Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

It kind of goes without saying that any movie that could have even the remotest chance of being tied into a game will be. Sometimes when I go to the store I am surprised to see some of these titles, even if the movie stinks to high heaven, sure enough, there's the video-game tie-in. What's next, Memoirs of a Geisha the video game? The further adventures of the Benchwarmers? Well, whatever movie/game tie-in we see in the future we can breathe a small sigh of relief that the Ice Age game is better then your average movie game.

In Ice Age, three uncommon companions discover that even though you may come from different backgrounds (species) you can make things work with the bedrock principles of teamwork, trust and maybe a little faith in the unknown. The movie was a smash and the sequel that just came out had a monstrous first weekend opening of 70 plus million dollars. But the thing about these movies that I like, and most everyone I talk to, is the little bit character, "Scrat". Scrat is the incredibly unlucky saber-toothed squirrel that is entrenched in the never ending quest to stash his acorn. His bit parts in the movie are easily the funniest and he does possess an endearing quality about him even though he so very unlucky. So as a reward for his tenacity, the good people at Sierra have pretty much devoted the entire game to our dear friend Scrat.

 
"If I didn't know better, I'd think there was an elephant sneaking up behind me."

At it's heart, IA2 is a platformer-style game, and as I said, you play through the game mostly as little Scrat, doing things that move seamlessly in and out of the movie's various locales. Don't worry though, the game is decidedly focused on our three main characters (Manny, Sid and Diego) but allows you as the player to almost view the various parts of the movie from Scrat's perspective. Now of course there are parts of the game that people who actually saw the movie won't recall seeing, but the main plot, that of our heroes trying to escape the impending doom from the ice age melting and flooding everything, still hold true.

Now there isn't anything here that is cutting edge or revolutionary in terms of the actual gameplay, Scrat basically runs the gamut of levels grabbing as many nuts as he possibly can and while a seasoned gamer will have absolutely no problem with the difficulty of the game, the target audience (under 12) will be firmly gripped in its challenges. One of the reasons I like to review some of the younger kid games is so my own son will have a steady diet of fresh and unobjectionable titles. He has no idea that I have this game but having played similar titles with him I know this is going to be a big hit with him.

 
 "Floss after every meal for healthy teeth and gums."

Of course, in my opinion, the graphics of little Scrat are what sells this title. Oh sure, the game does everything right in terms of the basics but it's when you look at little Scrat and his facial gestures, his slight nuances, the poor little critter is basically made out of vulcanized rubber and the damage he takes in the movies and this game is quite comical. He has several moves that players will be able to do and it always makes me think of the scene in the movie where he does kung-fu against the piranha. I can practically hear my son laughing from the goofy noises and expressions he makes. That being said, for a child's game there is a great deal of variation in the visuals. Icy levels, underwater levels, a level inside the gullet of a giant beastie plus more. My point, where other games aimed at a younger audience would cut some corners, this one did not. The rendering of the characters, the speed in which the game occurs, the backgrounds, the shading, it all is very solid.

And in a surprising move, the game features unique voicework from the actual stars of the movie, Dennis Leary, Ray Romano and John Leguizamo all provide voice work for the title and considering that they didn't have to, they do a pretty good job. I honestly believe Dennis Leary is such a perfect match for a saber-toothed tiger, we are in the presence of casting perfection here people. As far as Scrat goes, he doesn't speak, rather he makes funny little squeaks and whines as he bumbles his way through his inadvertent adventure.

 
"Those guys in the back get all the decent paychecks and I get the snot beat out of me."

The game features some mini games within its confines and it's here that you will find that you can play as some of the core stars of the movie. Probably the one that is the most enjoyable is Sid's hybrid-snowboarding game. A fun romp with the grey-matter deprived Sid as he slaloms through the snow in what I can recall as one of the scenes from the first movie. It's not anything that will win any awards but again, the game does what it does well.

Gameplay: 7.4
Easy to control, some interesting mini games and the eternally unlucky Scrat leading the charge.

Graphics: 7.0
Again, we aren't reinventing the wheel here, but the game puts some interesting visuals on the screen and never seems to take any shortcuts in the development process.

Sound: 8.0
Just the mere fact that they got the original actors to come and do the voicework on this title speaks volumes. If anything, Ray Romano seems to be going through the motions in his delivery of the lines. I know he is known for his eternally laid-back demeanor, but you could tell that he wasn't quite putting his all into it, too.

Difficulty: Easy
If you have played any sort of platformer in the past this title won't be all that difficult for you. But since it is targeted to a younger audience I think the difficulty is spot on.

Concept: 7.5
I honestly was surprised to find that this title is primarily Scrat's game. It's a good idea featuring a good character.

Overall: 7.2
It's a good title for your young gamer or even for those players who like their adventures a little more light and funny, because this game is certainly that, funny.