This is a high quality 3D platform game!
This is a traditional 3D platform game developed by Eurocom. The same developers of The World is Not Enough 007 (N64), Spyro: A Hero's Tail, and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. They know how to make high quality licenced games, and they've been doing it for years. So, that's one reason why I knew that I'd like this game! The game is based around the film. Each level is opened with Sid or Diego telling Peaches (Manny's baby daughter) about their adventures.
The gameplay is excellent! There is great variety, and there are six playable characters; you will mostly play as Sid in the earlier levels and then Buck later on in the game. They have the the traditional 3D platform levels. Scrat and Scratte have 2D platform levels that are inspired by levels from Donkey Kong Country! There are a couple of levels where Sid runs from a dinosaur, and one where you chase another animal as Diego. There's some levels where you fly around on a pterosaur, one that's reminiscent of sidescroller games like R-Type. There is eighteen levels. In each level, you can collect berries and pears, which can be used to purchase things at Fast Tony's shop. There are crystals that can be collected in every level, as well (and can also be purchased in the shop). Buck has the best levels; he has cool weapons (like a pineapple launcher and plant spray), and a cool whip! In some parts of his levels, he can quickly jump from one place to another and also run along walls! The controls are great! The motion controls are for things like the ground slam and wrangling a tree stump to find the berries and pears. You can go into aim mode by pressing the C button, and use the Wii Remote as a pointer! The motion controls are very responsive, and there's not much "waggle."
The visuals are very nice! The environments are lush and the colors are vibrant. Nothing is blurry, and it's all quite detailed. The music is very good and perfect for this game; the sound is great. The game has the same voice actors from the film (except for Diego). They are funny! There's a reference to Star Fox in one level where you're flying the pterosaur through a cave! The character Eddie says "Do a Barrel Roll!" The game has very high quality music, sound and voice acting. I plan to play the game again, to collect crystals that I missed in some the levels. These crystals unlock 3D character models, concept art, voice tracks, level music, and clips and scenes! So, that will be great incentive to play the levels more than once! This game features a multi-player mode for up to 4 players (though I haven't played it). So, there's a lot of value in this game.
This game is great for everyone! If you want a very fun 3D platform game, then I HIGHLY recommend it! We need more third party platform games like this for Wii!