ic-games Review - Shrek SuperSlam - Review, Preview and Interview for PC, Xbox, PS2, Nintendo and N-Gage ic-games Review - Home - Review, Preview and Interview for PC, Xbox,PS2 and Gamecube
Home · Reviews · Previews · Interviews · News · Search · Hall of Fame · Forums · RSS News Feed    
Shrek SuperSlam (PS2/Xbox)

Shrek SuperSlam

Information
Reviewer: James Collins
Developer: Shaba Games
Publisher: Activision
Platform: PS2/Xbox
Genre: Fighting
UK Release: 18th Nov 2005
Article Date: 30th Nov 2005
Difficulty: Medium
Price: £34.99
Score Breakdown
Experience:
Game Play:
Graphics:
Sound:


Overall Score: 75%
Discuss this review in the Forums
Pros
  • Challenge mode
  • Perfect for kids aged 5+
    Cons
  • Repetative
    Screenshots

    9 of 18
    		•

    Taking a departure from the usual platform fest for their prized Shrek licence, Activision and developers Shaba Games should be at least applauded for bringing something new to the table. Billed as a kiddie title at heart, but still managing to feature some pretty aggressive fighting, Shrek Superslam actually proves there’s life in the old franchise yet.



    With the pressure of countless sequels it’s no wonder the characters from DreamWorks are at each other throats. Activision has played the Shrek card on numerous different occasions chalking up over thirteen different versions spanning multiple platforms. Shrek SuperSlam has the largest appeal though; who can resist smacking Donkey around the face when controlling Shrek? Does the thought of seeing Princess Fiona jump kick Prince Charming get you hot and bothered? Well that’s exactly what Shrek Superslam offers in a nutshell.

    The whole idea of Shrek Superslam is not to actually defeat your opponent within the time limit as in most conventional brawlers, but simply pull off the most 'slams' in a round. At the beginning of a round each characters ‘slam’ bar is emptied and the fight begins. As soon as a character successfully pulls off an attack the important slam bar will slowly creep up until finally it’s filled, and a slam can be performed. Once that special slam move is ready you simply activate it by pressing (y) on the xbox controller, and provided it hits the opponent you net a single point. If your opponent manages to pull off a slam they’ll score a point and so on until the time runs out and the slams are counted up. Then it’s a simple case of hoping that you pulled off more than your opponent. Ties are frustratingly scored in favour of the person you were fighting so you will have to make sure you simply scored more than them.

    To help you on your way, powerups will occasionally be dropped onto the stage. These range from obscure weapons (like joints of ham) to more conventional potions that increase the HP of the character lucky enough to grab it. You do have to be on your guard though, AI fighters will also do their best to get hold of the goods, and they can be frightfully competent in doing so.

    Even though the story mode is great fun in short bursts, most of the replay value will come from the mega challenge mode. That’s because the developers have been allowed to use a little artistic licence in the challenges. Playing like a board game you simply select a playing piece (modelled on the characters) and must make your way around the board. Each square contains a set number of challenges before you can proceed and range from throwing the Gingerbread man in the oven a set number of times to keeping Princess Fiona away from fireworks any way you can. The same engine that is employed for the main story mode is used again for the mega challenge and melee modes but everything does feel more comfortable than the standard story.

    Of course most of the key characters that have appeared in the two films also feature quite heavily in the game. So you can expect to control the likes of Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona, Prince Charming, and the Gingerbread man and the likes. Some of the earlier story mode rounds just feature one on one battles but as you progress you could find yourself with a partner (controlled by the computer) fighting out two on two battles, and also for the ultimate challenge one sided battles as you take on multiple opponents at once.

    The graphics actually surprised us for a licence of this type. Everything is themed quite nicely from the Shrek universe and the individual arenas all feature destructible environments and other hazards that you can literally throw your opponent onto. There are twenty different arenas in total that range from the Dragons Gate, the Poison Apple Inn and Gepetto’s Workshop. Initially you’ll only have access to eight themed worlds but as you progress more will open up. Whilst you can’t select what arena you fight in within the story and challenge modes, the open play melee option allows for far more customization including the themed arenas, user selectable characters and other tweaks.

    In the end though, the gameplay is very limiting to anyone who has played any respectable brawler in the past. Although the key audience will always be 5+ a little more effort on the combo system would have done wonders. That being said interest is always kept high with the vast amount of unlockables and medals that can be won with good performances. Not only that but the game should bring parents and children closer together for some family bonding.

    Shrek will certainly appeal to the target audience but anyone else will find the gameplay far too constraining. Basically if the thought of controlling all your favourite characters from the Shrek universe gets you excited then Shrek Superslam will be right up your street. The game is a little on the pricey side but it still contains enough variables to keep kids interested until the next inevitable release.






    DETAILED GAME INFORMATION

    [Click to enlarge image][Click to enlarge image][Click to enlarge image][Click to enlarge image][Click to enlarge image]
    [Click to visit the official site]


    Version Reviewed: Xbox/PS2
    Other Versions: Xbox/PS2/PC/DS/GBA
    Muliplayer: Yes (offline)
    Price: £34.99

    Shrek SuperSlam Trailer (11MB) - DOWNLOAD HERE





    BBFC Rating
    IC-Games Reviews and Previews (c) 2003-2005

    Designed by James Collins

    To have your product featured contact The Editor
    Found some news? contact The News Desk
    PR Dept - Andrew St.Denis

    Website code Jeffrey Yustman
    Additional Coding by James Collins and Phil Douglas
    Get credited, submit breaking news at The News Desk
    Want to hire one of our journalists? Enquire here
    Want to see your advert on site? Enquire here