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Happy Feet DS
Happy Feet DS is based on the Australian
blockbuster hit of the same name that is currently gracing our cinemas
and if you’re up for an entertaining and extremely cute CGI movie about
dancing and penguins, then I recommend that you see this movie.
The story of Happy Feet is about a young
Emperor penguin called Mumble who is born without the ability to sing
which may mean that Mumble will never find his soul mate. For in the
world of Happy Feet that is loosely based on fact, penguins need to sing
to find their mate. Fortunately for Mumble, his lack of song has made
him a brilliant dancer that through his feet, he creates his own music.
Happy Feet is not like your traditional
platformer as the game is divided into two different game modes that
include racing and rhythm. Fortunately both of these have been well
executed with the rhythm section in particular becoming more difficult
as the game progresses and as this is a touch screen game, you are
challenged to tap various parts of the screen at the exact moment in
order to maintain the penguin’s dance moves. Fortunately you have the
choice of either playing this via the touch screen (great for the
dancing games) or the standard controls for racing.
The race section involves you sliding on
your belly at great speeds downhill either against the clock or
collecting items along the way that is also taken from the movie with
Mumble and his fairy penguins sliding down enormous ice mountains. These
game modes can also be played via single player or multiplayer. The
control system of Happy Feet is quite apt, however with the inclusion of
the stylus which is great for the rhythm games, the racing aspect is a
little more difficult.
Graphically, Happy Feet DS sports an
impressive 3D graphic engine that is reminiscent of the movie and also
contains sturdy framerates, sharp colours and also impressive dancing
penguins. As you'd expect with a title based around singing and dancing
the audio is spectacular and it includes five sampled tracks ranging
from Stevie Wonder to actress Brittany Murphy’s rendition of Boogie
Wonderland that sounds excruciatingly cute.
In conclusion, Happy Feet DS is an
entertaining game that I would recommend for the younger gamers as for
older games, it does become a little too repetitive. Featuring bits from
the movie, Happy Feet also has some great graphics and music,
unfortunately the gameplay and story is lacking. |
