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Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition

(2009, Video Games - Learning Adventure, 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 5; suggested age 7.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Educational safari game has a strong conservation theme.

In this game kids can:   be creative, learn trivia, live vicariously

Why We Rated This on for Ages 7 and Up

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    Accessible controls let players use the Wii remote’s infrared eye to point at objects of interest, then use the nunchuk control stick to move the camera around. A quick tutorial at the start of the game explains all the basics.

  • Educational value:

    Players can potentially learn plenty about the animals they see. Each species they photograph receives an entry in an “animal file” that contains basic information such as height and weight, some fun facts (did you know giraffes have 18-inch tongues, or that zebras use their stripes to help tell each other apart?), and even recordings of the sounds they make.

  • Messages:

    This game focuses on taking pictures of animals and learning about them. It has themes of conservation (players snap pictures rather than remove animals from their habitat) and environmentalism. The editor to whom players send photos looks a bit mean and occasionally scolds when he doesn’t like a picture, but he never says anything much harsher than “it’s not good.”

  • Role models:

    The player’s young avatar -- which can be male or female, depending on player preference -- is an animal lover. The robot that drives the island jeep and provides instruction is a bit of a know-it-all, but helpful and well-intentioned. And the photo editor, though a little cranky and very businesslike, seems to be a decent enough man.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    One scene involves a torch used to scare away hyenas.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition was written by Chad Sapieha

Parents need to know that Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition isn’t scary or violent and that it can actually teach kids quite a bit about animals. When photographed, each creature gets its own file in an animal encyclopedia. This file contains plenty of basic information about each animal's height, weight, and diet, trivial tidbits that explain what makes it unique in the animal kingdom, and even a recording of the sounds it makes. What’s more, the game features themes of conservation (animals are simply photographed rather than removed from their natural habitats) and environmentalism (players clean up debris as they drive around), and our avatar is never anything but courteous, kind, and caring.

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 the difference between observing animals in their natural habitats and capturing them for people to see in a zoo. How do you think captivity affects the animals? Do you think it is any less disruptive to view them in tour buses in the wild or in large, wilderness-like enclosures?
  • Families can also discuss the game’s animal files feature. Did it contain interesting information that you didn’t know prior to playing? Do you think this is an effective way to learn about animals? What might you learn from seeing an animal in person that you can’t in a game?
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More on Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition

What’s the Story?

Unlike many animal-themed games, which have players capturing animals and putting them in zoos or keeping them as pets, ANIMAL KINGDOM: WILDLIFE EXPEDITION sees players taking photographs of creatures in their natural habitats on an island home to some of our planet’s most exotic and exciting species. Each day they set out to snap pictures of animals in different locations and engage in various activities, filing the best shots with a red-nosed editor back home, who judges the quality each image. Players can also read about each species’ traits in an animal file stuffed with interesting beast facts and find odd items that make their job easier, such as animal suits that allow them to blend in with the herd and get closer to their subjects. Close

Is It Any Good?

There’s not much to Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition, but what’s here ought to prove plenty of fun for animal-loving kids. The animals animate and behave fairly realistically, and it’s fun to earn their trust by inching a bit closer each day. Plus, the fun facts in the animal file are just the right length to relate a couple of bits of information you didn’t know about impalas and elephants without bogging down the action.

What you won’t get from the game is a lot of variation in play. Kids end up doing the much the same thing day after day, with the only excitement coming in the form of newly discovered animals and the occasional fresh item, like a squall machine that can change the weather to draw out particular kinds of animals. Thankfully, its bargain price of $29.99 means we can still give parents a green light to check out this fun and educational Wii game.

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Publisher’s Details

Released on 9/30/2009, price $29.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: E (for Mild Violence)

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