Shark Tale Review (no fat)

Game Description

Shark Tale is the story of Oscar. He is just another normal loudmouthed fish with dreams of being a ‘somebody’. His extravagant ways mean that Oscar owes his boss 5000 clams and, too bad for him, the indirect loan turns out to be from Don Lino… the shark mafia boss. From what starts as Oscar’s attempt to be a ‘somebody’ chaos ensues as he is believed to have slayed a shark…a shark that turns out to be Don Lino’s son.

Oscar is credited for Frankie’s death and ends up being the ‘hero’ for the inhabitants of the reef and the most wanted fish on the shark mafia’s hit list. Along with Lenny, Don Lino’s other son, Oscar tries to play to the crowd and help Lenny start a new life. The frantic escapades that follow are something to be experienced…lets get on with the Shark Tale

Shark Tale Gameplay

Shark Tale features 3D adventure levels, stealth levels, the revolutionary dance mode, the race mode, chase mode and, some boxing games. Each game mode has its own specialty and can be fun in its own special ways. The game starts with the race mode where Oscar has to outrun a shark. It is not an open ended escape where you might run wherever you see fit. You have to escape through a fixed path where he has to follow the arrows made out for you. Although the race sequence doesn’t sound like a lot of fun this was just a starter, the rest are far more interesting and make for pleasing gameplay.

The dance mode plays much like the Dance Dance Revolution, and it is a great attraction for the fans of the original. During the game Oscar dances on different occasions. Sometimes the dance routines relate to the movie and on other occasions they are improvised. You have to control Oscar and dance to the popular beats such as that of MC hammer and many more. The dance mode is fun and funny and it offers the fans of dancing games, like Dance Dance Revolution, loads of fun.

The exploration side of the game includes finding a lot of items from all over the reef. During this game sequence Oscar has to make his way through an underwater maze, avoid getting bitten by piranhas and use his dash attack to take out enemies or to break open boxes. Oscar might run into puffer fish in the maze as well as sea urchins but when he has to regain his health he goes to the nearest door, knocks, comes inside, sits down and starts eating (this may sound pretty funny but it’s even funnier to watch).

The adventure incorporate a stealth mode in which you have to hide from dolphin and shark patrols and get to a certain location. When that’s the situation you have to hide behind barrels and remain hidden until you get to the required location without being caught by the guards. You won’t have any problems doing this because the camera views are great and give you a solid perspective of the environment from behind the barrel. The difficulty is nipped though when the patrols do see you and occasionally come up with “hey there’s Oscar” without even making an attempt to catch you.

In the fighting mode you will have to dodge the attacks of your opponent and retaliate. Once you get a few hits the opponent is stunned and you have the chance to use a chain of hits…a combo as we like to put it. In the chase mode you are being chased by a giant shark. The only thing you have to do here is press the direction key shown on the screen when the shark is about to eat you. Not that any of these levels are hard but they offer diversity and are fun to play. Also, there are two bonus objectives in each level that boost your fame while being fun to attempt.

Shark Tale Graphics and Visuals

The character models are superb and look just like they were taken from the movie. The locations are also from the movie and they look great as well. The backgrounds on the other hand are not too good, they don’t have as much details as the movie.

The frame rate is very steady as you can tell in the “rush hour” when the fish rush by you and you get to see all the bubbles coming from their gills. The frame rate remains steady throughout the game and helps to give the surroundings an excellent underwater view. There are also new movie clips shown during the game that look great and are full of laughs.

Shark Tale Sound

Some fans will be disappointed that Will Smith doesn’t play Oscar the Shark Slayer. Well, just to reassure you, the new voice for Oscar is just as fresh as Will Smith and it feels great to listen to hilarious dialogues while you play the game. The sound track in Shark Tale includes the original tracks made for the game and some of the other popular tracks like MC Hammer’s You Cant Touch This, Outkast’s The Way You Move and many more.

Shark Tale Summary

Although Shark Tale did not feature anything new in this adventure it does offer some diversity and loads of fun for young gamers and maybe even some older ones. The storyline follows the movie and also has a few added movie-like skits in between the levels; it is entertaining to watch Oscar crack away while you take a break. The game looks and sounds good and there is tons of gameplay for the gamers to enjoy. It is a must buy for everyone, fans or no fans, with all this diversity you’re bound to enjoy it a lot.

Shark Tale Cost

The game currently retails for $ 19.99US.