Is Shrek the Third for the Nintendo DS a video game worth buying, or does it stink so bad, that Shrek himself would even be repulsed by it? Find out here, in this review of Shrek the Third for the Nintendo DS.
Shrek, Shrek, Shrek... Why Is He So Popular?
When the first Shrek movie came out, it seemed that you couldn't go anywhere without seeing his green face. But as the movies wore on, they lost a bit of steam. Now, that doesn't mean that kids still don't love Shrek, and it doesn't mean that Shrek games aren't still popular. I mean, there are tons of great online Shrek games for kids, so do you really need Shrek games for your DS? Let's take a look into Shrek the Third for the Nintendo DS before you head out to buy it though, just in case you don't want to waste your money.
Shrek the Third for Nintendo DS: The Plot
The reason for wanting a movie based video game like Shrek the Third for Nintendo DS is the fact that Shrek is a likable character, and a fun movie, with a mildly gross, yet obvious sense of comedy. I personally caught each and every Shrek movie that Disney threw at us, and frankly I'd happily swallow up any movie they may release in the future.
Unfortunately though, I played Shrek the Third for Nintendo DS before watching the movie. This was probably a mistake because new characters were introduced into the games plot, which made it slightly confusing and too new for my likings.
The plot is basic and easy to follow just like in other Shrek games, but nonetheless a newbie character was added to my list of hero's, and it took me a hot moment to devour the fact that he was a friend and not a foe.
Donkey basically pops up first and foremost on the screen, and begins to tell us a long and boring tale about what is happening, why it is happening, and what our quest is. I immediately wanted to mash buttons just to get to the game play, because the beginning introduction was long, boring, drawn out, and did not feature an ounce of Donkey's humor which we all know and love from the movies. If there was any comedy during the introduction to the plot in Shrek the Third for the Nintendo DS, I must have tuned it out.
Our quest is relatively simple, we first begin with seeking out the heir to the thrown back at the kingdom. You see the King has fallen ill, and Shrek is sent out to find Fiona's cousin Artie, who is the next remaining heir to the thrown.
Anyhow, along the way Donkey is turned into a parfait; yes folks, you see my dilemma? Donkey has been turned into a edible yogurt parfait. I know, I didn't think a plot could suffer more greatly than that one, but this is what we are presented with.
Naturally, while away the kingdom is once again taken over by Prince Charming.
With the really ridiculously pathetic storyline aside, I was hoping that the game play would offer something of more entertaining substance. Unfortunately I was dead wrong. The plot was bad, and the game play worse.
Game Play
Rating 
Our hero's at the very beginning of the game include Shrek, Puss and Boots, and our new heir to the thrown Artie. What makes the game play so poor is the fact that you have to use each character during different specific sections of the game. Puss and Boots can jump really high, so you will need to switch over to his character whenever you need to access a high platform.
Shrek has the ability to slam himself into enemies, and he is the only one who can smash through walls or rocks. If there is a barricade of fallen rocks, you will need to switch over to Shrek in order to break through on to the next part in the game.
Artie carries a dagger and is able to throw the dagger at enemies while keeping a safe distance away. He can also stab enemies at close range, but it's best to stay far away. I found Artie to be mildly useless considering the fact that his dagger is not very efficient at throwing, or stabbing. Artie also comes packed with a shield in order to block oncoming attacks, or to throw it at them.
Now the game play may not sound all too horrendous, but it is. At first the non-stop switching of characters is not that bad, and the graphics are nice enough to make you think that Shrek the Third is a good game, but eventually the repetitive switching gets tedious and very frustrating.
You can link up with the other characters when you are playing as 1. They will follow you like zombies when you are linked up, but the issue with this is that if you step ahead just a few short steps the link vanishes, and the other characters will remain where they are motionless. Having to go back to link up with the other character's is really annoying, especially when you find you are doing it consistently throughout the game. If you do not link up, you will have to go all the way back to where the character last was.
Basically you have to work together in order to solve the scenes puzzle, in order to advance on to the next puzzle scene. It has a very similar connection to the way you must play LEGO video games. Shrek the Third for the DS is a game that is a combination of puzzle/adventure.
Donkey is not one of the main characters you will be using, but you can summon him whenever you are stuck or feel the need for help and assistance. Donkey will show up, freeze enemies, or levitate your character. I found that I did not need to summon him because the enemies in the game are far and wide spread. Basically you will only see 4 or so enemies on every level. Shrek and Artie can easily wipe out the enemies with little to no effort.