However, Kung Fu Panda, developed by Luxoflux, ends up being a pretty solid entry into the humdrum mix of movie games, despite being definitely geared towards the younger crowd. At its heart, Kung Fu Panda is a simple beat 'em up style game, spread across 13 different stages representing various scenes from the movie (with a few originals tossed in), but it's definitely not a simple button masher, and the bright, colorful style and solid animation should be enough to get people to at least check this title out for a bit.

The story revolves around the movie for the most part, so there's not any type of prequel information or any real revelations that haven't already been covered by the film. You control, for most of the game, the title character of Po, a bumbling do good Panda that stumbles into the biggest animal kingdom martial arts competition around. You're accompanied and occasionally belittled by your trainer, the diminutive Shifu, and a few other fellow fighters, some of which you'll get to control for small sections of the game.

Po's kung fu repertoire consists of simple button combos, all of which can be upgraded and enhanced by collecting coins spread out thru each level. After a level is completed you can shift these coins into your upgrades, and by the end of the game you'll be able to pack quite a wallop when going against most of the enemies.

There's also quite a variety when it comes to the enemies you'll encounter, with most levels having you face off against a certain type, whether that be boars, apes, crocs, or a variety of other animals taken from the film. The standard enemies aren't particularly bright, and you'll be able to finish them off pretty quickly. The overall difficulty of Kung Fu Panda is definitely on the light side, and I'm sure this is due to the target kid audience that the game is made for. Boss fights tend to be a bit more difficult, but they all come down to paying attention to simple patterns and learning to exploit openings, like most brawler style games you've probably played.

Visually, especially on the next gen systems, Kung Fu Panda does a great job of translating the animation work of Dreamworks to the small screen. Outside of some minor collision issues, the animation is pretty solid and doesn't seem to have many hiccups, which in turn makes the combat seem much more fluid and entertaining to watch. Even the voice acting, which isn't done by the main stars of the movie, is pretty solid. Some of the one liner quips that Po makes during the levels can get a bit annoying and repetitive at times, but all the cut scene acting is well done.

However, if you're looking for a title that will keep you busy for a week or two, Kung Fu Panda won't quite fit your needs. The difficulty is perfect for the younger crowd, but late teens on up won't find much more than a 6-hour romp here. There are some unlockables, mostly in the form of small mini-games that can be played with up to 4 local players (no online here), but at best these will only keep you busy until the slight novelty wears off. I wouldn't suggest paying full price for the title, but in a few months I imagine you can pick this one up for a sub $30 price, and I think it's at least worth checking out with a rental.