Nintendo DS Lite Game Reviews
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Review: Happy Feet

Score: 54

Ah, a movie tie-in. Wait, don't tell me, I know what comes next:- a game which is underpowered, underdeveloped, half-hearted and contrived. Right? Well, almost right.

Happy Feet is loosely (and I mean very loosely) connected to the film of the same name. Unlike the film, it's not actually much good....

Happy Feet

The problem is that the entire £30 title is essentially two mini-games, of the sort that you'd expect to find in the middle of a better value game. In the first, you have to dance in time with the music (from the movie soundtrack), tapping the footfall marks - the better you do, the more points you get...

Happy Feet

In the second game, it's a straightforward (and too easy) left/right slalom slide down a mountain. Avoid the obstacles, try and go through the power-ups, blah blah. You know the drill...

Happy Feet

But then the penny drops that you've just finished Happy Feet. Sure you can go back and dance again or slide again, for extra points. At least the games get harder, the more you play, so there is an element of skill and challenge involved.

There's also the challenge of trying to make sense of the cut scenes that try and make sense of the extra dance/slide repetition. Fairly poor value, despite the pretty eye-candy involved. More story, more variations, more imagination needed, methinks. In short, another month or two in development and never mind the timing to cash in on the movie's release date.

By the way, you'll notice there's no Buy link below.... it's really not worth purchasing unless you see it in a bargain bin!