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Conflict: Desert Storm

(2002, Video Games - Role Playing Games, Rated T, Play it on: PlayStation 2, Xbox)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 0; suggested age 14.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    War game may blur line between reality, fantasy.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Very little other than representing Desert Storm as an historical event.
  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Graphically depicted shooting and death. However, death animations are not overly explicit. The depiction of war could be scary for some kids.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Conflict: Desert Storm was written by Erin McCoin

Parents need to know that this is a war game, even though it emphasizes commanding solders and completing tasks while trying to keep people safe. There is violence in each mission, and missions are completed more quickly when players kill enemy soldiers. The fact that this is linked to a real historical event blurs fantasy and reality, which should be discussed with kids who play this game.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about war. How do you see the difference between a war game and real life? Families can also talk about the historical aspects of the 1991 war in the Persian Gulf.
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More on Conflict: Desert Storm

What’s the Story?

While the U.S. military was gearing up for a battle in Iraq, CONFLICT: DESERT STORM's developers were putting the finishing touches on what turns out to be an engaging but slightly generic game. Although the game is set in Iraq during the first Gulf War, it has little to do with the actual conflict or with any of the historical events of the war. The player is dropped in the desert alone and must elude or kill multiple Iraqi soldiers before rescuing a soldier from an Iraqi prison. That soldier is the beginning of a four-person team that will go on to other missions.

In training mode, the player runs through drills to become familiar with gameplay elements as a drill sergeant barks orders from a platform above. Iraqi soldiers become increasingly clever as the action moves from the desert to the urban environment of Baghdad. Learning to control the other players becomes a crucial skill to survival in the urban missions.

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Is It Any Good?

The control scheme is unusually difficult and the game is tough to master. Load times can be long. Due to the design of mission one, when playing in the two-person mode, player number two will not be able to play until the prisoner is rescued from the prison.

Overall the game is an absorbing simulation of the skills and wits needed to command a squad of soldiers in a hostile environment, but it fails to offer any educational value. Although the game is set during a historical period in world history, it fails to offer anything that makes it unique to the Gulf War of 1991. The game could quite easily be set in any environment and it would alter none of the game's value or strategy.

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Publisher’s Details

Released on 10/16/2002, price $39, not online enabled
ESRB rating: T

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See all 6 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    conflict owns

    its difficult but if you can complete it the rewards are awesome buy it

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 5.0

    great

    This is a great game but i think that this is a very MATURE game!

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Michigan
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    Fight the first IRAQ war.

    Conflict Desert Storm is a cool game. There is blood in there, and a little language, but it is fun, and a good multi-player. This game also is the easiest game to control, it even aims for you!!

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    11 or 12+ Depends on there maturity

    It's prety hard but fun -- you need skill and to be a good gamer. Worth buying.

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