Happy Feet (Wii, 2006)

Video game adaptations of animated movies are generally notorious for being of poor quality, offering very little in the form of content and/or replay value. Happy Feet was, surprisingly enough, one of the Wii's original launch titles over two years ago. There are some surprisingly good aspects about the game but no matter how you look at it, most will find that it's still not worth paying for.

Through the game's Story Mode, players will go through a total of 33 stages, completing various objectives to advance the game's storyline. Each objective falls under one of three categories: Dancing, Belly-Sleeding or Swimming.

The dancing stages are somewhat reminiscent of the gameplay you'd see in Dance Dance Revolution. Players move the controller Up, Down, Left or Right in the direction that the arrows indicate as they reach the Arrow Meter at the top of the screen. Unless you're below the age of 8, you should stick with Hard mode as it does add a bit more challenge. But even on this setting, the game is still very easy once you realize that you can shake your controller rapidly. It's not exactly surprising as the game is oriented to younger audiences but still, it can get boring.

In Belly-sledding, players engage in downhill races either against an opponent or a timer by holding the Wii Remote sideways. You simply tilt the controller Left and Right to move in the desired direction, and press the 1 Button to jump if need be. It would be rather disgraceful if the developers weren't able to get the motions down right but thankfully, they do work surprisingly well. Additionally, if you hold the 1 Button and swing/tilt the Wii Remote whilst in the airm you can perform a trick which will nab you a speed boost if you land it properly. Stages are pretty spacious, containing winding paths, big jumps and even scenery that looks rather nice. Overall, this is the best aspect about the game simply because of how much fun it can be for younger audiences.

Swimming, the third main gameplay feature, is an on-rails affair that actually proves to be not only fun but also very challenging for children. Swimming over bubbles will replenish your Air Meter but to be honest, you'll rarely come close to running out since they appear rather frequently. The game also contains a nice speed boost system that really makes the game more enjoyable than it otherwise would've been. Swimming into a whirlpool will give you a very quick speed boost that will fill your Boost Meter to Level 1. If you can get three in a row, your Boost Meter will rise to the highest level and so long as you don't miss a whirlpool, you'll travel at a consistent, quick speed that really makes this aspect about the game fun. Although this fast-paced system is very difficult for a child to master in later stages, it can also be very rewarding.

Even if you're a big fan of the movie (like I am), the game still doesn't offer much to come back to beyond achieving Gold Medals which aren't even worth going for anyway. If you're a parent looking for a game that their child can play to get used to the Wii Remote's controls, Happy Feet can actually be rather good for that purpose. Admittedly, some elements are fun such as the Swimming and Belly-Sledding missions, but in spite of these redeeming aspects, the game isn't even worth $20.

+++++++++

Visit Wiiloveit.com for a full review of this title, as well as other releases:
http://www.wiiloveit.com/​games/happy-feet---wii-review

This game is sheer amazing! The tap dancing game play is out of this world. It brings tears to my eyes as I get to control a happy like penguin to tap dancing god hood. I strongly recommend this game. 10 out of 10.

This game is good for kids of all ages. If you love the movie you should get the game. This is not for people that are looking for intense action. This game has mumble as the main character doing some dances. Contains some mini games. Great game to get your kids busy for hours.

The characters voices where not the same as in the original movie and the game play is very senseless, I bought it for my 2 year old daughter. She's just happy that she gets to move mumble around on her own.

This game is based on a movie no one really knows about. 4 some reason, some companies risk the gameplay of the game for the sole purpose of the title and to make some quick cash. buy at own risk.