We all know that as a general rules movies based on games are pretty rubbish, however when it comes to games based on animated movies, there is occassionally an exception to the rule. Take Shrek as an example, this was a great game to play which included co-op play and retained a lot of the movies humour, or even Kung Fu Panda, which was another decent conversion, but does Activisons latest title, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs fall under the good or bad category?

 

Dawn of the Dinosaurs sees you play through various levels using six of the characters from the movie. The game begins with you playing as Sid and tasks you with collecting crystals for Ellie. This is a good way to start the game as it gets you used to the basics such as jumping and using your attacks. As with most platform type games there are plenty of collectables to be had here, which either serve the purpose of currency or health. Throughout the game you will also find various colour crystals, when you find them all, the blue crystals will unlock a music player and music packs, the red ones unlock the voice overs, the purple unlock concept art and amber unlocks the movie player and packs.

 

 

To regain health your character will collect Strawberries, while currency is represented by fruit such as cherries, pears and apples and this allows you to shop at the various stores spread throughout the game. When you see a store you simply press Y to enter and from here you will be able to buy items such as health, ammo and the previously mentioned crystals and you can also unlock some of the mini games by using the buy option. There are certainly plenty of things that you can buy in the store, which is just as well because the currency is quite easy to come by.

 

The game does allow plenty of interaction with the levels which is good, for example you will be required to light fire to a stick in order to melt ice and burn cobwebs, you are also be able to slide down ice and grab onto various ledges in order to progress further. You will no doubt have moments of frustration as you try to figure out where to jump or go next, and given that you start back at the checkpoint when you are killed, there will probably also be points where you have had enough of trying the same thing over and over again, don’t give in though.

 

The levels also provide a good mix, Sids levels consist of things like general exploring, jumping from ledges, using your head to solve puzzles etc although there is some variety in his levels, for example there is one part where you have to roll three Dinosaur eggs down a slope, here you need to stand on top of one egg and negotiate your way down the hill, trying to avoid the edge of the cliff and the enemies who are trying to stop you. Later still you will find yourself being chased through one level by a dinosaur (in a classic Indiana Jones style escape from a rolling rock scenario), here you basically just run and jump over the gaps to avoid being eaten. You will get to play as other characters such as Manny, Diego and Buck, who is a new character you will meet around halfway through the game, outside of Sid’s levels though I found Scrats (the acorn chaser) the most enjoyable as these had a real classic platformer style to them, almost similar to the Sonic the Hedgehog games of old. The variation in the levels is certainly one of the games strong points and will keep you guessing as to what is coming next.

 

 

The combat isn’t overly complicated as you would probably expect, a press of the attack button will allow you to perfom that characters main move, though you can also combine attacks with jump for more powerful effects. Some characters also have weapons, Sid for example can throw snowballs and mud, while Buck has an Acorn gun, which comes into good use when you fight a rather large plant in the later levels.

 

Graphically the game looks fantastic, each of the characters have an excellent look which represents their movie counterparts. The scenery is also as polished as you would expect, while the game runs very smoothly throughout and doesn’t seem to suffer from any problems. The cutscences, which help tell the story of the game look fantastic and finally as far as presentation goes, the sound is wonderful with some great voice acting and plenty of humour thrown in.

 

Outside of the single player game, Dawn of the Dinosaurs also allows you to play with your friends in some fun mini games. These include games such as Sloth Barge, Sloth Says, Dino Statues and Dino Stomp. The multiplayer games are fun to play if you fancy a change of pace and of course feel like playing together, so they are a good addition to the single player quest. 

 

Overall Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a very polished and fun game to play and while it doesn’t do much in terms of innovation, it does do a good job in representing the movie, rather than being just another movie to game failure. This is a great game for the younger people in your family, so if you go to see the movie and would then like to continue the experience on your console, you won’t go wrong with this title.