As the summer draws ever closer, movie goers are awaiting the latest animated film releases. One of the first movies of the summer to be released is entitled Kung-Fu Panda. The story is about a young panda named Po on an unlikely journey to become the next Kung-Fu master. Po must team up with the Furious Five, the top Kung-Fu masters in the world, to defeat the malicious Tia Lung. Activision has acquired the rights to make a movie tie-in that takes all the action from the movie, and even expands it to include more back story.

Kung-Fu Panda feels very reminiscent of the first Jak and Daxter game due to the various activities players will be involved in. At first this game feels like a platformer because of all of the jumping, exploring, and item collecting. As players really dive into the game they will find that there is so much more, such as all of the fighting they will have to do. At first enemies will come in small groups, but pretty soon there will be an impressive number of enemies on screen, some small and other large, and players will have to use all of the moves to beat them.

As players progress through the levels they will find various people that need certain tasks accomplished. Also at times players will be put in the ”forced panda stumble,” which makes Po roll up in a ball and move around the level. This will remind players of the Sonic the Hedgehog games of old.  There are other little distractions like this that make the game fun to play due to the variety it offers to the players.

This game allows players to destroy almost everything in their path, but it might not be wise to do so rashly. Every level has collectable items, currency, and other things scattered about. Players must use some objects, such as boxes, to climb upon to get items that are dangling in the air. Once players complete the level they will get various rewards for getting the items, they can also spend the money they find on upgrading and obtaining new moves.

The game is easy enough to control. The left analog stick will make Po walk in any direction, while the right controls the camera. The triangle button will make him jump, and pressing it twice will perform a double jump. The other face buttons will make Po do a variety of attacks: the O is used for special, triangle for strong, and square for fast. Players can do a combination of the attack buttons to do even more damage to the enemy. Since Kung Fu is not about always being on the offense, players can block attacks by pressing the L2 button. This game also supports sensor functions for movement and during several special scenes.

After player’s have enjoyed the 13 levels that this game provides they can continue to play on harder difficulties or start one of the numerous multiplayer games. The first mode is entitled Brawl, and it allows up to four players to beat each other up; it is very similar to Super Smash Brothers. Team Survival allows players to team up and see if they can live as hordes of enemies continuously attack them. In Team Play gamers must complete various objectives in order to move on and win. There are also various mini-games and puzzles to choose from which also keep the game fresh and fun to play with friends.

The only complaint against the multiplayer mode is that you can only play them on a local console. In other words, players will not be able to load the game on the PlayStation Network and play online. This is a huge oversight on the developer’s part as it severely limits the game. They might have done this since this game is marketed towards younger audience, but it is still a loss for gamers everywhere.

The graphics for this game are really outstanding; this is really surprising as most movie-to-game graphics are mediocre at best. The developers for Kung-Fu Panda really went all out here as the graphics looks very similar to what people will see in movie. What makes the graphics even better is the great animation that each of the characters have. Players will marvel as they see Po running and watch his weight shift from side-to-side in a realistic manner. The various animations are also funny to watch from Po’s idle animation or even while he is in a fight.

One of the biggest reasons many people dislike animated movie adaptations is due to poor voice-overs. Many actors are unable to reprise their role for the video game so the developers scramble to find a cheap replacement. Thankfully the developers found really good voice imitators; players will a hard time discerning the difference between the game and the movie. The game also borrows music from the film which makes it a lot more authentic and fun to play if you have recently seen the movie.

Kung-Fu Panda is rated for Everyone 10+

Gameplay: 8.4
Players will get to enjoy 13 levels of entertainment within this game. The controls for this game are very intutive and easy to use while becoming a Kung-Fu Master.

Graphics: 8.7
Unlike many film adaptations, the graphics are really great for Kung-Fu Panda. The animations are great and funny to watch. Combine this with a really great frame rate and the graphics score really soars.

Sound: 8.5
The developers did a great job of finding sound-a-like voice actors for the game since the originals were unable to reprise their roles. They do a good job and you will have to listen hard to tell the difference.

Difficulty: Easy
This game is definitely made with younger audiences in mind, as it will be a cake walk for older/veteran gamers.

Concept: 7.6
Players will enjoy the mixture of gameplay elements, but it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table.

Multiplayer: 6.0
The variety of multiplayer modes makes this game's replay value go way up. Unfortunately it does not support online play.

Overall: 8.5
This is one of the better movie-to-game conversions I have ever had the opportunity to play. Even though it is on the easy side, children and adults will enjoy the story and the various challenges that will await them.