 | 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. |
Rage
- Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows
- Price: $59.99
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Common Sense Media says
Ambitious but violent action game suitable only for adults.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know Rage is a first person shooter and violent action game with a lot of blood and gore. Using a wide variety of upgradeable weapons players can shoot enemies in the head, blow them up, drive over them, and hit them with their avatar's fists. Grenades and bombs cause enemies to explode in chunky red bits. Players can also touch dead enemies to search for money and other items. The game has strong profanity and the unrated online multiplayer modes include support for open voice chat, which means gamers can interact with strangers and hear profanity and other potentially inappropriate comments from others. Common Sense Media does not recommend open online play for pre-teens.
What's it about?
Legendary game development studio id Software, the company responsible for Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake, is back with its most ambitious offering to date: RAGE. A cinematic opening sequence introduces the premise: In the near future, an asteroid pummels the planet and forces humankind to start all over again. In a desperate attempt to preserve the human race, you are one of a few important people cryogenically frozen to help rebuild earth after the fallout. Problem is, the "Ark" facility malfunctioned and you're the only survivor. You must band together with survivors of the impact in this post-apocalyptic world and become a key player in keeping the bandits and mutants at bay.
Unlike id Software's past games -- straightforward first-person shooters -- RAGE folds many other genres into the mix, such as racing (you'll acquire and upgrade dune buggies to navigate the desert Wasteland) and role-playing elements, which include an inventory system, weapon upgrades, stores where you can buy and sell items, and plenty of side jobs. Exploration is also encouraged, with many collectibles to find. Combat plays the most significant role, however. Players will wield many powerful weapons, ranging from guns, grenades, and crossbows to boomerang-like "wingsticks" and RC bomb cars that can detonate nearby enemies. You can also use stationary sentry turrets and crawling sentry bots that automatically fire at nearby baddies.
Is it any good?
Id's latest game fares very well, delivering a huge, exhilarating and gratifying adventure. That said, a few technical glitches and missing multiplayer modes prevent it from being a perfect pick. Along with the engaging, sometimes addictive solo campaign, Rage also houses many multiplayer options, including cooperative (co-op) and competitive game modes. This includes many vehicle-based games to play with friends online, such as the capture-the-flag-like "Meteor Rally," where you'll collect fallen meteors and drive them to capture zones to score. But many shooter fans may be disappointed to learn there's no deathmatch or team deathmatch options for traditional kill-or-be-killed, on-foot action.
Visually, the game looks phenomenal, with high-definition characters and expansive towns and desert patches; but this huge and near photorealistic world comes at a price: frequent and long load times. There are random graphical oddities, too. We saw a helmet that appeared to be floating off the ground after it was shot off an enemy's head. And why do fallen weapons disappear after two seconds when enemies stay on the ground? It doesn't make sense to spend so much effort to create a realistic world with incredible graphics when these little things break the immersion. Overall, however, Rage is an extraordinary adventure that surely won't disappoint demanding gamers. Given id Software's reputation and how long it took to release, there's a lot riding on this game. However, the developers have managed to pull it off with style, speed, and intensity.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the lack of decisions and consequences in this game. Should the player have a choice regarding whether or not to kill a group of bandits or mutants they've never met? How does your avatar know the survivors who helped him out of the Ark are the "good guys" and not the others?
Families can also discuss the impact of violence when playing video games.
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AGE
Good game, depends on child.
This is a very good game that I personally enjoy. Ultimately, whether you get this for your child depends on how mature they are and what you think is right for them. First of all, there is tons of violence in this game, which is expected in any FPS (First person shooter). When enemies are shot, blood squirts into the air, then disappears. When enemies are in melee range and shot, the blood spatters onto the camera, but disappears within seconds. Explosive ordinance will cause enemies to explode into chunks. When dead, your character can loot the bodies to obtain items. These bodies do not however, disappear. Secondly, the language. Now some parents may not buy a game because of this, but it is personally up to the parent about whether they think their child is mature enough to hear the words f**k and s**t constantly yelled throughout the game. Personally, I hear things like that at school every day, so I don't think that it is so much an issue. Also, there are some positive role models in the game. Your character fights in what he believes is right, setting a good model for fighting in what you believe for. There are also some empty beer bottles that can be collected and sold, but that is not that large of an issue. Now the asthetics of the game. RAGE has beautiful graphics and great lighting. You can see the rays of sun come through windows, and where there is no light, the screen gets visably darker. This game is not only about being a FPS, there is also intense racing portions of the game also. Through the campain, there are 2 required races you have to complete. The racing itself I would rate T because there is no blood or gore, just racing around, shooting miniguns and rockets, and other cars blowing up around you. Overall, this is an amazing game, but I do agree with its M rating because of the first person shooter action.
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AGE
pretty good
it may get slow at parts but good overall game play. It is pretty gory one example is when you use and explosive the enemy explodes and there blood goes everywhere kind of like gears of war gore if you have played that
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Kid, 12 years old
November 2, 2011
AGE
too gory
even though i'm 12, this is a game that this a big no for kids, too gory cause you can shoot a bandit's head off with a shotgun and they explode when there is a explosion nearby
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AGE
13+
it is pretty gory and does swear frequently
but if ur child is 13+ then it should be alrite
its very good though and it is worth buying
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AGE
fun but language irks me
A very fun game, but watch out for the language, that is my biggest issue, the game was actually meant to be T for Teen yet they go on to use words like "F%ck". I kinda find that ID does not know how to make a game clean enough to be a teen game.
It's very fun though
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AGE
Extreme gore, violence and language.
This is an exceptionall well-made game, but I wouldn't recommend it for kids of any age. For adults: if you enjoy games with extreme amounts of blood, gore, and language, you'll not be bothered at all by the game as it contains large amounts of it. And though I'm not adverse (as an adult) to some violence in games (and even a little judicious use of language), this one got to me after just a few days and I returned it. In my opinion, it's just TOO MUCH. Perhaps this is a result of my 20 years in the military - I've seen and heard a lot - but I guess I non longer desire to see so much of the extreme ends of life's potential ugliness. I certainly don't want my kids to see it.
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Kid, 11 years old
February 27, 2012
AGE
Educational
I'm only 10 years old and I play games like this. Why? you say, because I'm a kid with the brains of an 18 year old and therefor can play games like this. However, I'm not in any way promoting this game for younger ones due to the fact of extreme violence and gore mixed with swearing such as s--t and f--k. On the other hand this game actually is educational in a bizarre sort of way because it teaches your children about no matter if you're different than the others people will accept you. Heck, I should know this because I'm different from the others in my knowledge and I'm sensitive too and sure I've been bullied by loads of people but I have 2 best freinds.
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AGE
Good for 13 & up
I think that this game is pretty gory, but as usual if your child is mature enough it should be okay for them it has some strong language but my son (13) hears lot of it, sadly, at school so you should know your kid to really decide but I'd say at the least it is okay for 12 but is great for 13+!
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AGE
Mega-gaming
Only for the people who appreciate Id's style of shooters, a genre they helped create.
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AGE
Mature and violent.
I play this on my XBOX for at least 15-17 hours every week and have finished it already.Having played the game,I can say that this is not a game for Tweens.There is lots of violence and language but if you have any qualms about the game,check the rating.As usual,depends on your kids age and maturity.
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| Platforms: | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Developer: | Bethesda Softworks |
| Release date: | October 4, 2011 |
| Price: | $59.99 |
| ESRB rating: | M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language |
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