Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs review

Yay! More movie-themed item-collecting and platform-hopping! *Claps excitedly* We’re being sarcastic of course, viewers – Ice Age 3 really isn’t anything to get excited about. As with Up, this is packed with bits and bobs from the film (multiple characters, various locations) but it’s totally unoriginal in terms of gameplay and design. Short levels have jewels to collect, enemies to stamp on and the occasional boss to outwit. There are moving platforms, collapsing platforms and environmental elements that are supposed to add variety but are old-hat, such as vines to climb or poles to swing round.

The stages appear to encourage three-dimensional play, but too often invisible walls funnel you into a left-to-right route. And it’s all so angular. Given the quality of animation in films like Ice Age, why can’t the games look better? Still, at least this is short so you won’t have much time to get bored.

Aug 11, 2009