Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the main focus of this game is combat. This is a fighting game of slashing and stabbing where fantasy characters die and blood is shown. Unlike the book by Christopher Paolini on which this game is based, the storyline is pretty weak. In the middle of the melee, it's tough for kids to absorb any kind of message about good fighting evil. The game is more violent than the movie.
Families can talk about how this game resembles or differs from the book and movie. When you read the book, is this depiction what you saw in your mind? What would you have done differently if you were in charge of bringing this literary work to life? Do you think video games need a story or just good action?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Bobbi Dempsey
Most video games based on movies, whether the film itself is a blockbuster or a box-office bomb, tend to be underwhelming. While ERAGON isn't exactly unplayable, it's not about to be nominated for game of the year.
Since this is a game based on the movie depiction of Christopher Paolini's book Eragon, naturally, the game places you in the role of Eragon, the young dragon-rider entrusted with saving his native land from an evil sorcerer and his army. If you play with a friend, someone can assume the character of Eragon's mentor. The game's artificial intelligence takes control of this character if you're playing alone.
The game begins with a very brief summary of Eragon's plight and why he seeks to defeat the forces of evil. If you are not already familiar with the Eragon universe, expect to be lost or confused. The game starts off with a few tutorials about basic controls and the combat system. These tutorials leave the impression that there will be strategy involved and some type of intuitive combat system in place. Unfortunately, you can just about make your way through the entire game -- even on the hardest of the three available difficulty settings -- by mashing the A and B buttons. This mindless button-mashing will result in your character slashing the evil soldiers in the same fashion one after another, while the ones not engaged in combat will stand back and, oddly enough, wait for their chance to be killed.
One of the main draws of the Eragon story, which may excite diehard fans of the franchise, is dragon-riding. Sadly, like many other aspects of the game, it is not executed well. In complete contrast with the rest of the game, the dragon-riding levels feel too difficult, even on the easiest of the difficulty settings. If you can't make a sharp enough turn and crash into a wall, you and your dragon are toast. This wouldn't be so much of a bother, if the save points weren't placed so brutally few and far between.
The game's biggest flaw is the crippling camera angles. In the middle of a battle you can find yourself hacking and slashing blindly because you can't see your character or the enemies swinging at you.
Another odd aspect of the game is the introduction of magic spells and new equipment, which are delivered with little to no explanation at all. And you can't repeat prior levels with the gear you obtained later in the game, which severely hurts the replay value.
The game does offer a type of collectable, in the form of dragon eggs hidden throughout the game. But they're often placed in mind-boggling locations. It is almost impossible to find and then snatch a small egg while flying a dragon that handles more along the lines of a wounded goose. The hidden eggs unlock a series of very disappointing video clips.
All in all, Eragon can keep you entertained through a rental, but the bad camera, cheesy unlockables, and sheer lack of variety of gameplay will not sustain your interest. However, if you're a big Eragon fan, you may overlook the repetitive combat system and other flaws just to bask in the fantasy world that you love.
Better choices for fantasy fun would be Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire or LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy.
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ViolenceSlashing and stabbing opponents is the whole focus of this fantasy game. Blood is shown and characters die frequently. |
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Social BehaviorGood vs. evil is the focus of the book and the film, but not this game. This is all about the bloodshed. |
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CommercialismPromotes related book/movie. |
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