Shrek 2 (video Game)
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''Shrek 2'' (also known as ''Shrek 2: The Game'' and ported for the PC as ''Shrek 2: Team Action'') is a 2004 action-adventure
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
published by
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
, based on the
DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...
film of the same name. The game was developed by Luxoflux for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
,
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
, and
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
platforms, while a version for PC was developed by KnowWonder.


Plot

''Shrek 2''s storyline follows a similar plot to that of the film.
Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...
and Fiona are on a journey to the Kingdom of Far Far Away to visit Fiona's parents. Shrek's in-laws are unhappy that a crude ogre is married to their daughter Fiona and turned her into an ogre, and the battle for acceptance ensues. The game covers things not shown in the film. Plot elements are delivered primarily through a storybook interface (text and illustrations) shown before each level.


Gameplay


GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions

In this version of the game, the player is able to play as Shrek or his friends and travel through 11 levels. In each level, the player controls a team of four characters, and can switch between them at any point. Each character has a unique ability that aids them in fighting enemies or moving through the environment (for example,
Donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...
can destroy obstacles and Fiona can slow down time). The game is broken into different chapters, each with its own set of goals. One chapter requires the player to make sure three blind mice safely make their way to the witch's house. Other chapters have the player acting as a deputy in Far, Far Away Land—collecting bits of Humpty Dumpty, stealing treasure from a troll, helping the police clear out rioting hooligans from the streets, escorting Cinderella while she window-shops for a glass slipper, ridding the town of the Pied Piper's rat infestation, collecting chickens for a stew, or battling Puss in Boots via timed button presses. Players play mini-games when they are not traveling on hazardous paths from point A to point B. Challenges that require the player's entire party include having to punch chickens into cook pots or a pen, escorting characters through a stage (Billy Goat Gruff and the three blind mice), and collecting fairies, jewels, etc. The second type of mini-game, dubbed "Hero Time", gives one character a challenge to complete, usually emphasizing that character's particular skills displayed in the movie. Donkey at one point has to chase a fleeing onion wagon while riding on the back of Dragon. Fiona holds a private concert for a flock of black birds she is collecting for a pie (via exploding them by rhythm based button presses). Shrek has to throw a bunch of thugs into a paddy wagon.


Game Boy Advance version

This version is a side-scroller with graphics resembling the '' Donkey Kong Country'' series, developed by
Vicarious Visions Blizzard Albany (formerly Vicarious Visions, Inc.) is an American video game development division of Blizzard Entertainment based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1991, the company was acquired by Activision in January 2005. In January 2021, Vica ...
. The game is separated into five books (worlds), each with five chapters (levels). The story of the game is a compressed version of the movie it is based on. The playable characters are Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Human Shrek and Gingerbread Man, each with their own unique set of skills.


Development

The game was first announced at E3 2003 in May that year, as a co-publishing collaboration between
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
and TDK Mediactive, the then-current video game license holder for the ''Shrek'' franchise, with Luxoflux announced to be developing the title. In December 2003,
Take-Two Interactive Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993. The company owns three major Imprint (trade name), publishing labels, Rockstar Games, Zynga and 2K ...
purchased the North American operations of TDK Mediactive and rebranded them as Take-Two Licensing. With this, Activision terminated their publishing deal with TDK and instead announced a new partnership with DreamWorks for the ''Shrek'' license instead. Shortly after Activision announced that they would continue to work with DreamWorks to develop and publish several video games based on the upcoming movie, before they released the first trailer for the game in Spring of 2004. Two versions of the game were released for the PC; one developed by KnowWonder for younger audiences using Unreal Engine 2, and the other a port of the original console release under the title ''Shrek 2: Team Action'' which was developed by Beenox. The score for the game was composed by Kevin Manthei and Kevin Riepl. The soundtrack album consists of 58 tracks with over 65 minutes of score. It was released on May 6, 2004, by KMM Productions.


Reception

''Shrek 2'' received "mixed to average" reviews from critics.
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
and
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
gave it a score of 72.56% and 72 out of 100 for the Game Boy Advance version; 72.27% and 70 out of 100 for the GameCube version; 71.92% and 71 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version; 71.29% and 72 out of 100 for the Xbox version; 62.90% and 55 out of 100 for the PC version; and 49% for the Mobile version. ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' reviewer Mary Jane Irwin called the GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 versions of ''Shrek 2'' "an amusing jaunt into the world of the movie," and Craig Harris, another reviewer of ''IGN'', called the GBA version "an absolute treat, especially for those who dig the artstyle of the film," though he stated it to be "nothing new". The game, along with fellow movie sequel based game published by
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
, ''Spider-Man 2'', shipped more than five million units combined and were the best-selling titles of May and June, respectively. In the United States, ''Shrek 2''s
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
version sold 700,000 copies and earned $18 million by August 2006. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 35th highest-selling game launched for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
,
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
or PlayStation Portable in that country. By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of ''Shrek 2'' had sold 850,000 copies and earned $26 million in the United States. '' Next Generation'' ranked it as the 70th highest-selling game launched for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
,
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
or
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined console sales of the ''Shrek'' series reached 2.5 million units in the United States by July 2006. During the
8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards The ''8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' was the 8th edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards, Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2004 in video games, 2004. The awar ...
, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated ''Shrek 2'' for " Console Children's Game of the Year". The game won for Favourite Video Game at the
2005 Kids' Choice Awards The 18th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on April 2, 2005. The event was hosted by Ben Stiller and was held at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. Performers * Will Smith - " Switch" *Simple Plan - " Shut Up!" Presenters * Cameron ...
.


References


External links

* * * {{Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Video Game 2004 video games 3D beat 'em ups Activision beat 'em ups Cooperative video games DreamWorks Pictures video games Game Boy Advance games Mobile games GameCube games PlayStation 2 games Shrek (franchise) video games 3D platformers Xbox games Unreal Engine 2 games Windows games Video games about witchcraft Multiplayer and single-player video games Beenox games Luxoflux games Aspyr games Video games based on films Video games based on animated films Video games based on works by Andrew Adamson Video games developed in the United States Video games scored by Kevin Manthei Video games set in castles Vicarious Visions games Amaze Entertainment games