
	Platform Xbox 360 Genre Action Publisher Activision Developer Amaze ESRB E (Everyone) Released May 2007

- Good one for kids because they can play through most of the game but still require your involvement to overcome some obstacles - John Cleese as the narrator of the between mission puppet shows is awesome - Easy Achievements for those that are into that sort of thing

- Some poorly implemented platforming sections which are cause for a lot of frustration - Shrek looks an awful lot like Alfred E. Newman - Blow through the game in only a handful of hours and there's not much to keep you coming back

Review: Spider-Man 3 (360) Review: Minority Report (GC) Review: GUN (360)
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Shrek the Third

Score: 7.0 / 10

If you’re going to release a Hollywood blockbuster then you might as well produce a video game tie-in. That’s the kind of attitude has become the mantra of the entire games industry. Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man 3, Surf’s Up!, Wallace & Grommit, GoldenEye, Minority Report, Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek the Third… the list is only going to get longer. I’d say a good 80% of these games fall flat critically, but they must sell oodles enough to encourage the publisher to keep buying licenses and pushing out games based on them. Another 10% fall in the fair to middlin’ range, while a mere 10% hit the sweet spot. Shrek the Third falls in the middle range: fair.

Loosely following the events of the film – the pregnancy is completely left out – you play as Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Arthur, Fiona, and Sleeping Beauty through a game that will likely appeal to the age 6 – 10 demographic, though

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the lower age range will likely be frustrated by the boss fights and some of the haphazard jumping challenges that are hobbled by awkward views where you’re never quite sure if you’re going to hit the next platform. (‘Dad can you do this part for me?”)

The higher age range should have no problems perfecting

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their combat skills with two button combos and the occasional fairy dust-powered special move. Otherwise, you can simple hammer on the X-button.

Shrek the Third doesn’t feature a lot of surprises in its linear beat ‘em up romp, though there are a couple of occasions to bust out the catapults to break down castle walls, which can be fun, especially if you’re playing against a friend in one of the separate multiplayer modes. And though Shrek the Third pulls a page from the Lego Star Wars design book by including alternate costumes, characters, and difficulty levels that can be purchased with all the coins that are collected, going back and trying to collect coins to purchase another bonus just doesn’t feel compelling enough to lure you back to a completed level.

While the little kids won’t especially notice or even care about the some of the graphical quirks and choppy animation – Puss in Boots is the main culprit – any older gamers will likely be distracted but if you’re just playing the “hard” parts of the game, it’s not so bad. Plus, you’ll look like a video game guru to your kids, which is not something you can demonstrate by chainsawing opponents in Gears of War.

- Omni

(June 6, 2007)


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