Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors (Wii, Nintendo DS)

Set after the events of the Kung Fu Panda movie (and video game of the same name), KUNG FU PANDA: LEGENDARY WARRIOR continues the story of the unlikely hero Po and his friends, a gang of honorable kung fu warriors known as the Furious Five. When the villain Tai Lung captures members of the Five in order to steal their chi and increase his own power, players must save them by brawling their way through waves of henchmen from Lung's gang and others.

In the Wii story mode , players can control either Po, Monkey, Tigress, or Shifu as a single-player or multiplayer co-op adventure. Unlocking Master and Legendary modes allows players to go through the story again with a stronger character. Progressing through story mode unlocks additional characters (up to 16) in Versus mode, where players are pitted against each other in Super Smash Bros.-style dust-ups.

The game is a more polished effort than the first Kung Fu Panda game on the Wii, but that's not exactly saying much. The gameplay is completely centered on fighting waves of bad guys, interrupted only by the occasional mini-game and a few lines of dialogue to move the paper-thin story ahead. Players shake the Wii remote and Nunchuk to perform various kicks, punches and special attacks, but the controls are so simplified and repetitive that combat quickly becomes tedious, and the constant vigorous shaking required will take a toll on both the equipment and the player's wrists.

Exotic music, humorous narrative by a darn good Jack Black sound-alike, and a fun if unsophisticated multiplayer mode are the highlights of this otherwise unremarkable brawler.