With the recent release of Dreamworks’ computer animated film, Activision is hopping on board and putting out a game based on Shark Tale.  Shark Tale isn’t exactly an action game with any real cohesive gameplay elements, but rather a collection of different genres.  You’ll find a variety of mini-games as you play, from DDR-style rhythm games to driving to stealth action.  Young children will find these games easy to grasp and should have a pretty good time with the game’s characters and storyline.  However, most older gamers will probably find the game’s situations to be pretty simplistic.

Shark Tale begins with a vengeance as Oscar, a self-professed shark slayer fish and hero of the film, is caught in a high speed chase in front of a huge shark.  In order to keep Oscar from becoming shark food, you must press a direction on the controller that appears at opportune times.  This timing-based action reminded me of games like the old Dragon’s Lair arcade game or more recent attempts seen in games like Shenmue and Die Hard Arcade.  These missions were pretty easy to understand, simply push the directions at the right time or be eaten.

The next stage is a dance game where you must hit the onscreen arrows as they get into a section on the bottom of the onscreen wheel.  This was reminiscent of Dance Dance Revolution (you could even use the DDR Ultramix Dance Pad if you want), although the arrows aren’t terribly complex in their steps.  Most sections entail pushing one direction about ten times in a row to the beat of the music (which in this stage happens to be Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer).

Next, in the driving stages, you must catch a cab (another fish) and tail someone else as they drive off in another car.  It is extremely important to not tail too close or else you could be discovered and lose the level, but at the same time, you can’t trail too far or you could lose the person, er, fish you’re following.

Following this are the side scrolling portions presented in pseudo-2D.  In these stages, you guide Oscar through a variety of different tasks, from things like hiding in bushes and behind signed in order to try to avoid a photographer bent on proving that you are a fake shark slayer to avoiding lamp fish in order to stealthily infiltrate an area.

Finally, there are the boss battle modes where you must face off against a shark.  These are similar to the first level where you were simply running from the beast, only now you are able to get some punches in.  You have to dodge the shark’s attacks, and once they subside, you must perform punching combos in order to defeat them.

While the game presents a variety of different gameplay modes, they are very simplistic mini-games.  None of them are terribly difficult, which may turn off some gamers looking for a bit more of a challenge.

The game’s aesthetic isn’t very detailed, but it does a fine job of emulating the look of the film.  The characters and the environments have a bright and colorful appearance and convey the attitude of the movie.

Shark Tale’s collection of arcade style mini-games and bright appearance will appeal mainly to those for which this game was made, namely the young crowd who enjoy the film.  However, most gamers will be turned away by the simplistic gameplay and low difficulty.  If you are a fan of the film and are curious about the game, then give it a rental at most.

Gameplay: 7.0
The gameplay gives the player a lot of choices with quite a few different gameplay modes.  Some of the game types are more simplistic than others giving you a very limiting amount of things to do, while others are a bit deeper.  However, most people will agree that the game is very simplistic overall.
 

Graphics: 8.2
The graphics in Shark Tale are pretty nice, showing the personally of the characters with all of the knack of the film.  While the character models and environments aren’t too terribly detailed or complex, but they do a good job of emulating the aesthetic of the film.
 

Sound: 8.0
The sound effects are pretty good, with well-acted voice impersonations of the film’s actors and a soundtrack featuring such songs as Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer and a few other gems.
 

Difficulty: Easy
This is a game aimed at young kids, and is thusly not terribly challenging.
 

Concept: 7.0
The game is more of a collection of arcade-style mini games than a real cohesive action game, and the games are all pretty simplistic.
 

Overall: 7.0
Shark Tale sets out with a specific target audience in mind, youngsters who enjoy the film looking to get a piece of the action.  However, seasoned gamers and adults probably won’t get too much out of the simplistic gameplay and real lack of challenge.