Kung Fu Panda 2

Ever since the early days of gaming, game adaptations of popular movies have been a thing. To say that these adaptations have gotten mixed reviews would be an understatement; luckily, Kung Fu Panda 2 avoids this curse by being perfectly adequate as a game.

It won’t become an industry standard, but this is a game that can be enjoyed by young players and by parents looking for a harmless game for their kids. Join Po and his ragtag group of friends in this original adventure that is, surprisingly, not too bad.

An Original Story

One way in which this game evades unnecessary comparisons with the film it’s based on is with its story. Unlike other game adaptations (the Bee Movie Game comes to mind,) Kung Fu Panda 2 has an original story separate from the film.

The story of the game takes place after the end of the second movie, featuring an original cast of characters. For young players that enjoyed the movie, this is a great chance for them to see their favorite characters in an entirely new setting. Honestly, going with the original story angle has proven to be the best choice for this kind of game.

Not so Familiar Faces

A common downside of videogames based on movies is that is difficult to get the original cast to reprise their roles. Although Jack Black has done voiceover work for some games before – even lending his appearance for 2009’s Brütal Legend – he’s nowhere to be heard in this game. The replacement voices do a great job reinterpreting the characters as they talked in the movie, but it’s just not the same thing. This might be a minor complaint, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re a fan of some of the actors that starred in the movie.

Real Moves

There are four different versions of this game: depending on the console, your mileage with the game may vary significantly. The Nintendo DS version is the most radically different edition of the game, being more of an RPG adventure than an action game.

Next, we have the PS3 and Wii versions. The PS3 experience is the most basic of the bunch, being pretty much your standard beat ‘em up. The graphics look pretty and the controls are responsive, but that’s pretty much there is to it. The Wii version is a notch over the PS3 version in everything minus the graphics, and it includes the obligatory motion-controlled minigames to spice up the action.

Finally, we have arguably the best version of the bunch: the Xbox 360 version. To play this game, you’ll need the Kinect peripheral (yes, it’s obligatory.) This is the most immersive version of the game, making use of the Kinect’s full-body motion tracking capabilities. It’s also gorgeous to look at, mixing the best parts of the PS3 and Wii versions and expanding upon them.

If you can only get one version of the game, the Kinect one is the way to go. The PS3 one is the least interesting one of the bunch, and only die-hard fans of the franchise (or very young children) might get some enjoyment out of it.

Pros:

• Fun original story
• Enjoyable gameplay (Kinect version)
• Charming visuals

Cons:

• Lacks content
• Game can be too easy, even for kids
• Motion controls can be unresponsive on Wii and Kinect