So the summer season's approaching. Go figure. With it comes another animated film that's bound to leave a dent in the summer movie market, this one from Dreamworks. It's called Over the Hedge, and it follows a group of nature-based animals as they find their community overrun with a new housing development, and spend their time scavenging through this neighborhood for wonders galore, including new types of food and entertainment. It sounds like fun, and, with it, Activision's prepping a platforming game that's bound to please fans of the film, as well as kids.

In Hedge, you take control of a number of different animals from the film. You've got RJ the Raccoon, Verne the Turtle, Hammy the Squirrel, and Stella the Skunk, all trying to complete a number of goals throughout each level, like rescuing friends that have been taken captive in the neighborhood or gaining access to new devices, armor, and snacks that help them get better used to the community at hand. The cool thing here, however, is that you can actually change to different characters on the fly, and each one has abilities that come in handy for completing the goals. For instance, RJ has a "golf ball barrage" that's good at distance attacks, while Stella can unleash a "stink" that can leave humans unable to harm them, even if it's just temporarily.

The neighborhoods are full and ready to explore, and another component that's a big part of the game is being able to team up with a friend for two-player action. You can work together on a number of your missions, or go competitively to see who's the better spelunker of the cul-de-sac. You'll be able to not only rummage around the streets, but in houses as well, dealing with security devices and other obstacles that prevent you from getting to your precious food and items so quickly.

The game also spreads out beyond just the events in the film. Instead of just dealing with locales that tie in to the storyline from the movie, you also get to visit other locations, such as an exterminator's labratory, a wild Western theme park with exhibits to check out, and the sewers, which pack some dangers all their own. These also tie in to a series of mini-games that will entertain gamers, and break away from the typical platforming action. This includes a number of quick-draw contests, where players can throw rocks at targets for high points, as well as vehicular battles, like the Golf Cart Derby (where the goal is to smash other golf carts while keeping your own intact) and RC Car Racing (which looks to be a blast in itself, complete with big jumps and obstacle dodging).

Over the Hedge looks to avoid the pratfalls of other licensed games by mixing up its gameplay styles and also allowing gamers a little more accessibility to characters and multiplayer options. Whether this will come into play with the general length of the game has yet to be seen, but we'll back with a full review upon its release next month. In the meantime, keep the hedge trimmers handy.