Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Repetitive gameplay in an unimaginative movie adaptation.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
What's It About?
In ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL, tiny trio the Chipmunks are on a world tour, performing in various cities and earning fans as they go. Their female counterparts, the Chipettes, are also on a world tour, performing in various cities in a similar manner. Each concert is played out by swinging the Wii remote and nunchuk in time to the music, while watching the Chipmunks dance on stage.
Is It Any Good?
When adapting a movie about a musical group, like Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, it makes sense to use a rhythm game format. But there's simply not enough variety in swinging the Wii controllers in different directions to the beat of each new song. The fact that the helium-voiced Chipmunks make most of their songs sound the same doesn't help either. Three mini-games -- which pop up in the middle of songs -- add a little variety, until they too become repetitive. It would help to at least see the Chipmunks doing some different dance moves to each song, but we don't. And there's a limit to how many times you can hear Alvin tell you you've earned "an A for Awesome!" Even the story scenes that occur between tour stops feel like the same conversation over and over -- and they're depicted with still pictures, not animation. You can't help but feel that developers behind this game just didn't feel like trying very hard.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about being supportive friends, even when a friend is a competitor. The Chipmunks and Chipettes get along and go to see each other's shows even while they are technically competing bands. What kind of example does that set for players?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi , Nintendo Wii
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Majesco
- Release date : December 1, 2009
- Genre : Music & Dance
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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