One computer animated fish movie is never enough, so DreamWorks went ahead and made Shark Tale, a film that looks like the urban version of Finding Nemo.  It's got star power (Will Smith), music from successful artists (Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera), and the catchy tagline, "From the creators of Shrek."  That should be more than enough to sell millions of movie tickets this month.

A movie that makes millions is a non-interactive blockbuster without a game to go along with it.  Finding Nemo had considerable success with gamers when it was released last year, paving the way for a Shark Tale video game release.

I haven't played the console versions yet, but this Game Boy Advance adaptation is somewhat of an adventure game.  Unlike Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures, Shark Tale takes gamers on a journey of item collecting and fish battling.  You'll even get the chance to take on a shark in a button-mashing boxing match. 

This amounts to more of a "game" than its competitor, but that doesn't make it a whole lot better.  Like Nemo, Shark Tale suffers from MGD (mini-game disease).  Mini-games pop up in between the adventure stages, and they usually include the boring task of hitting one or two buttons at key game moments. 

Hit the A button.  Don't stop you fool, keep hitting it!  Now press B to hurdle. 

The mini-games aren't very fun, otherwise my tone of voice would exude a bit of enthusiasm.  I brought the boxing match so I might as well break the news: the shark plays dirty.  His attacks are normally slow (he pulls back his fist to gain strength, waits a few seconds, then unleashes a quick-and-deadly punch).  You can dodge his attacks by pressing up or down on the D-pad (swim upward to dodge uppercuts; downward to dodge his left hook).  The tricky part is timing it right, which isn't easy until you realize that the shark attacks are really slow.

Then you try to time everything correctly and avoid being attacked.  You're punching the shark and winning the fight.  Suddenly a punch comes out of nowhere and you lose a large portion of your energy bar.  What just happened?  His left hook – an attack that takes him time to wind up while being left alone – is miraculously able to come out of nowhere when being attacked.  Drive the A and B buttons to defeat this Jaws-wannabe. 

I didn't read the in-game description (none of the others were helpful – why would this one be any different?), but I think I can adlib.  This shark has a severe case of bad breath.  He ate some foul tuna, and now it's up to you to cleanse his tongue before his big date.

Whether or not my version of the story is true, the gameplay task is the same: sweep his tongue until it's clean.  How might we do this without getting on our hands and knees for some old-fashioned scrubbing?  Simply by watching for button icons to appear.  As the button reaches the circle in the middle of the screen, press it to sweep.  There, doesn't that feel better?  Maybe for the shark, but I doubt the game player is too happy.

There are other mini-games that use this same style of play.  Fans of music games like Parappa the Rapper might be fooled by this.  They might think that Shark Tale offers a comparable experience.  However, the aspect of interactive music is not present in Shark Tale (if it had been these mini-games might have worked).

The adventure portions of the game are half-decent, but still not worth the thirty-dollar price tag.  Half-decent should be translated to "At least it's not making me sleepy."  I like the controls and how Oscar (the main character) can punch and kick so freely.  I was also pleased to see that the game included a dash move to navigate each level more quickly.

What I don't like is the levels.  They're all pretty much the same, only differing slightly in the way they're laid out.  The layout isn't very good to begin with.  Ultimately what you end up with is several poorly constructed areas, none of which offer more than a smidgeon of real exploration.  The levels are linear (get from point A to point B), so the only time you get to explore is when you divert from the main path.  Doing so leads you to a dead end (and possibly a few extra items).

Finding Nemo is king in theaters, but Shark Tale is easily the better game.  Before you go out and buy it, keep in mind that better does not necessarily mean good.  Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures is a collection of mini-games.  Shark Tale is a collection of similar mini-games and a few adventure-type levels.  Both are boring, both are over-priced, and both will leave you completely unsatisfied.  In a world where games like Gungrave: Overdose retail for $14.99, you should expect a lot more from your thirty-dollar GBA cartridges.

Gameplay: 5
One part linear adventure game, one part repetitive mini-game, Shark Tale is a game you'll hope Santa doesn't bring.  The adventurous levels are dull, but it's the mini-games that drive the experience into the ground.  I don't feel like I'm playing a video game when my task is to press the A button as an icon lines up with a circle in the middle of the screen.

Graphics: 4
Bland scenery and characters with jagged edges.  The Game Boy Advance can do much prettier things.

Sound: 5
Hip-hoppin' techno-ish beats that come out better in the film, which is to be expected considering the difference in sound systems (GBA's single speaker can't compare to a movie theater's sound system).  Good try though.

Difficulty: Easy
Clearly this was designed for kids, though I'm not sure how much they'll enjoy playing it.  It won't take most kids long to beat it.

Concept: 5
Shark Tale falls apart when it puts too much emphasis on generic mini-games.  The repetitive adventure stages didn't help the situation.

Overall: 5
$30 game vs. $8 movie ticket.  Which is the better buy?  Let's look at the facts: the theater has the potential to provide you with anywhere from ninety minutes to three hours of big-screen entertainment.  A video game has the potential to provide you with anywhere from five to fifty hours of interactive entertainment, plus replay value.  Shark Tale (the game) does not have more than ten minutes of entertainment to offer.  Those ten minutes are mild and are not something you'll be rushing to tell your friends about.  The film, on the other hand, is about a couple hours long, gets you out of the house, and is a far superior way to spend a Friday night, a Sunday brunch, or a Monday afternoon.