 | 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. |
Moon
- Nintendo DS
- Price: $29.99
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Common Sense Media says
This lunar experience is deeper than many console games.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that playing this game feels like you're in a science fiction movie. While there's violence, it's always for the greater good and for solving the mystery. What makes this an outstanding experience is not only the lack of gore, but the attention to story. There is a minor drug reference to the fluid in glass canisters you use to regain your health. The music adds to the drama, which can be somewhat scary. This is also one of the rare first person shooters that doesn't make you dizzy, even if you're prone to motion sickness in games.
What's it about?
It's scary. It's the future. And it's the unknown. In MOON, you're Major Edward Kane, a brave astronaut sent to Earth's moon to check out something weird that's going on beneath the dusty surface. You enter a strange, glowing opening and go down, down, down in an elevator which leads to long tunnels and a possible connection to the
It's not every day that you get a generally enjoyable first person shooting experience that feels more like an adventure game. But with Moon, there's a deft (though not perfect) combination of story, game control, shooting, and music. On the top screen, you'll see cut scenes and a first person view as you move through lunar locales.On the bottom screen, you'll see maps, sometimes very intricate, indicating the ways to go. The bottom screen also lets you look all around. Movement is controlled via the D-pad and shooting, by the L button. After you play a level in Adventure Mode, you can go back in Quick Play mode to try for better shooting stats.
Is it any good?
Moon, run by the software first seen in the gory Dementium:The Ward, is not a run and gun, blood-spattered shooting experience. There is indeed first person shooting with various guns that do different kinds of damage. But here, the story matters as much as do the weapons – a rarity in video games. For variety, you'll be driving a vehicle on the moon's surface and shooting from it (and taking time to admire the changing, star-filled skies).
The game does have its challenges, however. Driving a vehicle and walking through tunnels is seamless, but you'll find the occasional bug. The enemies, like hovering, shooting bots, are very similar throughout. It's sometimes difficult to aim via the touchscreen and, at the same time, move via the D-pad. And you'll often wish there was a button to adjust your view so that you automatically look forward at eye level. Despite these problems, though, Moon has more soul and story than many of its more expensive console counterparts.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what it would be like to live on the moon and to encounter robots beneath the lunar surface. Why would you like to live on the moon? Would you like it better if it was a peaceful existence? Or would fighting angry robots add excitement to your existence? Who or what would you take with you to the moon? Why?
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Ambitious game that gets it right
Moon is from Renegade Kid, who developed the horror-FPS Dementium: The Ward. I have actually played that game, unlike CSM, and it's quite good. But Moon improves on the Renegade engine used in Dementium, and looks extremely realistic for a DS game, with a frame rate of 60fps. The story's also a very good one: in the year 2057, you are a man named Major Kane, the leader of a task force sent to the moon to open up a sealed hatch that was found while men on the moon were excavating objects. The gameplay is innovative, because you move with the d-pad, look around by sliding your stylus across the touch screen, shoot with the L button, and open doors, etc. with the R button. Objectionable content is minimal. There's typical FPS violence, but unlike Dementium, Renegade Kid's previous game, there's no blood; also, there are minor drug references involving your main source to regain health, and the first time you use it, you pass out (just like tobacco), but you basically get used to it. Overall, Moon is a very good game, just like Dementium: The Ward, and I can only wonder what other innovative FPS experiences Renegade Kid will create. Thumbs up.
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AGE
Solid ds game
One of the few ds games I like.It is a fps but has a mild amount of violence.Much less than star wars in my opinion.It has laser guns and robot slaying so to say.It says the d-word once or twice but my mom(a teacher) let's my little brother play it.
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| Platforms: | Nintendo DS |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Developer: | Mastiff |
| Release date: | January 13, 2009 |
| Price: | $29.99 |
| ESRB rating: | T for Violence, Drug Reference |
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