It seems
that there is no end to the number of games that can be affiliated with a
successful movie, but there very much does seem to be a "milk it until it`s dry" mentality. These games are nearly always the same-old
same-old, with nothing to really differentiate them from the crowd other than a
newly licensed collection of characters.
Using this model, publishers can release nearly identical games with no
more effort than adding new character models and replacing some audio.




This
little diatribe brings us to the topic at hand: Activision`s Shrek
Super Slam, a run-of-the-mill fighter that will hopefully be the final teat
on Dreamwork`s Shrek franchise cash
cow. It`s
not that Super Slam is a bad game,
it`s just that there`s nothing really innovative about it. If you already have a fighting game that you
like, you won`t need this one. If you don`t,
you`d be better advised to take a
look at Microsoft`s Kung Fu Chaos,
which is the game my kids wanted to play instead every time I asked them to
play Super Slam. I don`t want to lapse into a review of Kung Fu Chaos, but
I will point out the most obvious difference between the two: in Super Slam, you fight in a static
(albeit destructible) arena, whereas in Kung
Fu Chaos, the arena "moves" as the fight progresses. Again, this is not to say that the arenas in
Super Slam are bad. They are, in fact,
pretty nice looking, and they do have some fun elements that arise from the
destructibility. They also have plenty
of loose objects such as tables and large vases that can be picked up and used
as weapons. But these things are de
rigeur in any new fighter, and therefore do not sufficiently differentiate
Super Slam from the multitude of competing titles.




Still, if
your young `uns have a real thing
for Shrek titles, they probably won`t
be too disappointed in Super Slam. The problem is, most kids that are that hung
up on Shrek are under the age of 10, and Super Slam proudly wears an ESRB
rating of E 10+. I wouldn`t get too hung up on that, though, as I didn`t see anything in the game that I wouldn`t allow a younger kid to see. It is the rare 8 year old indeed that isn`t already inured to the dangers of "cartoon
violence." And this isn`t Itchy & Scratchy level violence we`re talking about here; it`s
more of the Tom & Jerry ty...