
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Activision

Developer
Luxoflux Corp.

Released: May 4, 2004
Genre: Action
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone

9
9
9
7
8.7

Supported Features:

With a deep breath I put all previous prejudice aside and dove into Shrek 2. What I found was a surprisingly rich and enjoyable game with a creative design that offered both a unique single and multiplayer experience. There was just enough hint of the movie’s plot to actually make it a “tie-in” product, but for the most part, you will be exploring uncharted territory in Shrek’s latest adventure.

While Shrek 2 can be played alone, the designers make no secret that this is an experience that is best shared with up to three of your friends or family. There are always four characters on the screen ready to be controlled by humans. If less than four people are playing those players can cycle through any computer-controlled character, assuming immediate control. The computer will then take over for the character that was just abandoned.

As the story progresses and you move through the chapters you will encounter new characters who will join your party while other members will remain behind at the end of a chapter. Shrek is joined by ten of his friends from the movie; characters like Donkey, Lil’ Red, Gingerbread Man, Puss in Boots, and my personal favorite, Big Bad Wolf. While you cannot pick your characters for each chapter you can pick who you wish to control, although if you are playing alone or even with one other friend there will be times where strategy dictates you switch to a certain character.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the computer actually filled in for missing humans. When I switched from one character to another the computer immediate took over and started doing intelligent things like picking up coins, fighting when necessary, and best of all, not falling behind. In the eight hours it took to finish Shrek 2 the computer pathfinding only failed twice.

The control scheme is simple enough for even the youngest of kids to master, yet subtly challenging so teens and even adults won’t get bored. The single best feature of the controls is that all characters, while having very unique abilities, share the same button configuration. This makes it totally intuitive when you are rapidly switching between multiple characters. No matter who you are playing you always know the A button jumps and the X button attacks. The triggers cycle left and right through the character list, and each character has special abilities that will come into play during the levels in which they participate.

Shrek has a thunderous belly flop that will stun multiple enemies; Big Bad can huff and puff and blow down doors, crumbling walls, and even put out fires in one of the later levels. Lil’ Red and Fairy have ranged attacks, Fiona can slow down time, and Puss can walk a tightrope to reach areas others cannot.

Throughout the game you will encounter Magic Mirror who will give you tips on how to proceed. Crazy Larry (the Leprechaun) has three shops hidden within the game – yes only three, so not only do you have to save those precious coins, you actually have to find the shop before you can buy any upgrades for your party. The good news is you can replay any level or mini-game over and over and really rack up the cash.

Much like the old classic, Lost Vikings, the puzzles in Shrek 2 are often designed to require the skills of multiple characters, which makes it a lot of fun when you are playing with others but can become tedious if you have to manually work two or three characters at once to complete an environmental puzzle. The computer AI does an admirable job during combat, not only staying alive but actually doing some serious damage to the enemy.

Each chapter has a checklist of multiple goals for that chapter including the obligatory fetch quest where you must find and collect 12 magic beans. I’m ashamed to admit that during our game we only found all 12 on only two levels. Some of those beans are really hidden in out-of-the-way places and you might just want to consult a strategy guide if you are looking for a perfect score.

There are plenty of other fun objectives like scaring chickens from the cornfield, clearing a room full of rats, protecting Cinderella from bandits while she goes on a shopping spree, freeing a bunch of prisoners from the dungeon along with the three blind mice, and doing a whole mess of farm chores for the three little pigs. All of the missions are integrated into the story and the levels and are a total blast to complete, even if it takes multiple tries.

There are some interesting mini-games strewn about the adventure. These moments are called “Hero Time” and are presented much like a game show with Magic Mirror as the MC. The interesting feature here is that each Hero Time event is character-specific so whoever happens to be in control of that character when it’s Hero Time is the one who gets to play. There is a rhythm game where Fiona must sing by rapidly tapping the A button, Ginger must run up a hill to fetch a pail of water (for Jack of course), avoiding giant pumpkins that are rolling down the path, and many others challenges that give each character their own time to shine.

The game is played in a 3D world from either a static camera or a user-controllable camera depending on the part of the level you are in. An icon in the lower corner lets you know if you can rotate the view, but for the most part you are never given a bad view of the action. As with any multiplayer game that takes place on a single screen there will be times where player cooperation is mandatory.

The interface is nicely integrated into the game design. If Shrek can pick-up an object the Y icon will appear when he gets close enough. Move near Magic Mirror and the B button appears. Shrek 2 also has some nice lighting effects. These are most evident in the darker levels like the dungeon or when playing with a character like Fairy who emits a natural glow. There are also some other nifty effects like morphing ripples when Fiona slows time and plenty of particle effects, fire, water, and everything else you expect from an Xbox game.

Not only is the acting top-notch, the writing is absolutely hysterical. Magic Mirror’s narration is priceless and there are so many clever one-liners for each character that I never got tired of hearing them, even when they repeated. Watching ninja master, Gingerbread Man go all kung fu while yelling, “Feel my gingery wrath”, or hearing Big Bad Wolf (wearing granny’s nightgown) cry out, “You wouldn’t hit a wolf in a dress?” are guaranteed to get everyone in the room laughing.

The music is equally as charming with tunes that either mimic or were lifted directly from the movie. The music changes tempo based on the action, which can become quite frantic at times. The best thing I can say about the music is it stays in the background and supports the gameplay just like a good soundtrack should.

Finding all the beans or completing any other checklist objective unlocks a photo or other hidden bonus in the options menu. Perfectionists will certainly glean a few more hours from the game, but there is no real reason to revisit the game once completed other than for the sheer fun of it.

And fun is what Shrek 2 is all about. Normally I’d put an 8-12 hour game in the rental category, and even now I would have to caution you about paying the full $50 sticker price. If they had stuck in a movie ticket like Van Helsing or Haunted Mansion it would have been an easier price to swallow. Rent it now and buy it when the price drops $10-20.

If you have friends or family to share this title with then you will certainly want to add this to your Xbox library when it meets a price-value you are comfortable with. Solo gamers might want to pass on this title. While it can be played alone, Shrek 2 is an experience that is best shared with others.