| Madagascar: Kartz (Nintendo DS) |  | From: Activision
Category: Video Games
List Price: £14.99
Buy New: £14.97
as of 9/9/2010 10:11 CEST details
You Save: £0.02
New (5) Used (1) from £11.49
Seller: gamemonkey
Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 9,884
Format: Unknown format
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: car-and-truck-racing-games
Media: Video Game
Operating System: No Operating System
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.8
MPN: 10055370
EAN: 5030917076022
Release Date: November 6, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Come on, let's move it! Fun for the whole family, Madagascar Kartz is a kart/racing game set against the backdrop of the popular DreamWorks animated franchise of the same name.
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| Customer Reviews:
Very similar to Mario Kart November 8, 2009
L. Hennessy (Twickenham)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
When you first play this, you'll be struck by how similar it is to the Mario Kart racing game - this in itself is not a bad thing necessarily. After all, Mario Kart is one of the most successful games on the DS in terms of sales and playability, so they can hardly be blamed for trying to repeat a successful formula. It will find it tough to live up to comparisons, though.
It has the same mystery crates (with weapons that do very similar things too; the rocket in MK is a helicopter in this one, the bomb is a coconut and so on), a similar 'jump' form of drift to take corners quickly; it's all very familiar. The game differs in that you don't just win by coming first - you have to get points. Most of these are awarded for collecting mangoes, although you get some for performing barrel rolls or 360s when jumping. It just doesn't have the instant hold on you when you play it that Mario Kart does. Races are contested by only four characters compared to 8 on Mario. The music ('I Like to Move It') gets a bit tedious after a while, but thankfully it can be turned off.
Graphically the game takes more after Crash Bandicoot with its bright colours and angular styling, rather than Mario's softer, smoother style - at times it can be hard to make out which way you're supposed to go, even with the sharp turn arrows to guide you. The controls feel slightly over-sensitive at times, and the scoring system isn't as easy to understand as it should be. The circuits aren't as well designed either - they seem shorter, and advantages can be gained (or lost) too easily.
It's probably unfair that this won't be judged on its own merits - it's just too similar to MK - and I don't think the developers should be marked down for trying to take the MK formula further - unfortunately it would take an extraordinary game to improve upon that, and this doesn't manage to do so.
Overall, I still think this is quite an entertaining game for the DS, but if you have Mario Kart there's no reason to get this unless you are desperate for a similar fix of karting - but beware; it's not quite in the same league. If you don't yet have Mario Kart (how is life on Mars, by the way?), then get that instead. Young children will find this more difficult to pick up and play, older players will find this a slightly less immersive experience.
But still worth a play, nevertheless. 3.5 stars.
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