Tuesday
Oct062009
Gamer Guide: Blockbusters!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 03:15PM
[Editor's Note: Since I don't, well, have time for this, today's post is brought to you by guest blogger/gamer expert/L.A. dad Allen Rausch.]
Being a dad who's also a gamer is kind of weird. On the one hand, you enjoy a particular advantage with your kids because there's an instant shared connection amongst gamers. When they talk about video games with you or their friends, you know what they're talking about. You can help them over the rough patches in their own games and you can share some wonderful gaming experiences together. As the father of a 6- and a 4-year-old, it's just a joy to genuinely share an interest with your kids.
On the other hand, I can never forget the "dad" part of "gamer dad." I'm not unique in the struggle to find a balance between work, my obligations to my family, the need for exercise and physical fitness and the overwhelming press to complete "just one more level." Add to that my determination not to allow video games to take over my children's lives. Like any other part of the entertainment universe – movies, TV, toys – video games can and should be a positive part of a child's experience. That demands involvement – setting boundaries, time limits and determining what games I'll allow in my house. Yes, there are titles out there that are just as offensive as the most hyped-up scare stories on the news would have you believe. The thing is, they're a very small percentage of games, and all it takes is a bit of diligence to find safe games that offer a great time.
September was a great month for our family in terms of our "together" time. We managed to carve out enough time to go to more movies this month than we've experienced in about a year. We caught Up and Ponyo and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, all wonderful films. That led to a discussion after the movie when passing the game store as to why we had so few games based on big Hollywood movie releases. The answer is that most games based on movies aren't very good. Game companies know that parents often will buy them based on their connection with a property they know and don't put a lot of effort into the development. That's not true of all of them, though. Here are three movie-based games that are well worth your time:
Publisher: Activision
Platform: Wii
Rating: E10+ for cartoon violence and comic mischief
MSRP: $59.99
Monsters vs. Aliens is a wonderful companion piece to the just released DVD box set. The storyline concerns a squad of legendary monsters (a 50-foot woman, the Missing Link, a genius insect and a silly blue blob) who must fight off an alien invasion of the Earth. Each of the team members has a different skill that they must combine in order to make it through the levels, and much of the game involves simple platforming challenges similar to those found in the Mario Brothers games. The game has a rating of "E10+" (Suitable for everyone 10 and up) with a "Cartoon violence" and "Comic mischief" content descriptor. The comic violence part is accurate in that the monsters fight against aliens, but there is no blood, no one actually dies and the level of violence is roughly the same as that found in the original movie. "Mischief" mostly refers to the blue blob B.O.B.'s propensity for explosive flatulence. If you have no objection to your kids seeing the movie, you'll find nothing objectionable in the game, either.
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: Wii
Rating E10+ for "Fantasy Violence," "Mild Language" and "Mild Suggestive Themes"
MSRB: $49.99
If you have a budding wizard or witch in your house, they will love the Wii version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Like the other games in the series, Half-Blood Prince follows the storyline of the movie quite closely. Harry and his friends continue their struggle against Lord Voldemort during their sixth year at school. The real kicker in this edition is the use of the Wii's motion controls to cast spells in wizard duels. By moving the Wii remote in certain patterns, kids will have a blast casting spells against the game's enemies or enjoy a multiplayer mode where they can wizard duel against their friends. Like the movie it's based on, there is some violence (no death or blood, but people do get thrown around by magic and one boy gets kicked while on the ground), a few "Hells" sprinkled in the dialogue and lots of references to kissing or "snogging" (the main characters are 15 and 16, after all). While it's a game suitable for older children, it's an easy buy for any parent who is OK with their kids seeing the movie it's based on.
Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: Wii, Xbox360, PS3, PC
Rating E10+ for "Fantasy Violence"
MSRP:$19.99
Saving the best (and cheapest!) for last, if you own a gaming system and have kids, you must own LEGO Star Wars. This is a brilliant adaptation of all six Star Wars movies rendered in LEGO sets. It doesn't sound like it would work, but it does. The characters and settings are adorable, and the way the game reproduces iconic scenes from all six movies is often hilarious. Gameplay consists of platforming action, solving puzzles using LEGO pieces and fighting against hordes of LEGO-ized Star Wars baddies with blasters or lightsabers. There are lots of hidden secrets to uncover and new Star Wars characters to unlock and play with, which makes the game endlessly replayable. And it's simple enough for all but the youngest players to get the hang of. The "Fantasy Violence" descriptor is necessary but the "violence" in the game is merely LEGO figures whacking or shooting each other with toy guns and breaking up into LEGO pieces. If you do get it, though, be careful. You might just find yourself playing the game late into the night after the kids go to bed.
Allen Rausch is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He's the parent of Lily and David who in his unbiased opinion are the cutest children in the whole wide world. He regularly blogs about videogames, culture, politics and parenting at The Angry Bear.
Being a dad who's also a gamer is kind of weird. On the one hand, you enjoy a particular advantage with your kids because there's an instant shared connection amongst gamers. When they talk about video games with you or their friends, you know what they're talking about. You can help them over the rough patches in their own games and you can share some wonderful gaming experiences together. As the father of a 6- and a 4-year-old, it's just a joy to genuinely share an interest with your kids.
On the other hand, I can never forget the "dad" part of "gamer dad." I'm not unique in the struggle to find a balance between work, my obligations to my family, the need for exercise and physical fitness and the overwhelming press to complete "just one more level." Add to that my determination not to allow video games to take over my children's lives. Like any other part of the entertainment universe – movies, TV, toys – video games can and should be a positive part of a child's experience. That demands involvement – setting boundaries, time limits and determining what games I'll allow in my house. Yes, there are titles out there that are just as offensive as the most hyped-up scare stories on the news would have you believe. The thing is, they're a very small percentage of games, and all it takes is a bit of diligence to find safe games that offer a great time.
September was a great month for our family in terms of our "together" time. We managed to carve out enough time to go to more movies this month than we've experienced in about a year. We caught Up and Ponyo and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, all wonderful films. That led to a discussion after the movie when passing the game store as to why we had so few games based on big Hollywood movie releases. The answer is that most games based on movies aren't very good. Game companies know that parents often will buy them based on their connection with a property they know and don't put a lot of effort into the development. That's not true of all of them, though. Here are three movie-based games that are well worth your time:
Monsters vs. Aliens
Publisher: Activision
Platform: Wii
Rating: E10+ for cartoon violence and comic mischief
MSRP: $59.99
Monsters vs. Aliens is a wonderful companion piece to the just released DVD box set. The storyline concerns a squad of legendary monsters (a 50-foot woman, the Missing Link, a genius insect and a silly blue blob) who must fight off an alien invasion of the Earth. Each of the team members has a different skill that they must combine in order to make it through the levels, and much of the game involves simple platforming challenges similar to those found in the Mario Brothers games. The game has a rating of "E10+" (Suitable for everyone 10 and up) with a "Cartoon violence" and "Comic mischief" content descriptor. The comic violence part is accurate in that the monsters fight against aliens, but there is no blood, no one actually dies and the level of violence is roughly the same as that found in the original movie. "Mischief" mostly refers to the blue blob B.O.B.'s propensity for explosive flatulence. If you have no objection to your kids seeing the movie, you'll find nothing objectionable in the game, either.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: Wii
Rating E10+ for "Fantasy Violence," "Mild Language" and "Mild Suggestive Themes"
MSRB: $49.99
If you have a budding wizard or witch in your house, they will love the Wii version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Like the other games in the series, Half-Blood Prince follows the storyline of the movie quite closely. Harry and his friends continue their struggle against Lord Voldemort during their sixth year at school. The real kicker in this edition is the use of the Wii's motion controls to cast spells in wizard duels. By moving the Wii remote in certain patterns, kids will have a blast casting spells against the game's enemies or enjoy a multiplayer mode where they can wizard duel against their friends. Like the movie it's based on, there is some violence (no death or blood, but people do get thrown around by magic and one boy gets kicked while on the ground), a few "Hells" sprinkled in the dialogue and lots of references to kissing or "snogging" (the main characters are 15 and 16, after all). While it's a game suitable for older children, it's an easy buy for any parent who is OK with their kids seeing the movie it's based on.LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: Wii, Xbox360, PS3, PC
Rating E10+ for "Fantasy Violence"
MSRP:$19.99
Saving the best (and cheapest!) for last, if you own a gaming system and have kids, you must own LEGO Star Wars. This is a brilliant adaptation of all six Star Wars movies rendered in LEGO sets. It doesn't sound like it would work, but it does. The characters and settings are adorable, and the way the game reproduces iconic scenes from all six movies is often hilarious. Gameplay consists of platforming action, solving puzzles using LEGO pieces and fighting against hordes of LEGO-ized Star Wars baddies with blasters or lightsabers. There are lots of hidden secrets to uncover and new Star Wars characters to unlock and play with, which makes the game endlessly replayable. And it's simple enough for all but the youngest players to get the hang of. The "Fantasy Violence" descriptor is necessary but the "violence" in the game is merely LEGO figures whacking or shooting each other with toy guns and breaking up into LEGO pieces. If you do get it, though, be careful. You might just find yourself playing the game late into the night after the kids go to bed.Allen Rausch is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He's the parent of Lily and David who in his unbiased opinion are the cutest children in the whole wide world. He regularly blogs about videogames, culture, politics and parenting at The Angry Bear.