DreamWorks Shark Tale

The tie-in economy of the early 2000s ran on a simple bargain: the film gets a game by the time it reaches cinemas, and the game gets whatever schedule is left. Shark Tale, released in 2004 alongside the DreamWorks animated film, comes straight out of that bargain. It borrows the film's undersea city, its fast-talking fish and its voice cast, and builds a game around Oscar, the small-time fish who lucks into a reputation as a shark slayer.

The structure leans on variety rather than depth. Missions mix brawling, racing through the reef and a handful of minigames, with the Whale Wash from the film serving as a recurring setting. The fighting is basic, built around a small set of attacks and a tail slap, and it asks for little more than steady button presses. The racing and the lighter challenges break things up, though none of them develops far enough to become the reason to keep playing.

That is typical of licensed games from this period, and it is not a harsh verdict so much as a description of the target audience. This was aimed at children who had just seen the movie, and for them a colourful reef, familiar characters and short tasks are the point. Difficulty is gentle. Co-operative and competitive play for a second player were part of the package, which suits a living-room game meant to be shared with a sibling.

Played now, the weak spots are easy to see. Repetition sets in early, the camera and controls feel loose by later standards, and the visuals, while bright, show the limits of a tight development window. What survives is the film's energy and a sense of place, since the reef city is more fun to look at than most tie-in worlds of its era.

It will not change anyone's mind about licensed games. It does show how much a recognisable setting could carry on a console that was already crowded, and how modest a game could be while still doing its job for a weekend rental.