Madagascar 3: The Video Game

Madagascar 3: The Video Game
This video game is not "cracka-lackin'"!
Protagonist(s): Alex Marty Gloria Melman Platform(s): PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Wii Nintendo DS Nintendo 3DS Release Date: NA: June 5, 2012 JP: August 2, 2012 (3DS) AU: September 6, 2012 EU: October 12, 2012 Engine: Vicious Engine 2 (home consoles) Developer(s): Monkey Bar Games (PS3/X360/Wii) Torus Games (DS/3DS) Publisher(s): D3 Publisher Country: United States Australia Series: Madagascar Predecessor: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Madagascar 3: The Video Game (also named after the movie of the same name in Europe) is a 2012 action-adventure game based on the film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii versions were developed by Monkey Bar Games, while the Nintendo DS and 3DS versions were developed by Torus Games. It is also the first Madagascar game not to be published by Activision nor developed by Toys for Bob (aside from a few spin offs).

The PlayStation Vita version was planned, but it was never released, due to not having the power to support the game. A Wii U version was also canceled for unknown reasons, and would have been a launch title, despite not being on the launch line-up.

This was even re-released in a 2 game bundle alongside The Croods: Prehistoric Party in 2013 on the DS and 3DS.

Why It Failed To Do The Impossible

General

1. This game was supposed to be somewhat of an adaptation of the third Madagascar movie. However, given that this was released three days before the release of the movie, this honestly feels like it was made to cash in on a movie that scheduled to come out.
2. None of the actors from the film reprise their roles.
   • The game was supposed to have actors from the movie like Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Daivd Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Frances McDormand, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, Jessica Chastain, and Martin Short, but actors from the film don't reprise their roles.
3. The minigames weren't that fun, and were actually pointless altogether.
4. For some reason, the characters are slow, especially when you're wearing a "disguise", which consists of only sunglasses. If you're going to disguise as Animal Control, at least be more creative about it. A better disguise would be something like… A UNIFORM OR SOMETHING!?
5. Dubois (the main villain of the third film) and her Animal Control officers will be everywhere during the story and gameplay. They are an extreme hindrance to the player, and they will catch you no matter what. The only way to avoid them without getting spotted is by donning your sunglasses, AKA, your "Disguise".
6. Also, the disguises are just a pair of sunglasses as opposed to full pieces of clothing. The NPCs (non playable characters) are either blind or just really stupid.
7. Unlike the previous games, you cannot play as the Penguins themselves. That wouldn't have been a problem if the other two games did the same, but that wasn't the case, so there is no excuse for them to be NPCs (non playable characters) here.
8. Poor grasp of the source material. For example, the gang goes to Paris in the game, yet they never go there in the film. When they perform in Rome, the show is a success. Yet in the film, it ended up in a complete disaster. Also, Dubois is defeated way easier here compared to the film.

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii versions

1. While the previous two games had Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2 versions, this one didn't, which is a shame, since there are people who can use mods to fix this game.
2. Most cutscenes show Mason and King Julien talking about the story of the game, which just comes off as "Tell and Don't Show".
3. The loading screens look BORING. To put it simply, the loading screens basically consist of a train going to the next location that you are supposed to play next, with the characters themselves being chess figures.
4. The Wii version is the worst-looking version and looks more like a mid-PS2 game than a Wii game.
   • The graphics, while not exactly terrible, don't look that good, especially compare to most other games of its time.

Nintendo DS and 3DS versions

1. The DS and 3DS versions, due to limited hardware, are poorly textured, but even with that, they don't look nearly as bad as the Wii version.
2. When you get shot by a dart, your character falls asleep and takes a long time to wake up.

Redeeming Qualities

1. The graphics on the 360 and PS3 are decent, although they pale in comparison to other games that came out in the same year.
2. The menu screen looked promising.
3. The soundtrack is very good.
4. The characters have the same voice actors from the past games, almost making the game feel like a true Madagascar game. Bryan Cranston also reprises his role as Vitaly from the movie, and he still has a great performance.
   • At least Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon and Bryan Cranston reprise their roles from the movie because they did a really good job lending their voices and an excellent performances of their characters.

Reception

Despite the last two games being good adaptations of the previous two films, this one sadly failed to carry on the tradition with the third film.

On Metacritic, the Xbox 360 version has a score of 45/100 based on eight reviews.

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