Review: Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda is available for the Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PS3 and Nintendo DS.

Enter the great Dragon Warrior...Po? Yes, Po, the unobtrusive Panda. So it is with this dream come true for our young hero who just yesterday only dreamt of keeping others safe from the dangers of evil and fighting for the common good. And this is the basis for the Kung Fu Panda.

It's usually not very easy for a company to put out a decent video game along side the release of a movie. Usually the game is rushed and appears that way showing the effects of production companies that only want to get something to market at the same time as the film to piggyback the film's box office appeal. But DreamWorks and Activision actually put a nice effort into this project and it shows.

Now realistically, most hardcore gamers would not spend much time playing the Kung Fu Panda, or at least they wouldn't tell their gamer friends they had, but it is a great game for younger gamers and fans of the movie alike. It doesn't always follow the movie, and many parts of the game are just for the game, but it has its strong points. It also has its weak points, being that it’s about five times the cost of the movie and only twice the length of time of the movie depending the kind of gamer that you are.

You’re going to start out learning to move like a Panda. Well like a Kung Fu Panda. You’ll learn Po’s basic techniques such as slow and fast attacks, jumping, blocking, and more as the game goes on. You will keep building on more and more, including the ability that Po has to curl himself up into a ball and roll all over like a large black and white pin ball of destruction. He can do a lot of damage this way but it also uses Chi.

During his travels, Po will meet and help others such as the bunnies whom he helps out. They replay him by helping him out too like by allowing Po to use their ballista to destroy large bags of confetti that are in the way of Po’s path allowing him to continue along his journey.

Okay it’s all pretty linear and includes some fairly intense button mashing at times but there are also time times where the gamer will be able to play as other characters such as Tigress and Shifu and use their special talents. It will take all of the skills of the Furious Five to defeat the evil snow leopard Tia Lung.

As I said, it was nice to see that Kung Fu Panda didn’t look like it was just thrown together but was skillfully created. The graphics and lighting were well done and the textures very realistic. The voice acting was really impressive and sounded very similar to the movie characters. I was pleased with the humor and the way the characters worked together, and especially the way the narration tied the story together. It just did not have the feel of a rush job.

Overall I would suggest that Kung Fu Panda is a good game for any young up-and-coming gamer that is a fan of the movie. Even those that are young at heart might wish to rent it if not own it. It’s a fun game and a great diversion for a rainy Saturday afternoon. I think you’ll have fun with this one. And I won’t tell your hardcore gaming friends if you don’t.

Score: 8.0 (out of 10)

Published by: Activision

Developed by: Luxoflux Corp.

ESRB Rating: "E10+" for fantasy violence and mild language

Also Available On: Wii, PlayStation 2, PC, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Wireless