Over the Hedge
Score: 75% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: Activision Developer: Edge of Reality Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre:
Graphics & Sound: It’s summer again, which can only mean one thing – big summer movies. And, with every big summer movie comes the inevitable licensed tie-in. Unfortunately, most of these games are hit with the mandate to “Just ship it on time”, which often results in really bad games. Over the Hedge is, like other licensed games, a formulaic tie-in, though it does try to break the mold and offer something just a little different. As far as PS2 games go, Over the Hedge looks good. Characters look about as close to the movie models as the PS2 will allow. Each animates really well and is fairly detailed. Compared to the characters, levels don’t look quite as good. They are still detailed, but at the same time there are a few areas where you can easily tell that corners were cut. The more noticeable of these areas are some bushes are little more than one flat polygon. It is likely than most players won’t notice or care about little things like this, so it is not that big of an issue. Sound is your typical assortment of generic platform sounds. The game’s soundtrack fits the overall mood of the game. None of the actors from the movie provide voices for their in-game characters, but the stand-in’s sound really close and do a good job.
Gameplay: Over the Hedge loosely follows the movie’s plot. Everything begins at “The Hedge”, which is the game’s hub world. From here, you can either complete story segments or play mini-games. During gameplay sections, you play as one of two characters from the movie’s cast. Gameplay feels similar to LEGO Star Wars in that each character has their own skills that will help you reach different parts of the levels. For example, RJ comes armed with his trusty golf club, while Hammy has a boomerang. You can also pick up other weapons like a ping-pong ball launcher. At any time, you can switch between the two, or a friend can “drop in” and take control of the other character. Levels are straightforward and feature few major deviations from the norm. Each has one main objective and a series of secondary goals. Completing secondary missions is a bit tougher than just going for the main goal, but you’ll miss out on a lot of extras by doing so. The biggest of these are hats that characters can wear, giving them defense and health bonuses. Early in the game these don’t matter, but they do help later on.
Difficulty: Older players will have no problem blowing through Over the Hedge in a few hours. Younger players may have a slightly harder time, though just how difficult a time will depend on how much gaming experience they've accumulated in their young lives.
Game Mechanics: Controls are pretty standard and shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone who has played a platformer in the last few years. The left stick moves you around while other buttons jump (or double jump), attack or switch between characters. One of the downsides to the system is that there is no camera control, forcing you to have to make due with the views the game decides are best. Most of the time, you’ll get a nice, pulled back angle that lets you see everything, though there are areas (mostly when you have to navigate through tight spaces) where the camera finds the absolute worst angle and leaves you to complete the area without any help. The camera can also be troublesome for collectors who like to find every little secret a game has to offer. Many times you could be sitting right next to a secret and not even know it. As licensed games go, Over the Hedge is just a little below average. The action is there, but becomes incredibly repetitive and bland after a few levels. This really won’t hold older gamers, and on some level I can see some younger gamers either getting too frustrated (thanks in large part to the camera) or growing tired of the game. Still, if you love the movie and crave more adventures with RJ and the crew, this is your best bet. Just make it a rental rather than a purchase.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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