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Battlefield Heroes

(2009, Video Games - Third-person shooter, Rated T, Play it on: Windows)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Free-to-play online shooter is cartoonish but still violent.

In this game kids can:   battle others, create an avatar, improve hand-eye coordination, kill humans (without blood), play in a virtual world, play multiplayer games, play with others, strategize

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–14

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    The controls are traditional for a PC-based third-person shooter and ought to be easy for players new to the genre to pick up.
  • Educational value:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Online interaction:

    Players play in teams and communicate with one another via a text message system designed to automatically weed out common spellings of popular obscenities. However, the system doesn’t stop words with creative spellings or clean but abusive messages.
  • Messages:

    This game makes war feel like a Saturday morning cartoon. It doesn’t feel nearly as cold or brutal as other, grittier shooters, but bear in mind that it is still quite violent and that it makes light of a serious subject: war.
  • Role models:

    Players can create soldiers in two armies clearly designed to evoke the American and German forces of the Second World War. One side is depicted as buff, tanned, and stereotypically Western, while the other has characters with angular faces and dark uniforms. Both sides engage in violence with equal zest.
  • Violence:

    This game is brimming with cartoonish violence. Players use a wide variety of firearms, including machine guns, rifles, and pistols, and have access to specialty items, like grenades composed of sticks of dynamite. They can also man emplaced guns and pilot planes, tanks, and jeeps, which can be used to shoot and ram enemies. There is no blood or gore; characters simply fall down and disappear when killed.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    No profanity has been coded into the game, but creative players could potentially find ways around the automatically monitored text messaging system and send out misspelled obscenities easily recognized for what they are.
  • Consumerism:

    This game is part of Electronic Arts’ popular Battlefield franchise, and by offering this downloadable game for free, it helps to promote the franchise. It monetizes by offering micro-transactions. So while it is free, it is also marketing during the game. However, you don't need these microtransactions to grow your character.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    One of the virtual items players can purchase is a “chocolate cigarette.” Plus, a fake banner ad with the message “Drunkenness not allowed” appears in the web interface prior to starting the game.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Battlefield Heroes was written by Chad Sapieha

Parents need to know that this is a free downloadable third-person shooter for Windows PCs. The only obstacle placed before children trying to access the game is an “age gate” -- a dialogue box that simply asks players to enter their birth date (which can be easily fudged) before granting access to the software. This could be problematic, since it’s not a game for young kids. Though it has a cartoonish aesthetic and sense of humor that makes it seem less cold or brutal than many other military-themed shooters, players still spend most of their time using a wide variety of guns, explosives, and vehicles to kill enemies. There is no blood, but the violence is nearly constant. Note, too, that the game supports online text chat, which means players could be subjected to inappropriate language and messages.

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 how Battlefield Heroes’ cartoonish and light-hearted artistic design makes it feel less gritty than many other shooters, despite the fact that it shares the same basic objectives, mechanics, and controls as most games in its genre. Do you think graphics alone can have an impact on the age appropriateness of a game? Do you feel that this game has been properly rated by the ESRB?
  • Families can also discuss the appeal of free-to-play games and the micro-transaction systems that typically go along with them. If you really enjoy a free game, are you more likely to spend money on virtual items? Do you feel like you are at a disadvantage without them? Did you feel the need to buy virtual items while playing Battlefield Heroes?
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More on Battlefield Heroes

What’s the Story?

BATTLEFIELD HEROES is an online third-person shooter that has players creating a character, choosing weapons and abilities, and then venturing out into large maps filled with working vehicles and gun turrets. It has much in common with other games in the Battlefield series, right down to the core objective of capturing and holding strategic points of the map. That said, it has a sense of humor lacking from previous entries in the series. In fact, thanks to a cartoonish aesthetic -- complete with goofy character costumes and animations -- and some outlandish abilities, like being able to sit on the wing of a plane while it’s in flight, the action is sometimes downright light-hearted. This game has been released under EA’s new Play 4 Free business model, which means it is completely free; there are no registration or subscription fees. And while there is a store that sells virtual items such as equipment and clothing, players need not make any so-called “micro-transactions” to grow their characters and remain competitive in the game. Most of these items can be purchased with points earned simply by playing.

Close

Is It Any Good?

Even if it weren’t free, Battlefield Heroes would still be easy to recommend. From its impressive cel-shaded graphics to its surprisingly deep character customization options, it feels more professional and polished than many boxed retail games. Plus, it sports a decidedly light-hearted atmosphere -- a rarity for a military-themed game. That’s not to say that it’s a good choice for pre-teens -- players still spend much of their time engaged in activities such as shooting and driving over enemies -- but the Loony Tunes-ish vibe makes it a good choice for older players hankering to play a shooter without the blood and gore typically associated with the genre. The only real issues we encountered while playing were technical in nature. With over a million players currently slamming EA's Battlefield Heroes servers, it can be difficult to join a game. And even if you do manage to get in, play is often bogged down by excessive lag. However, assuming EA can remedy its server problems, this is one shooter worth checking out -- all the more because it doesn’t cost so much as a penny. Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 6/20/2009, online enabled
ESRB rating: T (for Violence, Tobacco Reference)

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language

    • My highlights are:
    • Easy to play

    I LOVE IT BECAUSE IT RULES THE WORLD. U SHOULD TOTALLY LET UR KIDS PLAY IT.

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 4.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Easy to play

    Extremely fun!

    This is probably the most fun I've ever had online,it's fun cartoony action. Kind of like cartoons.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0

    Too old for Toontown? Too young for Halo or CoD? Look no further!

    Great game for kids who want to play shooters, but their parents are cautious. Cartoony war is unrealistic, and you can choose to play as good, though you can play as bad, though.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0

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