Things were so much simpler when I was growing up. Movies only had four different ratings, violence was required in cartoons, 8-tracks were the rave of the land and cable television had yet to reach the mainstream. Corporations knew where the divisional lines between children and adults were and marketed their products accordingly. Parents would be applauded for the public discipline of their unruly children with no fear of children’s services kicking down their doors and carting them away on abuse charges. Even with all of the problems of the day, it still seemed like people were happier then even without the inclusion of personal computers, video games, mp3 players and the Internet.
During this era, the movie industry was basically broken in two divisions. Disney was the main producer of movies targeted for children and the remaining studios took care of entertaining the adult crowds. While the average fan may only be aware of their animated endeavors, Disney also created some very original kid-oriented, family friendly films that sported actual human actors. Disney had the knack for recruiting up-and-coming talent and capitalized on their lack of star-power to focus the attention of the viewer on the plot and storyline rather than the cast members. Probably the best known of this crop would be Kurt Russell. Personally signed by Walt Disney himself for a ten-year contract, Russell moved from the making of family films to become one of the most recognizable actors of our generation in the action/adventure genre.
Today, this trend of moving up to the major leagues has reversed. More and more established actors now are concentrating their efforts in family friendly movies after grounding themselves firmly in the acting scene. Big names like Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and Tim Allen would have to be three of the easiest recognized by the masses. Each one created their acting foundation within the boundaries of more mature audiences and have had their careers reborn working for the “younger crowd.” Well, now a new name can be added to the list. With the 2004 release of the Dreamworks’ Shark Tale, Will Smith, along with quite a few other notable persons, has entered the fold. Grossing over 150 million in the United States alone, and of course this doesn’t take in consideration the future income for the DVD and VHS releases, this is just one of the many animated films to be released in 2004 looking to make it big.
Now with any expected big movie release, there has to be a licensing and merchandising agreement along with the expected video game tie-in. Recently, the movie industry has been able to buck the trend of yesterday and has seemingly turned the corner from producing horrible licensed games to ones that are actually of decent quality for the average gamer. This is not surprising since video games have, for the past few years, out produced the movie industry in total yearly income and gamers have begun to become more educated in their purchases, not simply jumping on the merchandising bandwagon and picking up a title because it carries the same name as a blockbuster film. Now the big question will be if Shark Tale will continue this trend or revert back to the days of substandard releases. Well, grab your pencil and a notebook. It’s time to make like a fish and go to school.
The main plot of the game is the same of the movie. Your playing experiences all revolve around the life of Oscar, a little fish in a big pond who is looking to move up the food chain. Unfortunately, in his quest for fame and fortune, he seems to be fighting an upstream battle and is forced to swim with the sharks, literally. Throughout the 25 chapters of the game, you will be solely responsible to maneuver Oscar though Reef City in his various adventures.
Actual gameplay is broken down into four separate categories: Adventure, Race, Fight and Dance. The adventure aspects of the game are reminiscent of a 2-D side-scroller. Since your character exists in the medium of water, moving vertically is as simple as progressing horizontally. The areas that you will traverse in this nature are teeming with life and movement of secondary objects and fish. Hazards abound from predator fish or tail-snapping crabs along with a scattering of some rather petty criminal characters. There are also breakable objects along your path, which Oscar can destroy by using his dash attack. Usually destroying these objects will result in the scattering of sea pearls, the known form of currency in Reef City. It is through a combination of acquiring these pearls and increasing your fame status that allows for extras to be unlocked, but that will be investigated in more detail later. You also will be required to sneak your way through certain areas, hiding from the view of patrols and blending into the surrounding environment to remain undetected. As I stated earlier, there is a lot to do and quite a bit of different playing options to experience.
Just like the rest of the mission styles, there are additional objectives to be acquired besides the regular ones which allow you to progress further through the story. These will vary as much as the mission styles themselves and can be as simple as acquiring a set number of pearls or as difficult as making it through an entire level without taking any damage. Every time you complete an objective, you receive fame points. These add up in your fame meter and increase your status throughout the watery world.
The racing sections put the player in a behind-the-fish view as you traverse through the bustling city streets. You have the ability to swap vertical axis controls in the options menu for the races so your control can be more comfortable for the individual player. The overall racing is solid, but not spectacular. The control of your fish is simple and doesn’t require much conditioning, but the tracks do suffer from an over abundance of obstacles that distracts you from really getting into the full, edge-of-your-seat racing that really should have been conveyed to the player. These are great for a break from the other types of game style, but one has to thank the gaming spirits that this isn’t the main attraction of the title.
Probably the most inventive aspect of Shark Tale would be the fighting parts of the game. These are further broken up into the fight or flee sections. Oscar can only fight when he has achieved a certain level of fame. Until then, he does best to run from the big boys to live to fight another day. The fleeing parts are super simple, with just the player being required to follow the magic green arrows to stay off of the menu of their pursuer. However, once you start moving up the food chain, the time for running comes to an end and it’s time to stand your ground. Along with dodging the attacks, Oscar also has three different types of retribution to dish out. In fact, when you are really feeling brave, you have the option to taunt your opponent in true Oscar-style. This helps to recover lost energy and really makes for some seriously good laughs. It is important not to get too distracted from orally wailing on your competition though, as you cannot react when a blow comes your way.
Last, but not least, is the dance portion of our program. This is a page right out of the Dance Dance Revolution playbook. Players will have the choice of either running through the dance card by sitting on their behinds, or actually get up and bustin’ a move using a system compatible dance pad. There is no special plugging or unplugging needed as you can have the pad running from the number two port while at the same time keep your regular controller of choice connected up in it’s traditional spot. You also have the opportunity to use either the directional pad or their corresponding action buttons, so players will not be at a disadvantage if they are either left or right handed. Nevertheless, the best way to enjoy the game is to utilize it exactly the way it was intended, on your feet.
The audio portents of the game are worth the price of admission alone. Even though the original stars of the movie did not assist with the voice-overs, you may never realize it unless you read the credits in the back of the game manual. All of the voice talent does a remarkable job of recreating the characters of the movie. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the game supports Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound, which gives every sound a clear and concise note. The music soundtrack is just as impressive with the mixture of notable songs like Bad Boys (the theme song from Cops), Carwash, U Can’t Touch This and even a remake of the ultra-hip Play That Funky Music White Boy.
Visually, players are treated to a topnotch performance from Edge of Reality. All of the scenes and characters look exactly like they did in the theater. All of the fish relate a sense of emotion in their facial features and the full motion videos are funny as well as a testament on how far we have come in the field. The game rolls along at a steady frame rate, even when there are bunches of background fish swimming through the screen. I did notice some collision detection issues, mostly in the adventure areas, where Oscar seemed to move through items or was able to navigate outside of the defined area. Nevertheless, these issues were minor and in no way detracted points from the overall score. There are no popup or clipping issues, players always have a good view of the action and you rarely ever have to worry about things simply appearing out of thin air.
Unfortunately, there are no online enjoyments for any of the multiplatform versions. However, gamers are treated to a fish-load of unlockable extras that can be purchased from pearls that you have gathered in the game. Moreover, the almighty pearl is not the be-all or end-all to getting all of the neat goodies. Each item has a fame level that also must be obtained by the player along with the predetermined payment amount. Fame is acquired by completing the primary and secondary mission objectives. Even though there are a few items that you can have before even playing the first mission, most of the interesting things will require you to progress quite deeply into the saga of our little fish. Anything and everything is just about to be had, including songs, clipart, designer drawings, interviews with the characters in the game and a ton more of surprises that I won’t spoil by listing them all here.
One additional nice touch is the use of the autosave feature. Whenever you complete a mission, or acquire a new present in the extras section, the game will automatically save your progress. This is exceptionally nice for the younger player, so that they do not have to worry about losing progress in their game by forgetting to save or having to learn how and where the save function might be hidden. Anything that makes gaming easier is always welcomed, and this should be a lesson learned by other developers. Gamers like to save their progress without having to navigate through an entire book or spend ten minutes confirming their choice to actually save the game.
DreamWorks’ Shark Tale is a Jack-of-all-trades for gameplay, but is a clear master for none of them. The cornucopia of styles tests the limits of the gaming engine, however it also hinders any one aspect of truly shining. Although the game is obviously slanted towards the younger audience, its difficulty setting is geared more to an accomplished player. Even with the excellent soundtrack and top of the line graphics, this just isn’t a game that I can recommend for every gamer’s library. Fans of the movie will enjoy controlling Oscar and getting him through his many challenges. Dance pad owners will get to stretch their legs and get physical by breaking out a collection of their own moves, and this has to be a joyful bonus for those tired of just letting their hands do the majority of their gaming. Activision gives their customers a good, but not a great, wonderful or breathtaking time. If you are a player who like a bit of everything, this game should be right up your alley. For those hard-core specialists, I would suggest looking elsewhere for your enjoyment.
Difficulty: 7
Control: 7
Visual: 7
Sound: 9
Replayability: 4
Overall: 7.3
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