Thursday , March 28 2024
Unlike the movies there is little adult crossover appeal in this game. The optimal audience for this game is probably children under eight years old, with the local multi-player being the relative star for the older portion of that limited demographic.

Xbox 360 Review: ‘How To Train Your Dragon 2’

The first How To Train Your Dragon movie, based on the fantasy book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell, was huge hit. The film raked in nearly half a billion dollars and had plenty of crossover appeal that included both kids and their parents.  It is actually my personal favorite of the Dreamworks animated films. The just-released sequel is also off to a promising start. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, the tie-in video game for How To Train Your Dragon 2 probably won’t end up as successful. How To Train Your Dragon 2, Xbox 360, video game

The first obstacle for How To Train Your Dragon 2 is actually its predecessor.  Published by Activision, the first How To Train Your Dragon video game borrowed just enough from the iconic Nintendo franchise Pokémon to make playing with dragons almost no fun at all.  This time around, the game is in the hands of the license-focused developer, Little Orbit. Though How To Train Your Dragon 2 isn’t likely to break any sales records or win a “Game of the Year” award, it does capture the spirit of the movie franchise more accurately than Activision’s attempt.

How To Train Your Dragon 2, Xbox 360, video gameThe entirety of How To Train Your Dragon 2 is spent on the back of a dragon.  The game opens up putting the player in control of Toothless, and his rider, Hiccup.  It puts you through a short tutorial that covers a few of the controls, but leaves about half of the stuff for players to figure out on their own.  What is covered is the basic movement with the analog stick, the tighter turning with the bumper, a spin move, and how to shoot fireballs with the right trigger.  What isn’t covered is which button makes the dragon fly faster and which button puts on the brakes, though it’s not that hard to figure out.  It is worth noting that I did freeze my Xbox 360 during the tutorial, when I completed a task at the same time the game wanted to reset my position.

Once you get the hang of flying around in How To Train Your Dragon 2, you can switch over to flying around as Astrid and Stormfly, Fishlegs and Meatlug, Snotlout and Hookfang, and finally, the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut with the two-headed Belch and Barf.  There is no switching up riders and dragons, however, and honestly, there’s not much difference among them all.  The most noticeable change is the fireballs that each dragon shoots.  I couldn’t find a noticeable advantage with a different set throughout the challenges, though each pair does have their own coins to find, traits, and abilities. How To Train Your Dragon 2, Xbox 360, video game

As you’re flying around in How To Train Your Dragon 2, you can find perches which, once you land on them, will begin various challenges. The early challenges include flying through rings, collecting sheep, and sharpshooting.  The game does also allow for two-player local co-op play and splits the screen horizontally.  That is actually my least favorite split-screen option for a game that requires looking ahead, though younger kids who just want to fly around on dragons probably won’t mind as much.  The game does also offer three competitive multiplayer modes to provide some additional challenges for a pair.  Though they’re fairly simple, they’re probably the most engaging aspect of the game. How To Train Your Dragon 2, Xbox 360, video game

How To Train Your Dragon 2 isn’t going to wow many people with its presentation level.  The graphics are fairly low poly, but kids will be able to identify their favorite characters.  One of the most entertaining aspects of the game to the younger kids in my house is the ragdoll effect applied to the riders whenever the dragon crashes.

While really young kids can fly and crash the dragons, the challenges are probably a bit difficult for them.  Unlike the movies there is little adult crossover appeal in this game.  Though the ESRB rating of this game is E-10, the optimal audience is probably children under eight years old, with the local multi-player being the relative star for the older portion of that limited demographic.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) by the ESRB for Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence This game can also be found on: Nintendo Wii U, and Playstation 3.
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About Lance Roth

Lance Roth has over 10 years experience in the video game industry. He has worked in a number of capacities within the industry and currently provides development and strategy consulting. He participated in all of the major console launches since the Dreamcast. This videogame resume goes all of the way back to when they were written in DOS. You can contact Lance at RPGameX.com or [email protected].

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