Metacritic Games

Over the Hedge (GameCube)

When a housing development intrudes on their woodland habitat and an opossum is kidnapped by an evil exterminator, three wise-cracking rodents and one very neurotic reptile invade the 'burbs in a quest to rescue their friend. Battle the exterminator and his army of mind-controlled mammals, and save the forest (and your own hide) from the world’s peskiest critter-man. [Activision]

Activision
Action, Platform
Players: 2
E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)
Developer: Edge of Reality
Released May 9, 2006

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

61 / 100

Critic Reviews

83 PGNx Media
The mixture of action, stealth, and minigames will keep your attention for the game’s direction. The solid gameplay is made better because of the excellent presentation.
80 ZTGameDomain
If you’re expecting a heavy storyline with complicated characters, Over the Hedge is not your cup o’ tea…it’s a morality tale, the good guys are good, the bad guys are bad…and a happy ending is inevitable.
80 Gaming Nexus
While it lacks the portable entertainment value of the GBA version, so does it also lack the tears of frustration that can result with kids who don't deal well with unresponsive controls.
78 Next Level Gaming
Not a bad game, especially if you are a parent looking for something other than the latest shoot-em-up or blood-filled monster game.
72 GameZone
Kids that enjoyed the movie will probably enjoy playing, although parents may want to check out Kao 2 instead, which while not a better game in technical terms, was just more fun to play in our opinion.
71 Game Chronicles
It won’t win any awards for originality, but with quality visuals, outstanding voice acting, and challenging gameplay, Over the Hedge is guaranteed to entertain and delight young and old alike, and should make the perfect companion piece to the upcoming film.
70 Play Magazine
It's packed with missions and objectives, clever yet straightforward level design and delivers co-op and single player switch-on-the-fly movie derivative critter-foolery. [July 2006, p.72]
68 Cheat Code Central
The humor and style of the film translate well here and are helpful in filling the gaps where the simplistic gameplay and rushed mini-game mode fall short.
65 Worth Playing
One line in the game struck me as particularly amusing: One of the animals sarcastically asks, "What's more fun than doing something over and over again?" I had to write it down, as it perfectly described my own attitude towards the title.
65 IGN
As it stands, Over the Hedge is entertaining enough to hold its own, and that is a victory in itself.
64 N-Insanity
OTH is nothing new, but nothing incredibly bad. If you’re looking for a simple drive down leisure lane, then this is it. If you’re looking for an overall competent game that adds a little humor to boot, then here you go. Just don’t expect anything revolutionary.
60 NintendoWorldReport
While definitely not the sort of game that makes you spaz when you hear about it, Over the Hedge does deliver on the goal of all movie games. That is, to not be a complete pile of garbage.
60 G4 TV
The game isn’t particularly original, creative, or inspired, but for fans of the movie and parents looking for an entertaining, if harmless division for their kids, this is a good choice.
60 Nintendo Power
Although the game has its share of jumping challenges, Over The Hedge is primarily about one thing: Beating stuff into oblivion. [July 2006, p.94]
60 Kombo
The animations are the only real high point, everything else is pretty bland.
58 NGamer UK
Thumbs up for the two-player co-operative system that's perfect for mum or dad and the kids. [Aug 2006, p.66]
58 GameShark
If there's one true complaint we could lodge against Over The Hedge, it's the game's real lack of camera control.
56 GameSpot
A few unique touches are overshadowed by crushingly dull gameplay in this perfunctory animated movie tie-in.
45 eToychest
Over The Hedge's quality ranges from decidedly below average to outright terrible, and you can almost hear the executives at DreamWorks and Activision trying to squeeze every cent out of the license instead of making an entertaining game.
40 Games Radar
Even for kids, Over the Hedge is absurdly frustrating with its busted camera and indoctrinating logo-storm.
33 Game Revolution
This formulaic title just has very little to offer. It’s certainly a pale copy of whatever the movie has going for it, minus the star power, plot, humor and soul.

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