Beat City

Review

Common Sense Media says

Fun, colorful rhythm game with a few touches of potty humor.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

AGE
4
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Beat City, a mostly innocent music rhythm game, has a few moments of slapstick violence and potty humor, though nothing more explicit than what children would see on SpongeBob SquarePants. The worst of it involves people in need of a toilet squirming as they wait in line outside a bathroom. Otherwise this is a game about saving people with the power of music.

  • Positive messages3
    The game is about the power of music and bright colors to make people happy. It's a generally positive message that trumps the little moments of slapstick and immature humor.
  • Positive role models3
    The heroes of Beat City are bright, colorful, cheery types who only want to make people happy. With the exception of one mini-game in which they hit evil robots with a hammer, they don't do anything violent. They save people with the power of music. However, there is a little potty humor. One mini-game has men lined up outside a restroom, squirming and tossing toilet paper rolls to the mystery guy causing the holdup inside. Missing a beat during a magic show mini-game causes the magician to pull a pair of underwear from his magic hat.
  • Ease of play4
    There are just three basic moves to learn: tap, slide, and hold. Knowing when to perform each move is where the skill comes in. The game has a very nice tutorial mode built in which allows you to figure out exactly how to play each mini-game before actually getting scored on it. The difficulty curve is paced to allow easier going in the beginning and more challenge later on.
  • Violence1
    Some minor slapstick takes place during the game, mostly as the biproduct of failing to hit a beat: A mime pokes the hero in the eyes, incorrectly thrown cupcakes or buckets might hit an animal on the head, the heroine gets shocked (an briefly becomes a flashing skeleton) if she fails to jump over a sparking wire. One mini-game also requires the heroine to bash humanoid robots with a hammer (they turn into ducks when she hits them).
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What's it about?

In the psychedelic story of BEAT CITY, a failed opera singer leads her Cacophony Corporation into the titular town and steals all the color, rhythm, and vibrancy from its people. Along comes the Groovy Whale from outer space, who transforms one of Beat City's citizens into a human music machine called the Synchronizer. The Synchronizer has a speaker in his forehead and he joins up with another freedom fighter, Beatrice, to travel around Beat City, playing music and re-igniting the creative sparks of the people, animals, and even plants of Beat City.

Is it any good?

 

Beat City is an incredibly likable game with a great look and an addictive play style. To play, all you need to do is learn three moves and perform them in time with the increasingly complex beats that the game provides during its mini-game scenes. There is music, of course, but if you play it right, the sound effects also become part of the song -- swishes, whispers, and chomps all add to the melody. The really fun part is seeing what happens as a result of your performance. Doing well may cause rainbows to sprout on the horizon or flowers to grow; it may cause people's clothing to change or their hairstyles to become funkier and more colorful. Strange things like animals in sailboats or smiling clouds may appear. It's trippy, but has the effect of not only making the characters happier, but the player as well. Beat City is a game whose tone, feel, and effect on players matches is message and storyline perfectly.

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What families can talk about

  • Is keeping time and rhythm a skill that can be important outside of playing music? Where else in life would the ability to keep time be useful?

  • Does a rhythm game like this inspire children to make music of their own? Does playing make you want to learn an instrument? Does is make you want to listen to music?

  • In the game, it is not just music, but bright colors also, that bring joy back to Beat City. How do music and colors affect your moods? Can vibrant colors or upbeat music really  make you happier?

This review was written by Christopher Healy
Kid, 11 years old
May 21, 2010
AGE
4
 
i love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 14 years old
May 16, 2010
AGE
2
 
its gret 4 every 1
the ONLY thing i can say is its.........AWSOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (5) | Had useful details (2) | Read my mind (2)
Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 11 years old
May 6, 2010
AGE
6
 
i want to play games!!!!! =-(
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (2) | Had useful details (3) | Read my mind (2)
Flag as inappropriate 
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This review was written by Christopher Healy
Platforms:Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Music
Developer:THQ
Release date:April 21, 2010
Price:$19.99
ESRB rating:E for Comis Mischief
This review was written by Christopher Healy

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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