Hasbro Family Game Night 3

Review

Common Sense Media says

Classic-ish board games reconfigured into party video games.
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

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Hasbro Family Game Night 3 is the latest entry in a very commercial series that features and promotes Hasbro board games. It has also just gotten more commercial with the debut of the Family Game Night TV series. This particular entry in the franchise features the game "Clue," which revolves around detectives solving a murder and requires the discovery of the murder weapon. Also, it is important to be aware that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of this game can be played online with unmoderated voice chat. Common Sense Media does not recommend moderation-free online communication for pre-teens. We suggest using the parental controls built into the game console to disable online communication features.

  • Positive messages2
    This game fosters and encourages a spirit of fun and togetherness for families. The theme is friendly competition.
  • Positive role models1
    As a host, Mr. Potato Head is a rather neutral role model. He's just there to be silly and have fun. But the game itself has the noble mission of bringing families together.
  • Ease of play3
    The controls for all the games work fine and are relatively simple to learn. Some of the games have convoluted rules, though, mostly thanks to changes that were made to the original rules in order to make these board games more video-game-friendly.
  • Violence1
    The "Clue" game revolves around solving a murder. No violence is depicted on screen, but during the set-up for the game a scream is heard in the dark and then a chalk outline is seen. Various weapons, including guns and knives, are visible in the game.
  • Sex0
    In "The Game of Life," landing on certain spaces will allow you to get married and have babies. The "babies" are simply blue or pink pegs that appear as if by magic.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism4
    This game is the third in the Family Game Night franchise. All of these games are based on Hasbro board games and carry heavy use of the Hasbro logo. There is now a TV game show based on the Hasbro Family Game Night video games.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
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What's it about?

HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 3 is the latest collection of video-game-ized board games intended for group play. The board games featured this time around are Clue, The Game of Life, Twister, Mousetrap, and Yahtzee! Hands Down (a rummy-esque card game). Each game can be played in its "traditional" format or in a "remix" version with new rules. However, the "traditional" versions have all been altered to work as video games, making the idea of remixes feel redundant.

Is it any good?

 

The titles of the board games featured in Hasbro Family Game Night 3 are definitely more famous than those in the last installment of the series. Clue, Twister, Mousetrap, and The Game of Life are all definitive classics. Yet the gameplay has been so drastically altered on some of them that they resemble the original board games in theme only. Clue, for instance, has become a somewhat confusing mish-mash of moving around a board and playing reflex-testing mini-games. Twister bares no resemblance to the original game -- instead, it's a button-pressing rhythm game set as a dance contest between avatars. Shouldn't they have at least had the avatars on a Twister mat? The Game of Life plays perfectly well as a direct translation of the board game, which is why it's actually kind of annoying when you're suddenly forced to play a target-hitting mini-game. It's not that these games aren't fun, it's just that they're all a bit too far removed from their source material.

Online interaction: All three console versions of the game offer online play. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions allow unmoderated voice chat during online play, including with strangers.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about commercialism in video games. This game features several board games that can be purchased in real life. Does this make the video game a commercial for those board games?

  • Families can also discuss whether video games are a good way for families to spend social time together. Does it depend on the game? In what ways can video games bring kids and parents together?

This review was written by Christopher Healy
Parent of 6 and 7 year old
November 6, 2010
AGE
5
 
a fun game to improve your skills
I bought this game thursday night for my kids birthday present and they love it. Its just a great game for kids, teens, and kids at heart!!!
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Helped me decide (11) | Had useful details (8) | Read my mind (10)
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Teen, 18 years old
January 9, 2011
AGE
7
 
Great Game for families!
I Love this game. It gives the family a chance to gather round the Wii and play board games without the argument over who puts up the game.
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Helped me decide (8) | Had useful details (8) | Read my mind (9)
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Kid, 12 years old
December 14, 2011
AGE
7
 
Great!!
I love this game. My family plays this game every night and we have a blast playing it. This game is a great christmas gift for children of all ages.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (6) | Had useful details (6) | Read my mind (4)
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This review was written by Christopher Healy
Platforms:Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Party
Developer:Electronic Arts
Release date:October 26, 2010
Price:$39.95
ESRB rating:E for Mild Violence
This review was written by Christopher Healy

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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.
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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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