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Madagascar for PlayStation 2
Madagascar for PlayStation 2 is a platform adventure starring the four zoo animals from the animated film. Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman leave New York and arrive on an island where their familiar way of life offers little help. You run, jump and tackle enemies in chapters that each focus on a different animal. The journey takes you through the zoo, city streets and a cargo ship to the wilds of Madagascar.
Each animal has its own moves. Alex uses his claws and roar, Marty can kick and sneak, Gloria charges at obstacles and Melman spins his long neck. Collecting three Power Cards teaches you a new ability. You then work out how that move helps with the next barrier. The tasks alternate between jumping, hitting objects, finding a route and reacting to danger.
You play the main adventure alone. Along the way you collect coins and health items, while short challenges interrupt the platforming. In the Zoovenir Shop you spend coins on extras such as costumes and minigames. Chapter selection lets you revisit completed sections and look for items you missed. Separate activities, including Tiki Golf, also give you something to do beyond following the story. The journey is therefore built around clear goals and an ever-changing set of animal actions.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Madagascar for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Madagascar
Toys for Bob developed Madagascar for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube; Activision released the game in 2005 around the first DreamWorks film. The American launch was announced on 25 May. The project was part of a wider agreement between Activision and DreamWorks from 2003, which also covered games based on Shark Tale and Over the Hedge. The adaptation thus belonged to a longer-established collaboration between a film studio and a game publisher.
Shortly before launch, Activision announced its acquisition of Toys for Bob. The two companies had already been working together since 2002. Madagascar therefore arrived at a turning point for the developer: the studio made the console adventure while also becoming part of the publisher. Other teams worked on the licence for PC and handheld systems. The PS2 release belongs to the three-dimensional console design in which the different animals receive their own chapters and moves.
The game uses the escape from the zoo and the journey to Madagascar as its starting point, but also adds encounters and playable situations of its own. Film humour becomes roaring, sneaking and overcoming obstacles. The original PS2 manual shows how collectible cards and the Zoovenir Shop add another layer of rewards. Besides progressing through the story, you can replay chapters and use earned coins to unlock more content.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Over the Hedge for PS2 also gives animals from a DreamWorks film their own attacks and collecting tasks. There you carry out food raids through suburban neighbourhoods with two characters at once, optionally alongside a second player. Madagascar divides its solo adventure into chapters with different protagonists. Both turn animal traits into tools for overcoming obstacles, but the gardens and secured houses in Over the Hedge place more emphasis on fighting together and avoiding traps.
Open Season for PS2 lets Boog and Elliot drive hunters out of the forest with help from other animals. Boog picks things up and throws them, whereas Madagascar alternates between the moves of four zoo residents. Both combine platforming sections with short activities and larger action scenes. Open Season ties new abilities to earned points and the Wild Academy; Madagascar has you find Power Cards to learn additional moves.
Bee Movie Game for PS2, like Madagascar, offers an animal's perspective on human environments. Barry flies through New York, dodges dangers and takes on various jobs in the hive. Madagascar mainly has you run, jump and attack within separate chapters. Both offer minigames and collectible rewards. Barry's recurring workplaces provide a fixed base, however, while the zoo animals travel ever farther from the city towards the island.
Barnyard for PS2 also revolves around talking film animals, but there you create your own cow and explore a farm and its surrounding areas. Tasks, a BMX and the cycle of day and night determine what you do. Madagascar uses its four established protagonists and a series of clearly defined chapters. Both games feature separate activities; Barnyard mainly has you return to familiar residents, while Madagascar changes locations and playable animals more often.
Shrek 2 for PS2 gives a group of fairy-tale characters different abilities for overcoming obstacles. You switch between team members during the adventure, whereas Madagascar puts a particular animal in the spotlight in each chapter. In Shrek 2, up to four players can work together; three or four require a PS2 Multitap and additional controllers. Madagascar keeps its main story single-player. Both interrupt the regular action with short tasks built around a particular character.
