Gaming Trend

Gaming Trend Review

by Lee Evans

For those uninformed, Madagascar is an island off the coast of Africa.  Apparently, Dreamworks Entertainment decided to make a movie about this island.  I'm not entirely sure why they thought that Madagascar would make a good subject for a children's film, but who am I to judge?  It seemingly made a ton of money.

Apparently, this film was so successful that they made a sequel, due out shortly, entitled Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.  I'm assuming by the title that they are referring to the coup d'etat that occurred during the lead-up to the December 3, 2006 presidential election, when retired army General Andrianafidisoa declared military rule.  It seems like an interesting starting point, although a little esoteric.  There's a lot of metaphor in the movie, as the major characters have seemingly been represented by anthropomorphic animals.  I'm assuming current president Marc Ravalomanana is represented by Alex the Lion, or possibly his father Maurice.  There's layers of meaning here that may take cinephiles years to decode.

So, is Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa indicative of the fine people of Madagascar, or is it not a very respectful treatment of the issues currently facing this island nation?

Madagascar is a surprisingly diverse place.  It's actually home to 5% of the world's population of plant and animal species.  To their credit, the makers of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa managed to make an environment as diverse as the movie is.  There are some problems with repeated textures and popup throughout, but that may represent the repeating patterns of history and the difficulty of foresight in an uncertain world.  Still, it looks surprisingly good for a Wii game, layers of meaning notwithstanding.

The main characters are all very well animated as well.  Of special note is Melman, the neurotic giraffe which more than likely represents British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who closed Madagascar's London embassy in order to save money.  They managed to capture Melman's tics fairly well, and imbued him with a lot of personality.

I was hoping to hear some examples of the Malagasy language.  Instead, they adhered to the voices from the movie, which was a bold decision.  The main voice actors didn't reprise their roles for the game, so we're left with close-ish approximations of their voices.  They're not bad imitations, although Gloria the Hippo's voice is way off.

My sense of humor must be off, because in what is supposed to be a dark rumination on the corridors of power in an often-overlooked island nation, I found myself laughing at some of the dialogue.  This may either be due to oddly sharp writing or an attempt to demonstrate how the modern media undermines the foundations of government, I'm not sure.  Suffice to say, there are a couple of of laugh-out-loud moments interspersed throughout.

I was also hoping that they would have more about the hiragasy, Madagascar's traditional music and dance, as well as the role that it has played in their government and culture.  Instead, we got some more tame music.  Some of the music is a little grating, but most of it is forgettable fluff.

The game switches control schemes often.  Sometimes, you'll be doing a more straightforward platforming adventure as Alex the Lion.  Sometimes you'll be balancing on top of a ball as Melman, or swimming underwater as Gloria.  The game changes control schemes so quickly that it never really settles down into one that works throughout.  This may be a representation of Madagascar's long fight for independence and the toll it took on the nation, but it's still annoying.

I also shudder to think of how difficult some of the parts would have been if I were a child without all the gaming experience I have now.  There are some genuninely frustating parts that made me upset, but it definitely demonstrates the lack of control the Malagasy people felt after Portugese sea captain Diogo Dias first made European contact in the year 1500.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa wants to throw every trick in the gameplay book at you.  There are dance contests, and collection games, and stealth sections, and driving areas, and fishing areas.  I'm giving this game points for attempting to do an awful lot.

Still, just as the French attempted to maintain their hegemony over the Malagasy people while fighting in World War II and ended up losing the nation under the Loi Cadre (otherwise known as the Overseas Reform Act), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is guilty of attempting too much and collapsing under its own weight.  It would have been better if they would have focused on the fun and interesting platforming, with the other things remaining as merely window dressing.

This game also seems to want to hand out kudos for everything you do, just as the fight for Malagasy independence was relatively struggle-free after the Loi Cadre.  That means that some missions are completed by walking three steps in one direction, whereupon you're greeted with a gigantic "Mission Complete" banner.  I found it patronizing, as well as a great big flow-breaker.

The important thing to remember, however, is that the grizzled old gamers aren't going to be playing Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.  This game belongs to the kids, and the important question is whether or not they'll enjoy it.  While this isn't the worst licensed game I've ever played, it isn't the best.  It's too hard in some parts, and is fairly schizophrenic.  Your children may not also grasp the deep emotional profundities put forth in this rumination on the indomitable nature of the human spirit, but they might at least like the fart jokes.

If you love Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa's deep emotional resonance and balanced view of the serious issues facing the world's fourth-largest island, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this game, at least for a bit.  I certainly found it more fun than I expected it to be.  I was expecting that this would be one of the worst games I ever played, and it turned out to not be.  I mean, it's no Didier Ratsiraka, but then again, who is? Making the choice to purchase Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa may be socially conscious, but your kids will enjoy it as well, although they may not be able to grasp the metaphor behind many of the affirmations herein.  It's not perfect, but if your kids find this on the rack at your local game store and are interested in some deep introspection about their place in the world, you could certainly do much worse.

Gaming Trend Score

70

1. Graphics: 75
2. Audio: 80
3. Controls: 65
4. Gameplay: 65
5. Value/Replay: 70
6. OVERALL:70