The first Madagascar movie has scored plenty of viewing time in my house for the last several years. The movie wasn’t a classic but still provided plenty of laughs for the entire family. Now the sequel is finally upon us, which means we get the obligatory video game. What we get is a game that should keep gamers with a short attention span playing due to the variety of the gameplay.

The game picks up where the first movie ended up with Alex and his crew trying to get off of the island.  Of course, since this is a game, Madagascar 2 starts you off by having to play through a few different mini-games before you finally make it to the airplane. But the mini-games don’t end after getting off of the island. Nope, almost the entire game could be described as a huge collection of mini-games. A fast-paced, at times relentless, number of mini-games. 

Yes mini-games. You start off with Alex having to run around and collect butterflies, and then you switch to Marty in a race. The game is constantly changing up the gameplay as you keep progressing. You see, even though you’re playing what I call mini-games the actual story of the game is still progressing. Finish one mini-game and then you jump to a short cinema and then to the next mini-game. Each mini game is usually very short and might only last for a few minutes at the most.

After a few mini-games, the game will sometimes switch to a more standard type of platform gameplay style. Even these segments can still be brief and usually have a very simple premise involving collecting a certain number of items or making it to another side of the stage. Then the game jumps back into the mini-game portions with another unexpected type of game. Honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to judge this game since I was consistently surprised by the variety of the gameplay as I kept progressing. There wasn’t the usually repetitive nature in the gameplay that can anger some gamers.

The game can and will slow down if you happen to fail in completing one of the mini games or if you need to put the game down for the evening. You are then presented with a map that allows you to select from any of the previous areas you’ve already completed or the current location you stopped at. This allows you to replay the previous games over again or continue the game where you left off. You can also walk around and explore various portions of the gameplay map as you get further in the game. These exploring portions can open up even more mini-games that you might have missed during the main portions of the game.

Even if you couldn’t get enough of the mini-games from the main portion of the game, Madagascar 2 still includes some real mini-games. The Africa Arcade has 10 different mini-games that you can play at anytime instead of having to select them from the single-player game. These mini-games also offer the only multiplayer gameplay in the game since you and up to three other friends can play in some of the arcade games. The list of arcade games includes Mini-Golf, Monkey Match, Melman’s Clinic, Hot Durian!, Juicy Juicy!, Jungle Chess, Volcano Rave, Soccer, Musical Chairs and the Diving Event. Some of the games are self explanatory but some of them I will expand on. Melman’s Clinic has you viewing an X-ray image of other giraffes and you have to cure the giraffes with special potions. Juicy Juicy has you controlling Gloria as she runs around with a cart behind her trying to collect fruit. Volcano Rave is a limited type of Dance Dance Revolution-type of dancing game. Imagine most of these games as parts of the regular single-player experience but with even more wackiness and variety in other games.

As far as controls it really is hard to pinpoint any big issues or problems due to the constant variety with the mini-games. You’re constantly switching games so you probably won’t notice any big problems with the controls. Each character in the game has their own unique control structure and feel when you play them. Some of characters do feel floaty at times when jumping. Probably the biggest issue is the camera, which has a hard time adjusting to your movements in the game at times.

For fans of the movie Madagascar 2 will feel like a never-ending cornucopia of gaming. The game keeps changing up the gameplay at almost every junction, which could be a problem for some younger gamers. There really isn’t an easy, get-your-feet-wet type of introduction to the game due to the variety. The game seems to follow the “lets throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” notion since you’re getting so much at such a quick pace. Granted none of the mini-games experiences in the single-player mode are truly exceptional but they may surely be enough for the Madagascar 2 audience.

Gameplay: 7.7 
The sheer variety in gameplay will keep you guessing on what the next gameplay segment will bring up.

Graphics: 7.5 
The characters don’t look completely like their animated versions but do a good job of replicating their looks. I did notice some pop in with some of the backgrounds even at close distances that were clearly viewable.

Sound: 8.0 
All of the voice actors do a tremendous job of replicating their big-screen counterparts. Each character is equipped with a great collection of one liners that will crack up old and young alike. 

Difficulty: Easy 
Nothing too hard or complicated besides the almost limitless number of games.

Concept: 7.7 
Honestly I never expected this game to be a revolving door of mini-games. Sure, there is a real single-player experience under the covers but the core gameplay is a mismatch of mini-games.

Multiplayer: 7.0 
No online multiplayer but plenty of local multiplayer that should provide solid entertainment for a party.

Overall: 7.6 
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa feels like a never-ending assault on the gameplay senses. The game has you constantly moving from one game to another as the story keeps progressing. While the variety of the gameplay is great the actual game itself doesn’t offer anything truly innovative or spectacular. Yet for those that crave variety Madagascar 2 might just be the game for you.