Over the Hedge
Ever wondered what animals did when people weren't around?
Preview by Ken Horowitz (Email)
April 20th 2006
The Basics: Dreamworks has a brand-new animated feature film coming out this summer, and you just knew there were going to be games based on it!
Featuring an all-star cast (Avril Lavigne notwithstanding), Over the Hedge looks to bring all the charm and personality of the movie to consoles. Over thirty levels await players as they take on all the horrors of modern suburbia in an effort to free their captured friends, either alone (you can switch between two characters on the fly) or with a friend. There are mini games to unlock, and the game promises to go beyond the film, with new characters and scenarios.
What do we think? Considering that the movie hasn’t been released yet, I’m hesitant to emit an opinion about a game based on it. My initial impression is that is looks like a lot of the other licensed 3D platformers released in the last decade. I only hope that it goes the route of games like Scooby-Doo and Spongebob: The Movie, in that it actually be good. The reputation these types of games have earned over the years wasn’t merely the result of bad luck.
Even so, one thing can be made abundantly clear as of now: this game will sell. Kids go nuts for these films (I know mine does), and you can expect waves of parents to assault their local game stores to find a copy. Will it be worth the cash? GotNext will be there with a full review to find out!
