Madagascar

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Game Information
Name: Madagascar
Genre: Action-adventure
Release Date: May 24, 2005
Developer: Toys for Bob
Publishers: Activision and Bandai
Age Rating: 3+
Consoles: PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, GameCube

Synopsis
The story in Madagascar involves a gang of scheming penguins inspiring a daring zoo escape, and 4 lifelong animal friends find themselves on an adventure that takes them from urban jungle to island jungle. On a thrill ride that covers half the planet the 4 pals embark on a wild and wonderful animal adventure. Tackling 11 action-packed chapters, based on the upcoming animated blockbuster of the same name, the animal friends go from the mean streets of New York City to the untamed jungle canopies of Madagascar.

Plot
This game is about four animals in a zoo which have been best friends growing up together. There is a lion called Alex, a zebra called Marty, a hippo called Gloria and a giraffe called Melman. The game starts with the zebra, Marty escaping from the zoo with a penguin. His three friends realise he has escaped and go chasing after him. They catch up with him in a train station but as soon as they do they are surrounded by police and tranquilised. When they wake up they are caged and aboard a ship being transported to a sanctuary in Kenya. During the time they are on the ship, penguins over run it and begin to head to Antarctica and all of the crates slide of the ship and into the sea. When Alex wakes up he realises he is lost in a place he doesnt know. He completes tasks and favours for strangers in order for information to find his friends. Alex and his companions travel around the island looking for ways to escape when they run into a party of lemurs. They save the lemars from a Koosa attack and help them prepare for a party. During the party Alex gets hungry for meat and goes of on his own to try and get some meat. His friends notice he is missing and go to find him. He cannot find and meat and ends up biting his friend Marty on the butt. Alexs friends head to the beach and meet a warthog who tells them about a beacon that needs to be fixed on the beach. The three friends fix the beacon and decide to go find Alex. Meanwhile, Alex is in a cave and fights off many Koosa including the king of Koosa. Marty finds Alex and they head to the beacon where the boat with the penguins comes. The penguins announce the boat was out of fuel so they had to come back and they are all stuck on the island now!

Gameplay
During most of the game the characters Alex and Marty but also has the opportunity to control the other friends for certain levels. The game contains two game modes, one being the story and the other a mini game mode which can be unlocked during the story. There are 11 levels in the story and also a shop where the player can purchase outfits for the characters with an in game currency. The characters can also be levelled up and earn unique special abilities during the story.

Graphics
The graphics are perfectly fine and do not negatively affect the gameplay. They are pretty standard for the time period the game was released in. They graphics are very bright and the animation is fine. There are a few noticeable problems such as the fact that the graphics are not that smooth but at no point in the game do they hinder gameplay.

Controls
The controls in this game are very simple and easy to pick up within minutes of playing. They are just like the average adventure game but each characters unlocks a few new moves during the game which allows a few button combos. Here are the basic controls:

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Evaluation
This game is great for young children using old gaming consoles and can probably be picked up very cheap at most game stores however the game may not suit older gamers or experienced gamers as they may get bored quickly due to the fact that the game is quite repetitive and there is no big differences to make the game stand out. On the other hand the game did receive a good reputation from most gamers and averagely scored a 7/10 on most gaming websites. Overall I would suggest buying this game for young children but probably not for older, more experienced gamers.

Ratings (Personal)
Gameplay: 6/10
Graphics: 4/10
Plot: 6/10
Controls: 8/10
Overall: 6.5/10