Shrek SuperSlam

When we last saw Shrek he was teaming up with Puss In Boots to save his world from whatever catastrophe had befallen him. They won, got a game deal, and ended up starring in one of the best movie-based action/adventures of 2004.

This fall Shrek and his crew have come back for another game, but this time they're leaving the adventuring behind. They're angry and they're going to fight to settle their differences – in a lighthearted, family-friendly way. Think Super Smash Bros. in concept; think of the last Shrek game for its execution. Shrek SuperSlam is a 3D beat-'em-up that looks good, controls well, makes the perfect time-killer for kids who have a Nintendo DS.

Shrek, Donkey, Ogre Fiona, Prince Charming, Gingerbread Man (Gingy), and Puss In Boots are all playable characters. Each one tells a different story, most of it being silly dialogue that is unlikely to ever be a part of the films (except as a gag reel). No voice-overs, just text. The music is alright, and I got nothing against the overemphasized sound effects.

Kids don't usually spend much time thinking about that stuff. Why read game text when you could be playing the game? The developers, Amaze Entertainment, knew we'd feel that way. They solved the problem by letting you skip every story sequence by pressing the start button. It's a crazy thought, but Shrek SuperSlam proves that it works. Regardless of how good a developer thinks their story is, a skip feature should always be included.

Delving head-first into battle with the Gingerbread Man selected, I ran around in circles until I was successful in chasing down my opponent. The X, Y, A and B buttons launch attacks, but for the most part you'll be using the X and Y buttons, which trigger your hard and standard punches, respectively. Depending on the character a punch may not be a punch – it may involve kicks (Donkey), spinning arms (Fiona), or a candy cane attack (Gingerbread Man).

Pressing these attack buttons three times in a row scores you a handy three-hit combo. It won't be long before you realize that, unless your opponent is really quick, you can deal an infinite amount of damage by repeatedly executing the same combo. It's a sweet deal but it has many risks, most of which I'm sure you're aware of (it's repetitive, your friends will say you play cheap and want to play something else, etc.). Lucky for you the whole game is based on repetition, so chances are your friends will do their best to out pummel you by tapping the X button as fast as possible.

Throughout each battle you'll notice chests and boxes lying around. The obvious thing to do is check to see if anything's inside. Usually there's a weapon inside. Three weapons can be stored at a time. Once drawn the weapons are good for the duration of its strength or by how much ammo was loaded into the weapon before you picked it up. These are fun, lighthearted weapons, like a sword that whacks (not slices) opponents, and a bubble gun that leaves your opponents temporarily stunned.

Since this is a game of battling and nothing more, the levels are relatively short, having few places to hide and even fewer to explore. You can see about 1/4 of each level by pulling the camera back as far as it will go. That's done by dragging the zoom switch down to zero on the bottom screen. It's different, you can't deny that, but camera controls and weapon selection hardly make it seem like the touch screen was put to good use.

That little blunder will definitely get kids talking, but if they're like me they'll also be talking about the level designs. They're not the most detailed environments seen on the DS, however, their theme and movie nuances will catch the eye of any Shrek fan. The distorted, black and white filter in the B&W gingerbread stage is something you'd typically see in a console game, not a handheld title. Don't get me wrong, it's a simple effect that could be done on any platform, but it's a rarely used effect that adds variety to the visual experience.

Shrek SuperSlam's characters were modelled very well, having smooth animation and not too much blockiness. Tables, chairs, lights –virtually anything you see in the background can be destroyed. There again it's these little things that make the game more visually appealing.

Kids will be thrilled by what Shrek SuperSlam has to offer. It's not a massive game with a wealth of options; it's just simple fun that anyone can pick up and get into at any time. Although we prefer titles that provide a deeper experience, gamers need at least one piece of software that they can play regardless of the situation. Shrek SuperSlam is that game.

Gameplay: 6.5
Attack, attack, attack! Shrek SuperSlam is all about seeing who can punch the fastest. The single-player quest is short, but when it's over you have the Mega Challenges to look forward to. These challenges are slight variations of the main game, involving lots of battles and a few puzzles, like Shmemory, a touch screen-enabled version of the classic card game Memory.

Graphics: 7.0
Destructible environments, detailed character models, smooth animation – it’s amazing how far handheld games have come.

Sound: 6.5
Quirky but thankfully not too annoying, Shrek SuperSlam’s music and sound effects are closer to something you’d hear on the Game Boy Advance, not the DS.

Difficulty: Easy
It’s possible to win battles without looking at the screen. ‘Nuff said.

Concept: 6.9
Like the last Shrek game without anything but battles.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Four game cards required for multiplayer battles, so it’s doubtful that the average gamer will get the most out of the multiplayer experience. However, if you have three friends who own the game or can convince three to buy it, Shrek is the best time-killing button-masher you can buy for the DS.

Overall: 6.5
Due to the game’s nature and lack of variety, Shrek SuperSlam is not for everyone. But if you’re a kid who loves Shrek or if you have a kid who loves Shrek, you can’t go wrong with this title. DreamWorks has attached their movies to a lot of game properties and for the second year in a row Shrek is the best of the bunch.