On top of the single-player platforming mode, there are also quite a few mini-game style multiplayer modes as well. Although they aren’t incredibly deep, there are some fun competitive modes like Sloth Says (which is a variation on Simon Says) and Sloth Barge, which challenges you to knock off a small iceberg using snowballs. In addition to these, there are six other multiplayer modes (each limited to two players). However, the game does not give you these multiplayer modes automatically, and you will have to purchase them in-game, or unlock them by completing advanced levels.

As far as graphics are concerned, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs fares pretty well. The character models do a good job of recreating the look of the familiar faces from the movie, and I was surprised at the level of detail on some of the characters. The animation was also very impressive, and the game’s cutscenes featured a consistent framerate and smooth textures. However, even though these aspects looked good, I couldn’t help notice that the background visuals were a little bit lacking, and the environments didn’t have much variation. Still, the game does look decent overall, especially considering it is based on a kids’ movie.

One aspect of this title that was quite surprising was the quality of the sound. Anyone who has played a number of movie-inspired titles knows that voiceovers generally consist of a number of sound-alikes standing in for the actors from the original movie. However, I was impressed to learn that many of the actors from the actual film, including Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, and John Leguizamo reprised their roles for the game. However, even though the voiceover is nice, the background music is a little lacking and very repetitive.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, like the movie of the same name, it won’t win any awards for breaking the mold or taking any gameplay risks. But the game accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, and I can’t really complain about that. There are plenty of fun movie-inspired platforming levels, and the unlockable multiplayer modes certainly add some replay value. If you or someone you know loves the Ice Age franchise, then this game will certainly please fans without giving them too much of a challenge.

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor