PlayStation 3 Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2, available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and DS continues the journey of title character Po. The game’s story begins directly after the events of the movie of the same name. Po and the Furious Five must defend their home from some villains who have taken over Gongman City. The game progresses through several different levels where Po fights different enemies, all of which culminates in a final showdown with the villainous komodo dragon leader Xaio Dan.

Game play for Kung Fu Panda 2 is incredibly simple. In fact, it is probably the easiest game I have ever played. The controls are easy to learn, making it very suitable for younger kids. Younger or newer gamers are likely to be the only ones who will truly enjoy this game. More sophisticated, experienced gamers will probably find themselves bored by the simplicity and repetition.

One aspect that could have been greatly improved in this game are the fighting sequences. Po battles several different enemies, including wolves, gorillas, and komodo dragons, but the fights themselves are more or less the same every time. The boss fights at the end of each segment are almost indistinguishable from the regular fights. Besides fighting there are a few fun little things Po gets to do, such as igniting fireworks and solving simple puzzles.

Po does learn three specialty moves throughout the games from each of the masters: Ox, Shifu, and Croc. At the very start of the game the player can choose which of the masters he would like to follow first. From that point, Po completes a mission with a chosen master before moving on to the next one.

One of the best aspects of the game are the different locations Po visits throughout his journey. These include a jungle, a marina, a palace, the marketplace, and some underground tunnels. The variety of different locations helps make the game more compelling, though the title requires backtracking through some of the same locations to reach the next level. It would have been much more interesting to have Po continuously progressing to new places.

Graphically, Kung Fu Panda 2 on PlayStation 3 is passable for a game aimed at young children. It does not stand out as being all that visually interesting but there isn’t anything all that wrong with it either.  Though Po is not voiced by Jack Black, the actor here does an excellent job of sounding like him. The other characters are also voiced by actors who are not from the film, but they all sound basically like the film characters. Overall this game is best suited for younger kids who like the film or for adults who are new to gaming and want an easy game to learn on.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is rated Everyone 10+ by the ESRB for Cartoon Violence. This game can also be found on: Wii, DS, and Xbox 360