What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this game is based on the Disney
TV movie
High School Musical 2. It allows players to become the
teens featured in the movie as they work during the summer at
the Lava Springs Resort. Not only can kids play the game, but
this cartridge also turns the DS into an MP3 player. There is
one minigame that can be shared with another who owns a DS, and
another two if you both own the game cartridge.
Families can talk about the popularity of the High School Musical brand. Why did these movies become so popular? When playing this game, which job assignments did you like best? Did you like the rhythm games or the arcade games best?
Common Sense Media Review
With HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2: WORK THIS OUT! kids get to
reenact the plot of the popular Disney TV movie
High School Musical 2
where teens Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, Chad, and
Taylor spend their summer working at Lava Springs Resort.
During the story-building vignettes, the characters appear in
the game as photos flashed across the top screen; but during
gameplay, they become avatars that you control. By the end of
the game, you will have walked (or danced) in all six
characters' shoes. The heart of the game is the Adventure mode,
where you relive six days of the summer spent at the resort. By
playing through the adventure, you unlock content to be used in
the other modes, which include Arcade (where you can play five
fun minigames found in the adventure), Multiplayer (you can
compete with a friend in quick-reflexes games), and Jukebox
(where you can listen to 10 songs from
High School Musical 2 even when the DS is closed).
You play the adventure mode by taking on work assignments for the cast members of High School Musical 2. Most are fetch quests where you need to find or collect items like cases of bottled water. Other assignments involve playing rhythm games set to the 10 songs from High School Musical 2. There are also arcade games involving golf, basketball, and even one that is a takeoff of the Cooking Mama gameplay where you drag sandwich ingredients off of a conveyor belt.
Kids who are fans of High School Musical 2 will enjoy exploring this game. Ten songs from the movie are constantly playing in the background as you work your way through the adventure. You can even slip your closed DS in your pocket and continue to listen through headphones when you set it in Jukebox mode. In the adventure mode, while there are 62 tasks to accomplish, many are repeated minigames set in a different location or featuring a different character. You will spend a lot of time rehearsing for the talent show, which means playing the fun rhythm games. Fortunately, all of the repeated games are fun, so you won't mind playing them time after time.
If you like High School Musical 2: Work This Out!, you should check out High School Musical: Makin' the Cut DS game. The rhythm games are very similar. However, the difference between this game and Makin' the Cut is that this game has a stronger storyline and more varied gameplay. Another fun rhythm game is Elite Beat Agents for the DS.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
