Kung Fu Panda: Digital Throwdown
Kung Fu Panda the game and the movie both came out in June of 2008. However, as is the case with many movies, I did not get to see it until the night of Valentine’s Day 2009. Sadly, I was not with my girlfriend but was hanging out with 15 teens and 5 other adults. After a night of skiing, we went back to our campgrounds and passed out while watching this truly awesome movie.
The Movie
There is nothing bad about this movie. It’s amazing, in terms of the 3D animation, story line, and humor. The best part is that it is fun for the entire family. With some of big names attached to the project like Angelina Jolie and Jack Black, you might be concerned about chemestry, but in fact, they meld perfectly.
The plot focuses around a daydreaming Panda, named Po, who is the son of a duck, somehow… He is destined to be the next owner of the noodle store that has been owned for generations by his family. However he cannot even stand in the store, because this induses daydreams about being a kung fu fighter and studying in the Jade Palace.
Luck befalls him when one day there is a tournament at the Palace in which the Dragon Warrior will picked. This Dragon Warrior has been prophesied for centuries and will protect the valley from Tai Lung. As you can guess, or as you already know, depending on if you have seen the film yet or not, Po is chosen as the Dragon Warrior. From there he goes on to train with Master Shifu which is an entertaining experience until Tai Lung gets back to the palace and begins to wreak havoc.
The Game
The game starts out in much the same way. Jack Black, as the voice of Po, narrates the entire game, which is awesome, considering that lines up the game and the movie very well. He narrates small bits of the story while the game is loading, which sets up each level nicely.
The game has graphics that are nearly identical to the movie. In terms of difficulty, it is not overly complicated to defeat the entire game. In fact, it’s one of the few I have completed all the way through in quite some time.
You are given the opportunity to increase certain skill sets throughout various training sessions both in the Jade Palace and by buying skills after each level. Also in the game you are able to face Tai Lung a number of times before the final battle of the game.
There are various other tribes you face as you attempt to complete the game and learn more to become the Dragon Warrior. Eventually, with enough money you are able to buy some pretty entertaining clothing. At least in normal mode the final battle is somewhat melodramatic and only takes a couple of attempts to beat.
Comparison
The game and the movie are both amazing creations mostly from the minds of Dreamworks, who is famous for other animated movies like Shrek, Flushed Away, and Madagascar. It’s great that they brought Jack Black into the video game to narrate the story, because without him, Po would not have been a complete character.
Obviously the game has to have some added battle scenes and enemies in order to make it worthy of being a video game. If the movie had added in all that the game has, then it would have taken two or three Kung Fu Panda films to complete it all. But they were pleasant in the game.
The dynamics of the game though were constructed for easy play though. Rather than defeating bosses by dodging and jumping to avoid them, you simply hit a series of buttons at just the right time. It’s kind of upsetting because they seem to be highly constructed while the movie makes it all seem fun and spontaneous.
Overall, Kung Fu Panda is a great experience in either the game or the movie.
P.S. For those of you who wonder what ever happened to Far Cry 2, I am still attempting to complete the story line for you. 20 hours in and just over 50% complete. It’s a hell of a long game. But I’ll let you know more about that later.
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