It's not unusual for music to be the most positive aspect of video games based on new movies these days. Even when developers don't have enough time to polish other facets of their game and still match the film's release date, the original scores somehow still get the resources and attention needed to really shine. In some cases – like last year's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – a game score can even surpass its film counterpart by a healthy margin.
In the case of Space Chimps, this trend has been taken to an extreme. While the film (which hits theaters July 18th) features a relatively unknown lead composer plus contributions by the Blue Man Group (!), the game boasts a lavish live orchestral score by Hollywood veteran John Frizzell.
Tim from Tech Olive writes, "Today, I tap into my childish nature and try a game that no self-respecting gamer would ever attempt. It's time to go from CoD4 to Space Chimps. As the name suggests, Space Chimps is a video game adaption of the recent animated movie. I never bothered to see the movie, so I might be a bit out of my element here, but that won't stop me!"
Nintendo fansite DS-x2.com put Space Chimps for Nintendo DS to the test. With a score of about 6/10, Space Chimps features nice visuals and solid platforming action. On the downside, it also brings in poor flying sections and terrible touch-screen controls.
Square-Go Writes:
"You jump, swing and battle your way through the levels - Ham punching and kicking at the King's army, and Luna flying with butterfly wings and shooting goo from a little alien she befriends! Swing on the vines to get through the jungle, but if none are obvious a sticky green substance on nearby walls can assist. Look out for creatures who don't try to attack you, they will give you a helping hand, and help you progress through the game. The bananas scattered all over the place have healing properties, and statues of Zartog himself, when activated, will present you with a Zartog head. These will enable you to progress in the game; the little bright blue and yellow heads act as keys, and the larger heads as weights. Saving any golden bananas will give you buying power later. Also, remember that although water is frequently dangerous, it is sometimes the only way to get ahead."
"On the downside, older gameplayers may find the game a bit repetitive, but all in all, Space Chimps works pretty well - good movie, good game. So do think you got the skill to save Malgor?! Because if you do, you'd better hurry and…unleash your inner chimp!"
