The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Review for PlayStation 2 (PS2)

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian box art

System: PS2, Wii, X360, PS3	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Traveller's Tales	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Disney Interactive	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: May 15, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

At times, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian feels somewhat cluttered with four different characters constantly following your every move, especially within confined spaces. As you try to maneuver around and complete tasks, sometimes your teammates get more in your way than help you, and with oncoming attackers constantly trying to stop you, the game does tend to feel pretty crowded at times. That being said, even with the massive battle happening outside of Cair Paravel and the amount of characters shown onscreen at the same time, I found no slowdown or framerate errors whatsoever. Prince Caspian works well on the PS2 console and looks extremely good when compared to other adventure-themed titles like it.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian screenshot

Aimed at children, there are lots of cutscenes taken from the actual film, in addition to lengthy CGI cutscenes to watch as you play this game. The mix of the two is a nice touch. Some of it is actually pretty entertaining, as you watch parts of the film and some well-done animations that look remarkably good on the PS2. It gives the game a very cinematic feel, and anyone who enjoys Prince Caspian will enjoy how the game and film are brought together.

While this game can be very slow-paced, it does have good entertainment value. And as tedious as this game is, it can actually get pretty hectic as you defeat armies of soldiers, archers, and larger enemy bosses wearing a good amount of armor. This game is surprisingly good considering it is a licensed package, and anyone who enjoys the Narnia films will be happy to be thrust into the land of Narnia with this game. Just keep in mind the age group it is intended for.

By Pete Richards
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.7

Graphics
Character designs and environments are impressive on this PS2 version. A blend of CGI cutscenes and scenes from the film is a nice touch as well.

2.9

Control
Controls function as they should for this type of skill level, though maneuvering around in cluttered areas and targeting attacks can be awkward.

3.0

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Good music from the film. Some of the sound effects are a bit off.

3.5

Play Value
Fans of the film with time on their hands will enjoy this game, even if it does become tedious at times.

3.5

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Players take the role of more than 20 playable characters, including Narnians (non-humans).

Cooperative drop-in/drop-out multiplayer on the same system allows two players to work together.

Non-linear level structure enables players to explore multiple paths in any order.

A combination of puzzle solving and action combat gameplay.

Team up with characters to combine abilities