Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3372 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: ACTIVISION
• Released on: 2007-06-22
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: Nintendo DS

Amazon.co.uk Review

Video game adaptations of big movies, particularly kid’s movies, tend to get a lot of flak from more hardcore gamers – and not without some justification. Not offering anything original in terms of gameplay is one thing but they’re usually quite shoddily made and with little real connection to the movie they’re supposed to be based on. Shrek The Third won’t be winning any video game awards for innovation but it does at least look and sound like the film and is unlikely to disappoint anyone who simply wants to relive it from the comfort of their own joypad.

In predictable fashion the game is a third person action adventure in which you get to control Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Princess Fiona, Arthur and Sleeping Beauty. Each has their own subtle differences, from Puss n’ Boot’s double jump to Sleeping Beauty’s guide ability, but combat always comes down to just mashing the attack button as rapidly as possible. Everyone also has their own special move as well, from Fiona’s flying kick to Puss n’ Boot’s "cute puss" move.

Another inevitable aspect of the game is a series of mini-games, but most are actually quite good, particularly Castle Capture where you have to smash down an opponent’s walls and Ships Ahoy where you have to defend a beach from invading pirates. All can be played with a friend outside the game, which is more than can be said of the main story mode which is sadly single player only. The graphics are decent though and everyone looks like their movie selves, even if the celebrity impersonators don’t sound like them. As a video game it’s a fairly average affair all round, but as a marketing tie-in it succeeds with flying colours.
Harrison Dent

Manufacturer's Description
In Shrek the Third, players journey as Shrek and his friends to save Far, Far Away in a twisted fairytale adventure from the movie and beyond. The Nintendo DS version gives players a different gaming experience than the console and PSP versions of Shrek the Third. Assuming the roles of Shrek, Puss-in-Boots and newcomer Artie, players journey beyond Far Far Away with the help of Merlin's magic wand. The Nintendo DS game tells the story of how Shrek and friends must work together to solve puzzles and defeat enemies while overcoming the band of villains that Prince Charming has sent out to capture Shrek.

Customer Reviews

Great fun!
This game uses all functions of the DS well. The gameplay takes place on the bottom screen with the top screen being an extension of the scene (also the help tips appear here). You can play as multiple different characters. You use the directional control pad (or the ABXY buttons for LH gamers!) to move each character (although the game is set in a 3D world, the actual gameplay is only 2D so you can only move side to side or up and down). You will need to use your stylus all the time to enable each character to perform their own unique 'moves' to enable progression through the game.

The clever part of this game is the ability to switch between playing as different characters (e.g. Shrek, Puss and Artie at the beginning of the game), individually, in pairs and as a team, making them work together to get to the end of each level. Each character has different individual skills, and you will need to use them separately to access different parts of each level to allow the other characters to continue through to the end of the level. E.g., Puss is the only one who can jump to ledges and 'roll attack' through small gaps; Artie is the only one who can cross water by floating on his shield and activate some magic auras by throwing his shield at a glowing object above; Shrek can break weak floors or crash through walls. If you want to progress to the next level, you will need to have moved all 3 characters through to the end of the level so that they are standing in front of the Mystic Exit together, otherwise it won't activate!

Once you have selected the mode of play and the save slot, you will be taken through the story thus far. You need to turn the DS around by 90 degrees to view it as a 2-page book. The left page has stained-glass style artwork (as per the opening of the films), and the right page has the text of the story. The great thing about this is that Donkey actually narrates the story, embellishing the standard written text as only he can! This is great fun for all, but particularly good for young children who cannot read the story-book text very fast. After Donkey has finished his story telling, you are off to the Apprentice Hall where you find yourself playing as Shrek (on his own).

After successfully progressing through the Apprentice Hall playing as all the 3 characters (separately and together) you start the game 'proper'. There are 4 'worlds' - Bogey Byway, Raiders Bay, Maze of Spades, Castlehoff. In each of these 4 worlds there are 4 levels to complete (3 levels and a final level). In each level you will need to collect a number of golden fairies and coins. You cannot proceed to the next world without first completing the previous world.

It is a great game that uses all the functions of the DS well. It's certainly not a difficult game, and perhaps aimed at the younger market, however I think adults will enjoy this game and not become too bored as you need to think on an additional 'logical' level to complete each level using mutliple characters.

GAMEPLAY INFORMATION:-

2 MODES OF PLAY - a) single play, and (b) multiplay (where you can host a game or join a game using the NDS wireless capabilities); 3 separate SAVE SLOTS to save 3 separate games - enabling multi independent users; Great SOUND EFFECTS throughout the whole game - Donkey narrates the initial story and all the 'help' icons, plus each character will frequently make character-specific noises (Shrek farts and burps!); MAGIC allows you to do such things as help defeat enemies and access ledges for those characters that can't jump - if you hold the L or R shoulder button, a purple haze will cover the screen, and you can use your magic on the objects you can see flashing through the haze; COLLECT 26 GOLDEN FAIRIES to break the spell and COLLECT 84 COINS to unlock bonuses and secrets; Collect MERLIN'S HOLOGRAM BOXES throughout gameplay to see what has recently happened in Far Far Away.

GOOD, BUT TOO SHORT?
this game is really good fun, but it is quite easy to complete, its also only got 16 levels. I am a teenager and a fan of shrek and i love this game, i'd say its worth a buy, but could get boring.

Not impressed at all
I bought this game thinking it would entertain me but it failed
Apart from the wishy washy graphics the game play is so boring and dull, i never bothered to complete the game because i got so fed up with it
I should of saved my money and bought something else instead