Shrek 2s storyline follows a similar, but slightly different plot compared to that of the movie. Shrek and Fiona are on a journey to the Kingdom of Far Far Away to visit Fiona's parents. Shrek's in-laws aren't too thrilled that a crude ogre is married to their beloved daughter, Fiona, so the battle for acceptance ensues. The game also covers things not shown in the film. Plot elements are delivered primarily through a storybook interface shown before each level.
Gameplay
For the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox version of the game, the player is able to play as Shrek or his friends throughout the game, and travel through 11 levels, while being able to switch between the four characters available in each level. In each level, the player controls a team of four characters, and can switch between them at any point. Each character has a unique ability that aids them in fighting enemies or moving through the environment. The game is broken into different chapters, each with their own set of goals. One chapter might require the player to make sure three blind mice safely make their way to the witch's house. Another chapter might have the player act as a deputy in Far, Far Away Land—collecting bits of Humpty Dumpty, stealing treasure from a troll, helping the police clear out rioting hooligans from the streets, escorting Cinderella while she window-shops for a glass slipper, or ridding the town of the Pied Piper's rat infestation, collecting chickens for a stew, or battling Puss in Boots via timed button presses. Players play mini-games that the player will have to complete when the player isn't travelling on hazardous paths from point A to point B. Challenges that require the player his/her entire party include having to punch chickens into cook pots or a pen, escorting characters through a stage, and collecting fairies, jewels, etc. The second type of mini-game, dubbed "Hero Time," gives one character a challenge to complete, usually emphasizing that character's particular skills displayed in the movie. Donkey at one point has to chase a fleeing onion wagon while riding on the back of Dragon. Fiona holds a private concert for a flock of black birds she's collecting for a pie. Shrek has to throw a bunch of thugs into a paddy wagon. The Game Boy Advance version is a side-scroller with graphics resembling the Donkey Kong Country series, developed by Vicarious Visions. The game is separated into five chapters with a bonus level if you collect all of the coins in each level. The story of the game is a compressed version of the movie it is based on. The playable characters are Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Human Shrek and Gingerbread Man, each with their own unique set of skills.
Development
Shrek 2 was created by Luxoflux and KnowWonder and published by Activision in 2004. The game is based on the 2004 animated film of the same name by DreamWorks. TDK Mediactive showed the game at the E3 convention in May 2003. Activision announced on December of that same year that they would be working with DreamWorks to develop and publish video games based on the upcoming Shrek 2 movie, before they released the first trailer for the game in Spring of 2004. Two versions of the game were released for the PC; one developed by KnowWonder for younger audiences using Unreal Engine 2, and the other a port of the original console release under the title Shrek 2: Team Action which was developed by Beenox.
Soundtrack
The score for the game was composed by Kevin Manthei and Kevin Riepl. The soundtrack album consists of 58 tracks with over 65 minutes of score. It was released on May 6, 2004, by KMM Productions.
Reception
Every version of Shrek 2 received mixed reviews from critics. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 72.56% and 72 out of 100 for the Game Boy Advance version; 72.27% and 70 out of 100 for the GameCube version; 71.92% and 71 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version; 71.29% and 72 out of 100 for the Xbox version; 62.90% and 55 out of 100 for the PC version; and 49% for the Mobile version. IGN reviewer Mary Jane Irwin called the GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 versions of Shrek 2 "an amusing jaunt into the world of the movie," and Craig Harris, another reviewer of IGN, called the GBA version "an absolute treat, especially for those who dig the artstyle of the film," though he stated it to be "nothing new." The game, along with fellow movie sequel based game published by Activision, Spider-Man 2, shipped more than 5 million units combined and were the best-selling titles of May and June, respectively. In the United States, Shrek 2s Game Boy Advance version sold 700,000 copies and earned $18 million by August 2006. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 35th highest-selling game launched for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable in that country. By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of Shrek 2 had sold 850,000 copies and earned $26 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 70th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined console sales of the Shrek series reached 2.5 million units in the United States by July 2006.
