T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger

"Hyah!!! Enter the Tiger!!! Woahhh!!!"

This game was made by dreamworks interactive. Who would ever thought that a small gaming company could make this magnificent game? Unfortunately, T'ai Fu: wrath of the Tiger is another overlooked game by most gamers out there.

Story: 7/10
Meet T'ai Fu. A young tiger who is the last of his clan. He is raised and learned kung-fu by the Panda monks. Then, one day, a group of bad guys attacked the Panda temple. He wanted to know his past and his culture. So, he went on a journey around the land. There, he will meet several masters which will give him abilities along on his journey. Sure, the storyline has been used several times. But, hey, at least the story is decent.

Gameplay: 8/10
Now, this is where is at. This game is like a Beat 'em up with a 3D platforming feeling. The controls are very easy to master. So, you shouldn't have a problem there. As you go on, you'll learn styles by several masters. Some styles are meant for combat while others are meant for traversing terrains. The good thing is that you use all the styles. You can even do several combination of attacks. Also, you find elememtal scrolls to support your combat skills. The level designs are quite decent. Even though the level designs are not that dull, the stages can sometimes be repetitive. Most of the stages, you have to defeat a certain number of enemies to move on to the next stage.

There are two difficulties. The Difficulty settings are Easy and Normal. Unfortunately, there is no hard mode. The difficulty throughout this game is a easy to a medium depnding on the player. The thing that makes this game a bit easier is that, when you keep dying at a certain point, they give you a hint. Overall the gameplay is pretty decent.

Graphics and visuals: 9/10
The graphics are kinda outdated these days. But, who cares the graphics being outdated. The visuals are quite spectactcular. All the levels has this unique touch. The forest, the rivers and other enviroments are beatifully illustrated.

The camera angles are not that spectactular. Sometimes when you try to get something, the enviroment sometimes gets in the way.

Sounds: 10/10
The music is very well done. Most of the music suits the atmosphere and the theme of the game. They did a great job for the voice acting department. The voice actor who did T'ai Fu, has done a marvelous job. Also, the none of other characters are off. What baffles me is that when they talk, the voice is not following the body and the mouth. Are they tring to make it look like it is dubbed? Oh, well. No big deal.

Replayablity: 5/10
This is one of those games that you wished that it is a lot longer. When you play this for the first time, it'll take you about 8 to 12 hours to beat it. Playing this for the second time, it'll take you roughly 4 to 5 hours.

Rent or buy?
Either one is fine. But, I strongly recomend to rent this game. These days you can buy this game for about $7 to $15 depending where you are from.

Conclusion
Although T'ai Fu is a teen game, it is very enjoyable for most gamers out there including young audiences. Whether you wanted to get a break from RPG's or a fan of Beat 'em ups, you'll enjoy this game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/04