But despite being a lot of fun, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa does still have a few glaring issues. One of the biggest weak points of this title has to be the graphics. Honestly, the issues with the visuals in this game are far reaching and rage from absurd texturing (especially with water effects) to pesky seaming issues. And while none of these issues directly affects the gameplay, the overall look of the game just doesn’t hold water with most modern Wii titles and I think that is something that even younger players may find a little bothersome.

The sound in this title also suffers from being less-than-stellar, although most of the missteps here fall on the lackluster voiceover. Although I can understand not having the A-list stars from the movie reprise their roles for a videogame, the voice actors who swooped in to replace them do not sound genuine at all, and some of the characters’ voiceovers (especially that of King Julian, who is originally voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen) become quite annoying. I honestly believe I would have preferred scrolling text to some of the voiceovers. But for all the poor voicework, the background music isn’t half bad, and is nicely sampled from the movie.

Control in this title is actually very good. The Wii version differs from other console versions because it has enhanced motion control functionality. However, the motion controls are limited to action items, and always have a button option. For instance, there is a whack-a-mole style video game that you play with the giraffe character, and the main mechanic involves slamming the giraffe’s head down onto the various targets. The game gives you the option to swing down the Wii-mote, or use the Z button on the nunchuck. The motion controls, if you do decide to use them, are nicely responsive and generally only consist of a flick of the wrist or quick swing up or down.

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Like most kids’ movies, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa has gotten the video game treatment, and has been produced for nearly every currently available console in existence. And while the Wii version of this title may not be the absolute best, it does a good job of conveying the fun energy of the movie that inspired it, and kids will love the fun mini-game inspired play. While this game is definitely not meant to please the adult crowd, it is a fun family title, and just may make that special little someone you know a happy camper this holiday.

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor