Kung Fu Panda

If you’re a stranger to the concept of Kung Fu Panda, then you might initially find it, er, a little strange. It’s true that few of us would readily associate the noble fighting technique with the Bamboo-chomping, cuddly-looking black and white bear but the unusual concept has been made into an animated film from DreamWorks Animation, the maestros behind Madagascar, Bee Movie and Shark Tale.

Kung Fu Panda has all the essential ingredients necessary to become the next big summer family hit and features a stellar cast list including the vocal talents of no less than Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lovejoy and Deadwood star Ian McShane and martial art legend Jackie Chan.

So what of this Kung Fu Panda, and what the devil is it all about? Well, it concerns a lazy Panda named Po. A committed Kung Fu fan, Po shirks work and generally gets away with doing nothing until, slightly unexpectedly, Po is chosen to fulfil an ancient Kung Fu prophecy to become the legendary Dragon Warrior. Before long the fate of his animal chums are in the hands of the amiable slacker as he defends the Valley of Peace against the diabolical evil of prison escapee and snow leopard Tai Lung.

With a dose of action and humour, gamers take on the villainous Lung and his evil minions, including the Great Gorilla and the Wu Sisters to restore harmony to the valley. Naturally, players engage the enemy in martial art moves, with six playable characters all of whom have special Kung fu moves to inflict on those naughty baddies.

Shifu, Po’s teacher, uses superior wisdom and speed to perform whirlwind attacks, for example, while Monkey’s spring-loaded attacks and explosive style make him one of the fastest Kung Fu fighters around.

The rest of the heroic bunch includes Tigress, sporting fluid and powerful and stylised combat moves like the Leaping Force and Tiger Charge Manoeuvres. Mantis, the smallest of the bunch, makes up for his diminutive size with some super strength moves that deliver powerful and paralysing strikes against foes, while Crane, the last of Po’s chums, serving up surface-to-air moves with a graceful and light footed delivery.

But the unlikely titular hero – Po the Panda – is the main draw for players over the 13 multi-stage levels. His signature ‘Panda Style’ manoeuvres make good use of his generous girth, including the Panda Quake, Panda Stumble and formidable sounding Iron Belly Blast. Panda players can earn awesome Kung Fu upgrades that increase the lazy panda’s strength, speed and agility as he becomes ever closer to becoming the powerful Dragon Warrior.

Aside from said Kung Fu, players get to solve puzzles and navigate dangerous and diverse environments in air, water and across land. Full of moments from the film and never-seen-before game exclusive content co-created by Dreamworks Animation, the game offers a whole new facet to the experience.

With unlockable characters and new moves to master there’s plenty to keep players interested. Kung Fu Panda also features multiplayer games where gamers can team up in co-op play to navigate tricky puzzles and enemies. Alternatively, players can fight against chums head-to-head in a wide variety of top-notch battle arenas.

Like the best of modern film animations, Kung Fu Panda does that tricky job of appealing to youngsters as well as providing enough jokes to keep adults interested, and that goes for the game as well as the film. With Po’s nice line in humour, quick-witted dialogue and amusing situations throughout, plus cuddly animals that pack a powerful punch (and high kick), Activison’s film-tie-in Kung Fu Panda boasts a huge helping of family appeal and is all set to be the next big child friendly hit for video gaming this summer.