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Go Diego Go: Safari Rescue

(2008, Video Games - Preschool, Rated E, Play it on: Nintendo Wii)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 4; suggested age 4.
  • Is it any good?

    5.0
  • Common Sense says

    Preschoolers get their own "wild" Wii game.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 4 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Teaches kids facts about African animals, and games teach logical thinking.
  • Messages:

    You are helping Diego rescue African animals in need.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    The wicked magician changes elephants into stone. While riding an elephant, you can make them stampede and knock over trees and break through barriers. This stampeding may seem scary to some but they are never in danger.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    The game manuel promotes other Go Diego Go products, and there are many.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Go Diego Go: Safari Rescue was written by Jinny Gudmundsen

Parents need to know that this Wii game was created for preschoolers. The controls are simple and incorporate 13 different uses of the Wii motion-sensitive controls. The game encourages kids to use their whole body while holding the Wii, making movements including waddling like a hippo and stomping like an elephant. While riding an elephant, you can make it stampede, which can seem a little scary for some kids. This software has a special mode called the Safari Guide Helper where parents can use a second Wii remote to help kids with specific activities. Friends and family can also join in by playing the two-person cooperative minigames about traveling on elephants or in vehicles. The game also teaches kids about African animals.

Families Can Talk About

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  • Families can talk about why this game is different from other Wii games. Why is it easier for young kids to play? Did you like imitating what the animals were doing? What animal was you favorite and why? Why do you think the magician kept messing up the animals?
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More on Go Diego Go: Safari Rescue

What’s the Story?

In GO DIEGO GO: SAFARI RESCUE, kids ages 4 to 6 join Diego, the star of Nick Jr's Go, Diego, Go TV show, on an adventure that spans the continent of Africa. When a mean magician decides to wreak havoc on elephants and other African animals by changing them, Diego and his friends come to the rescue. With the help of the player and a special magic drum, Diego is able to undo the magic of the evil magician. Among other things, Diego puts stripes back onto the zebras, brings stone elephants back to life, and elongates the necks of shortened giraffes.

Kids join Diego on these rescue missions at six different locations including the Savannah, the plains, and along a river bank. They direct Diego movements by turning the Wii remote sideways and then tilting it to the right or the left. The more you tilt, the faster Diego will run in the side-scrolling adventure. As kids explore this world, they will find trampolines that fling them to new locations, meerkat holes that send them sliding through the earth, and zipwires that let them soar over wide expanses. At each location kids will learn about and help African animals, and collect special objects. Close

Is It Any Good?

This is a great Wii game for little kids because it's based on in-home research conducted by Nickelodeon that looked at how preschoolers could best use the Wii controllers. The game incorporates 13 Wii-centric motions that are easily learned by preschoolers because they mimic motions done in real life. If you want to swim across a lake, you make a swimming motion with you arms. To help some water buffalo grow back horns that the magician has taken away, you hold the Wii remote in one hand as you place your hands on the side of your head. Then you stretch out your arms and put them back on your head, repeating this motion until the horns have grown back. You can also mimic digging, flapping your ears like an elephant, waddling like a hippo, playing a drum, and much more.

Unlike other video games, kids can't fail when playing this game. For example, no timing is required to grab hold of a rope that is swinging by: You simply push the "2" button. And once airborne, you can't fall -- you just keep swinging until you hit the "2" button again. Plus, parents can join in if little ones are struggling by grabbing a second Wii remote. For example, when kids are helping Diego blow up a hot air balloon by pumping their arms up and down, if someone joins in with a second remote, the speed of the pumping increases and fun animations appear. The game also has two-person games that are cooperative, not competitive. Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 02/12/2008, price $39.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: E

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See all 8 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title on for age 4 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Easy to play

    My 5 year old son and his 10 year old cousin both loved it

    A great game that kids can really play, with minimal frustration and assistance.

  2. I rate this title on for age 3 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • Easy to play

    Great for pre-schoolers

    My son LOVES this game!! It's one of his favorites to play! It's easy to perform the simple actions in the game, not too many buttons to hit and try to figure out. It's a perfect beginner game.

  3. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Indiana
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Easy to play

    Great first Wii game

    After watching my older two sons play wii, this was the first game my two-year old could play be himself. He loved it!

  4. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Louisiana
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    This was almost too easy for my 4 and a half year old.

    We bought this for my son when he was 4 and a half. He tired of it pretty quickly. It is very repetitive. He never plays it anymore (6 months later). The good thing is that my almost three year old can now play it with a little help. It does have some benefits for developing motor skills--having to beat a drum, swim, push rocks, climb ladders etc., using the wiimotes. The game is well made and would be excellent for a first wii game for a young child; however, a child that has a little experience with the system may loose interest quickly.

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 5
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 1.0

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