Posted: Sunday 3rd August 2008

Kung Fu Panda is based on the smash-hit movie of the same name. The movie focuses on Po, a loveable but lazy giant panda who wants to fight as part of The Furious Five. Instead Po helps his father run a soup kitchen but one day all that changes when Po is accidentally chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Under the guidance of Master Shifu, Po must train in order to defeat the recently escaped and incredibly dangerous Tai Lung. Unfortunately he has his work cut out for him with the Furious Five determined to get rid of him and a lack of natural Kung Fu ability.

Movie tie-in games can be quite an underwhelming experience but Kung Fu Panda is actually a pleasant surprise. The game combines platforming and fighting for a really enjoyable and surprisingly deep experience. Despite being primarily aimed at young gamers, Kung Fu Panda extends its appeal to older gamers and fans of the movie. Gamers control Po as they work their way through (more or less) the movie’s story. Opening with Po’s dream sequence, gamers learn how to fight and encounter a series of rabbits and pigs who offer helpful hints and tips to get you started.

Kung Fu Panda features 13 stages, some of which were created purely for the game. Alongside the main element of the game, which is of course the fighting, gamers can also search for a series of objects to unlock additional content. This adds depth to the game and helps give it replay value. A series of mini-games are also available for gamers to enjoy once they’ve tired of the main game.

The real strength of the game is its visuals. Kung Fu Panda looks and feels just like the movie with the characters and the locations faithfully recreated. Po looks absolutely superb and he’s a joy to watch bounce around on the screen. The locations are impressively detailed and there’s a huge scope for exploring and straying away from the main storyline of the game.

Another perk of Kung Fu Panda is the inclusion of sixaxis motion control. When Po curls into a ball and rolls around, gamers can tilt the sixaxis from left to right to control the movement of the panda. This can be tricky to master but it adds a whole new element of fun to the gameplay.

Kung Fu Panda may not be the hardest game in the world but it’s certainly one of the best movie tie-ins we’ve seen recently. The game is as much fun as the movie and there’s plenty here to keep the kids out of trouble for a few hours. Even though we’re not kids we loved this game and have found ourselves strangely addicted to playing it.