The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr Blowhole Returns - Again! Review

The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again is a great new game that features all of your favorite characters from the hit Nickelodeon series including all of Team Penguin (Skipper, Kowlaski, Rico and Private), King Julien, Maurice, Mort and Marlene; and with three original episodes you can interact with, it's sure to be a prized possession for Penguins fans. The new and original story is based around, as you would expect by the title, Dr. Blowhole attempting to conquer the world with his lobster minions yet again. Dr. Blowhole never gives up, and it's up to the player to stop him from taking over the world.

Let's start with the most obvious part of the game, the graphics. Simply put, the graphics are fantastic. The character animations are very well done and the 12 levels that you can play are very detailed and quality enivornments. The attention to detail (take a look at the included screen shots and trailer), which are often times overlooked, is particularly attractive. If you pay careful attention during the game, you will notice some of the smallest details being included which adds to the overall gaming experience. The levels take place inside and outside of the zoo, with the final level being none other than Dr. Blowhole's Lair. You'll definitely enjoy the finale, but we won't spoil it for you in this review.

Not to be outdone, the sound effects are equally appealing as are the voice-overs. Many times when we set out to review a game based on a movie or series, we get worried because they are often put together without much thought. This leaves you, as the game playing consumer, with a very bland gaming experience. Happily, this is not the case this time around. This game doesn't feel like another quick production that is designed for profit and takes advantage of a series loyalty. Rather, it's an excellent game, with a story that fits in very well with the series, and unlike so many games that are based around a popular series, this one seems totally authentic right down to using the original voice cast from the Nickelodeon hit.

On Kinect for Xbox 360, you have a couple of unique options. First, you can join Team Penguin as the newest recruit, and by using your own body via the Kinect as a controller, you move through a series of obstacles and navigate hazards as quickly as possible. This experience is taking advantage of something that only the Kinect offers, and it does it well. With so many people being more sedentary, this will get kids on their feet without even knowing it. Another cool Kinect-only feature is Kowalski’s Trivia game and something called "Julien’s Critique". This allows you to submit your own gameplay snapshots, taken with the Kinect, to King Julien himself. They are small but worthwhile additions.

This game should provide hours of family entertainment, and the Kinect features are definitely a positive. We can't emphasize enough how nice it is to play a game that is so true to the series. A fantastic job all the way around.

Penguins of Madagascar Dr. Blowhole Returns Again Trailer

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Penguins of Madagascar Dr. Blowhole Returns Again Achievements

There are 44 achievements with a total of 1000 points.

Chameleon Collector 50G
Find all chameleons in the game.

Most Recent Ultimate Lizards 25G
Find all twelve chameleons in the “Dr. Blowhole!?” story.

Dolphin Trainer 15G
Earn a Silver Peanut Butter Winkie on every level in the “Dr. Blowhole!?” story.

Dolphin Domination 30G
Earn a Gold Peanut Butter Winkie on every level in the “Dr. Blowhole!?” story.

Operation Complete 80G
Complete all levels in The Penguins of Madagascar.

Operation Super Complete 120G
Complete all levels in The Penguins of Madagascar on Hard.

Dr. Blowhole!? 50G
Complete all levels in the “Dr. Blowhole!?” story.

Crystal Staff of the Lemurkhamen 50G
Complete all levels in the “Crystal Staff of the Lemurkhamen” story.

Revenge of the Robo-Penguins 50G
Complete all levels in the “Revenge of the Robo-Penguins” story.

Archaeologist 15G
Earn a Silver Peanut Butter Winkie on every level in the “Crystal Staff of the Lemurkhamen” story.

Robot Wrangler 30G
Earn a Gold Peanut Butter Winkie on every level in the “Revenge of the Robo-Penguins” story.

Mecha Chameleons 25G
Find all twelve chameleons in the “Revenge of the Robo-Penguins” story.

Robotologist 15G
Earn a Silver Peanut Butter Winkie on every level in the “Revenge of the Robo-Penguins” story.

Treasure Hunter 30G
Earn a Gold Peanut Butter Winkie on every level in the “Crystal Staff of the Lemurkhamen” story.

The Lizards of Lemurkhamen 25G
Find all twelve chameleons in the “Crystal Staff of the Lemurkhamen” story.

Having a Blast 15G
Get perfect on a Rico Explosive.

Monkey Business 15G
Get perfect on a Monkey Match.

Slip Slidin’ 15G
Get perfect on a Belly Slide.

Mad Knowledge 10G
Get perfect on a Trivia challenge.

Leapin’ Lizards! 15G
Get perfect on a Jump.

Penguins Can Fly! 20G
Get perfect on a Hang Time.

Take Your Best Shot 10G
Play the first Rico Target Challenge.

Trivia Dabbler 10G
Played Marlene’s Trivia.

Hacker Supreme 20G
Get perfect on a Head Maze.

Poser 20G
Get perfect on a Strike A Pose.

Blast Off 20G
Get perfect on Rico’s Launch.

Feeling Jumpy? 10G
Jump (non-challenge) ten times in one level.

Perfection 30G
Get perfect on every challenge in a level.

Show Me How To Do That 50G
Get the awesomeness meter to x5 for 20 seconds.

Awesome Recruit 5G
Get the awesomeness meter to x5.

All Kinds of Awesome 20G
Get the awesomeness meter to x5 for 10 seconds.

Kick It With the King 10G
Play King Julien’s Dance Party.

Balancing Act 10G
Get perfect on a Balance.

Right On Target 10G
Hit 25 Throw Targets.

Over the Top 10G
Get perfect on a Climb.

Shake Your Rear End 20G
Score a total of 1,000,000 points in any song in King Julien’s Dance Party.

Say Cheese 10G
Play King Julien’s Critique.

Secret Achievements

Secret Achievement 5G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

Secret Achievement 5G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

Secret Achievement 5G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

Secret Achievement 5G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

Secret Achievement 5G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

Secret Achievement 5G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

Secret Achievement 5G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.