 | 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. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Golden Compass
- Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Windows, PSP
- Price: $49.99
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Common Sense Media says
Game falls short of both the film and the book.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Lyra, the main character, frequently deceives people -- often by lying -- to get what she wants. For example, she tricks a servant into letting her into her uncle's quarters, and tells her uncle that she's been behaving -- when she'd been throwing plum pits at a teacher. Iorek the armored bear kills lots of wolves and human hunters. There's no blood, but he growls and bares his teeth, and in one cut scene, he's shown biting a wolf through the middle and tossing it around.
What's it about?
The story takes place in a world in which humans have special "daemon" companions who appear in animal form. A 12-year-old girl named Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, embark on a journey to save Lyra's friend after he's kidnapped by shadowy figures known as the Gobblers. Lyra's journey takes her to several wondrous locations, including a winter wasteland inhabited by talking, armored polar bears. She also finds herself in danger, since she seems to be the only one who can control the mysterious Golden Compass.
As Lyra, players can run and jump to explore their surroundings, using Pantalaimon's different forms to access new areas. With the Golden Compass, Lyra can answer questions by deciphering a riddle that involves matching keywords with symbols around the compass. Players can also take on the role of Iorek the armored bear, who is primarily used for fighting off wolves.
Is it any good?
While there are some good ideas here, The Golden Compass suffers from extremely subpar production values, clunky controls, and repetitive gameplay. Lyra's conversations with other characters can take forever since players have to win a short Mini game before she can speak.
Gameplay is intercut with live-action scenes from the movie, which is a nice touch. But these scenes also serve to make the transition back to the game's primitive graphics that much more jarring. Die-hard fans of the movie might be able to appreciate this game on some level, but overall it has the aura of a rushed and mediocre movie tie-in.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how lying is portrayed. When Lyra lies, was it her only choice, or could she have found other ways to get characters to help her? Did you play this game because you liked the movie or book (or both)? Do you think the game did a good job creating an interactive world based on the movie?
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AGE
In reply to walnutman4...
IT DOES NOT TEACH KIDS TO BE ATHEISTS! IT IS A GREAT BOOK TRILOGY! but the game isn't that good.
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AGE
Ugh........ not another bad game
The Golden Compass Game could be summarized in two words:
Very Bad
The Books were amazing and the film.... erm ...... it was okay... ..... .... ..., but the videogame was a waste of money!
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AGE
I lost six brain cells playing this!
This is the Worst game ever!
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AGE
BEWARE
this is a tereble book, game, movie its teaching kids to be athiest dont have anything to do with golden compass
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AGE
If you liked the book and movie you'll like the game
I rented this game for my ten year old son before we saw the movie. Having seen the movie the game now makes more sense. I myself find the graphics leave something to be desired but my son LOVES the game. It does show clips of the movie between "scenes", which surprised me because I did not know the Wii was capable of that type of graphic.
I find the choice of only to playable characters limiting but the addition of Lyra's Daemon in several forms almost makes up for it.
Players need to understand each Daemon's abilities and choose which form to take in order to advance in some areas, which might prove frustrating to younger children or those unfamiliar with the book/movie.
All in all it is a fun game.
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AGE
Great Game. Fun to Play.
There's really nothing to be concerned about with this one. Anyone over 10 can handle the mild violence that entails hitting people with swords, fists, ect. and having them explode in dust. No language or sex. Great fun.
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AGE
Adventure will do no harm
it is a great,adventurous movie. It will do fun if your child likes adventure.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy |
| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Windows, PSP |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Developer: | Sega of America |
| Release date: | December 4, 2007 |
| Price: | $49.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E10+ for Mild Language, Violence |
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