 | 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. |
Mass Effect
- Xbox 360
- Price: $59.99
- Genre: Role Playing
Common Sense Media says
Ambitious space journey with mature themes.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this game has one brief sex scene involving an apparent female alien. The scene more alludes to sex as opposed to showing graphic acts -- but the encounter even occurs when you create a female character, which opens the door to same-sex relationships. The in-game violence is on par with most shooters, but isn't gratuitous; players will shoot with pistols, shotguns, and rifles, and use grenades. But the focus of this game is on the interactive storyline where players decide the dialogue of their characte, leading to moral decisions about whether you traverse the galaxy as a diplomatic hero or a renegade willing to bend the laws, and these decisions have consequences.
What's it about?
In MASS EFFECT, your character must traverse galaxies to thwart an ancient machine race's effort to wipe out all organic civilization. How that story unfolds is mostly up to you. You'll start by selecting a character -- you can opt for the standard protagonist, Commander Shepherd, or create your own from scratch. Gamers have six classes to choose from, each with varying degrees of combat, technological, and magic-like ("biotic") skills. Players control their character's dialogue, and can therefore dictate how interactions play out in the future.
Is it any good?
Mass Effect represents a bold attempt at reshaping the RPG, if you can get past the glitches and inconsistent action.
It's anchor is its engaging, robust storyline. Powerful voice acting, lifelike facial models, and cinematic presentation make Mass Effect's story one of the few you can truly invest in. Action, on the other hand, doesn't reach the high bar set by the story. For the most part, it's solid, but suffers through inconsistencies.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how this game compares with other role-playing games. Did you feel conflicted making some of the moral choices? Should more games involve equally engrossing storylines where you decide your character's reactions?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
I'm sorry, but "No Kids"? Too far.
CommonSense has been doing a very poor job of estimating the age rating for "M" rated video games. The are only two moments in this game that threw it into question for an "M" rating rather than a "T". One moment is a very brief sex scene in which no sensitive areas are shown, and the other is another brief moment when a man is impaled by a tentacle, although this is nothing near as graphic as, say, Gears of War. Thrust me, this game should have been rated Teen, and CommonSense has been slapping a "No Kids" rating on every single "M" game without truly giving much thought to which age group this is suitable for. Ages 13+.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
I am a teacher and a parent of two teenagers and a 10 year old. I asked one of my students in sixth grade what a good video game was that I should get my fourteen year old for his birthday. He recommended Mass Effect, so i got it and my teenagers loved it! After seeing the game being played, i realized that it had little blood and almost no explicit content. I let my 10 year old play it, on the grounds that any innapropriate content would be reported to me. A few swear words came up, but that was all. It really does not deserve an M or a Not for Kids.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Does not deserve m rating!
Mass effect is an amazing game! It doesn't deserve an m rating. The thing to be most worried about would be the violence which is pretty much on the same level as halo. There is almost no language and there isn't any sexual content in the whole game. I would give mass effect T- for violence and language. Also mass effect has an amazing story so you will not be disappointed if you buy this game.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
The Reapers are Here
The best game ever. This game's graphics, storyline, and diverse characters will blow your mind. It does, however, have some flaws. Humans are impaled on steel pikes by an alien race called the Geth. During these cutscenes, little blood is shown, and the are not impaling them for fun, but because the impaled humans become an entirely different species that the Geth uses for soldiers. Violence is a recurrent theme in this game, for good reason. Commander Shepard, your character, is a war commander. He is mostly attacked, and retaliates for self-defence. The blood of species that are not human is never red. The main enemy is the Geth, which appear to be more like a robot that a living species. However they have white blood, which is seen frequently, given that they are the main enemy. The Geth leader is of a different species, which is a species called Turians, of which one of your squad-mates is. His name is Saren, and he has purple blood, which is seen a large quantity only once (the final fight, when Saren is impaled with a piece of shattered glass, only to shed his skin, and reveal that he is part robot, and is therefore still alive) This game is based around violence and earns its "M" rating more than some others, but is still relatively mild. A good game, I strongly suggest you try.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
One of the best games ever
this is one of my favorite games. it has a great element of decision making and some of the deepest characters I have ever seen. it should be noted that there is a sex scene, but it does not always come up. I have one friend who beat the game and didn't even know it was there. the scene is nothing worse than what's in a PG-13 Movie though so it shouldn't be a big concern. the violence is also fairly low key.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
mass effect: kids 10 and up will enjoy
My little brother has it and he says it`s an great game better than fallout 3. i played it and it is the best game i have ever played.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Fantastic Game, but why the no kids?
This is a great game that I would recommend for any 12 year old or even a mature 11 year old. A fantastic story and great writing and choices are a plus also. But when the review itself constantly said that its not that bad, why the no kids? The only iffy parts are the sex scene (which isnt that bad) and when a guy is impaled by a tentacle. I hate how common sense just gives every M video game a no kids rating
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Sex scene can be avoided!
You can have your character decline the offer to have sex, thus directing the game away from the scene.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Masterpiece
No Kids? That's a little extreme. C'mon commonsense, put it down to atleast 14 and up. Oh and BTW this game and the second one are masterpieces. The love scenes are really nothing much.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
No kids. WTF are you thinking, commonsense?
As an experienced gamer, I've seen a lot of rated M games. Assassin's creed 2 and brotherhood have worse sex scenes than in this game. Now, would I get this as a first time M game? Maybe. A soldier (dead) is impaled on a spear in the first five minutes. However, the main enemies in the game are robots, and as such, no blood. However, sometimes you have to fight creatures, and there is a bit of blood, if you can call it that. I'd get this game for my 10 year old child, if he was mature.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Platforms: | Xbox 360 |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Role Playing |
| Developer: | BioWare |
| Release date: | November 19, 2007 |
| Price: | $59.99 |
| ESRB rating: | M for Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence |
Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.
Review It
Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already played it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
