Graphically, Shrek is average at best. Somehow, the decent graphics fail to impress for a game based on a computer-animated feature film. The animation works fairly well for most of the game, with the glaring exception of when Shrek has to pick up a barrel; at which point he looks like the hunchback of Notre Dame for no apparent reason.
The one item the game does get correct is the presentation of the story, done in the form of a puppet show… of a puppet show. The clever paper-cut-out art design stands apart from the rest of the game as a shining example of how much fun the game could have been. The game does feature some solid voice acting, however, there are a few strange instances where the voice suddenly seems to be from a different actor altogether. Despite the accurate depictions of the characters, Shrek The Third never feels as funny or entertaining as the film, with jokes constantly falling flat.
What lasting appeal the game has comes from some decent Achievement Point goals and unlockables available for purchase with in-game money found along the way. The un-lockables available for purchase from the in-game store range from an added difficulty level (Grimm) to entertaining costumes the characters can change into during play, such as the stuffy royal suit for Shrek and dragon costume for Donkey. None of the items in the store are mandatory to complete the game, but the costume changes help add a little variety to the otherwise bland game.
The game earns some kudos for making it a chore to receive all 1,000 Achievement Points, but at six hours tops for most gamers to complete the game the first time though all the points could conceivably be earned over a weekend rental; which is what this game is recommended for, at most. Since one of the achievements is for beating the game on the cleverly-named Grimm difficulty, not available until after purchase from the store, gamers in search of all the points in the shortest time-span will quickly earn the coins needed and start over as fast as possible; to avoid having to play the game through twice.
While it may have ruined the film-to-game consistency, Shrek The Third could have been a much better experience with some multi-player over Live. The game offers limited multiplayer support on the same console in the form of mini-games, such as the castle-smashing catapult mini-game found in the regular game. Although it lacks a deep battle system and has some clunky supporting characters, allowing players to fight online with friends as Shrek and Donkey together would make this a much more memorable experience. As it stands, the game only warrants a one and a half time through run; something gamers can accomplish over short weekend.
It is hard to imagine even young children, who this game is clearly aimed at, finding Shrek The Third enjoyable for more than a week. There is certainly worse film tie-in available on the 360, but this game is far from worth your time. With all the big-green propaganda surrounding this summer's biggest animated feature, some of you may be tempted to give this a whirl. If you must have some Shrek memorabilia, Save yourself about $40 and pick up some McDonalds glasses for $5 instead.
