 | 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. |
Monsters vs. Aliens
- Xbox 360
- Price: $49.99
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Common Sense Media says
Platformer emphasizes combat, skews older than movie.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this game is based on the Monsters vs. Aliens movie. The game emphasizes combat, with the monsters pitted against waves of alien drones, giant robots, and a handful of human jail guards. There are hefty doses of cartoon violence and explosions. Puzzles include throwing drones into an incinerator and firing them out of cannons. B.O.B. can suck up guards and aliens and spit them back out as projectiles. When defeated, enemies simply fall over and disappear.
What's it about?
MONSTERS VS. ALIENS is a video game based on the movie of the same name that stars a motley crew of outcast monsters (Susan the 49-foot-tall girl, the gelatinous B.O.B., The Missing Link, Insectosaurus the giant grub, and the talking insect Dr. Cockroach) who become unlikely heroes when the army realizes that their unique talents could come in very handy to help thwart the alien invasion of Earth.
The game glosses over many of the movie's finer points (such as why
Susan got to be the way she is) and focuses instead on platform-based
puzzles and combat. Players take turns controlling Susan, B.O.B., and
The Missing Link as they battle waves of alien drones and giant Shadow of the Colossus-sized
robots. Each character has special attacks and skills: Susan rides
around on makeshift rollerskates, The Missing Link has powerful jumping
and spinning moves, and B.O.B. can slither through grates, ingest
objects, and spit them back out. A second player can jump in at any time
as Dr. Cockroach and help the primary player by shooting enemies and
collecting monster DNA – the substance used to unlock special features
like concept art.
Is it any good?
Monster vs. Aliens boasts some interesting boss battles and level design, especially the scenarios that involve using B.O.B.'s unique talents to navigate complicated environments made up of spinning platforms, grates, crates, and buttons. Gameplay starts to feel repetitive and contrived after a while, however, and gamers who are prone to motion sickness should beware of the constantly rotating camera angles. With tons of unlockables and extras, Monsters vs. Aliens is a solid enough platformer that it should appeal to fans of the movie.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about whether it was fair to keep the monsters locked up just because they were different? What might be like to be like Susan and be 49 feet, 11 inches tall? What kinds of things would you do that you can't do now, and what daily tasks would be much more difficult?
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Kid, 12 years old
September 8, 2009
AGE
Superb game
This game is a gem cause I really really love this game and I desire to buy it. I only rented it but I loved it, it was great. It's kinda easy at the beggining, but gets a little harder depending on how far you are just like most games, but for the win, I pretend to be one of the characters and act like I'm in the game kinda like acting like what their doing and it usally gets more easier. Much too violent for small children so they must keep out. I don't like susan's voice in the game because she sounds more like Anna Paquin playing Shiina in Castle in the sky and that's not her supposed acurate role. But anyway, I did like the game, could be good for an 8 year old to play. If you or your kids are fans of this movie, then rent this game they'll like it like i did.
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AGE
This a very fun game to play, especially on the Wii! There is a lot of cartoon violence but its not that bad. This a great game for older kids and tweens!
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AGE
This game gets so repetetive, and the levels are so long an basically the same! Best played on Wii
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| Platforms: | Xbox 360 |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Developer: | Activision |
| Release date: | March 24, 2009 |
| Price: | $49.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E10+ for Cartoon violence, comic mischief |
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