Gaming Trend Review
DreamWorks' Shark Tale
- Official Site
- Platform: GBA
- Publisher: Activision Blizzard
- Developer: Vicarious Visions
- Release Date: 09/28/04
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Pros
- Great graphics
- Very close in style and story to the movie
- Easy enough for kids
Cons
- Music is repetitive and at times horrible
- Game is very short
- Not much replay value
by Mike Dunn
Shark Tale is a charming tale of a loud-mouthed fish with delusions of grandeur who meets a vegetarian shark (Lenny) who just wants to live in peace; they help each other out, hilarity and shenanigans ensue. Animated feature films tend to spawn a lot of merchandising, and DreamWorks’s latest foray into CG animated kiddy flicks is no different. A video game based on the license was inevitable, but does it hold the same appeal as the movie?The game’s sprite based graphics are decent, even for a GBA. Characters are as they look in the movie, and animations are smooth and clean. Backgrounds are colorful and nicely detailed with animated bubbles occasionally floating by as would be expected in an underwater environment. As you progress through levels, the story is moved along by still slideshows and text dialogue. All in all, not too shabby considering the limitations of the platform.If any of you have seen the movie, then you are aware of the 'delightful soundtrack', boasting such gems as MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”, and Fat Boys’ ‘Wipe Out”. This, of course, carries over to the games, but here is distinctively less annoying than in it’s console brethren (however I’m not sure if that’s just because the GBA has smaller speakers.) Actually, there is less of the early nineties pop chart embarrasments, and more custom genericScreenshots
While primarily a side-scroller, Shark Tale mixes it up every few levels with a rhythm stage or a fighting stage. The side scrolling parts are what you would expect- get from point A to point B, dodge obstacles, pick up some coins, and beat up some thugs along the way. Occasionally you’ll pick up some projectile weapons that don’t really make things any easier or harder and come off as rather superfluous. Some levels are timed, which basically results in a button mash fest.
The rhythm stages are very much like they are in the console version, and thankfully end rather quickly. Fighting was actually the most enjoyable mode, with kung-fu like flipper kicks and slaps. It struck me as the most polished feature of the game.
Shark Tale fans might feel compelled to replay through the game, but I doubt anyone else would. The game is rather short as well, and can be completed in just a few hours. You can always go back and try to collect all of the tokens and unlock more mini-games, and you can go back to any of the stages you already completed at will, but unless you are really into it, I don’t see why you would bother. Shark Tale also keeps track of scores for some of these mini games, so go ahead, go back and try to beat that high score!
This is a good kid’s game- not too hard and faithful to the movie license. Graphics are crisp and colorful on the screen, and there is enough variety in play style to keep interest going. More experienced gamers might want to steer clear, though, as it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table.