Samurai Warriors 3

Review

Common Sense Media says

Repetitve dash 'n' slash game features combat without blood.
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.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that SAMURAI WARRIORS 3 is a hack-and-slash game that sets out a series of objectives and then asks players to fight through hordes of enemy troops to accomplish each task. There is no blood, but combat is clearly the focus of the game; enemies die by the hundreds. Parents should also note that players can play cooperatively in a two-player online mode, although there is no online chat.

  • Positive messages0
    The story involves warlords battling for territories and more control over their lands. It does not dwell on which side may be right, but rather simply places the player, as one of these characters, into the fray. Its focus on violence is further evidenced in the way consecutive kills are tracked. The men have less-than-ideal attitudes toward female characters.
  • Positive role models0
    While the protagonists' morality rarely comes into play, some characters do demonstrate a decent sense of purpose. However, most of the game revolves around the heroes killing as many opponents as possible for no other reason than reaching a particular objective.
  • Ease of play3
    Increasing the difficulty setting will make things more challenging, but this game is basically an exercise in button-mashing.
  • Violence4
    This is a basic dash 'n' slash type of game where players run through the environment, encounter hordes underword creatures, jump into the middle of the pile and pound the attack button (or occasionally launch a special attack). Bodies fly around after weapon strikes, but no blood is seen. In the cooperative game mode, players team up to fight demons and otherworldly creatures using a variety of swords, barbed whips, cannons, guns, and other weapons.
  • Sex2
    Sexual tension exists between protagonists of different genders. The women wear semi-revealing costumes, with some cleavage and buttocks shown.
  • Language1
    Characters admonish one another -- sometimes even themselves -- but the language never becomes particularly coarse.
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking2
    Central adult plot characters can be seen smoking pipes at camps on the battlefield.
CloseExpand to see more details

What's it about?

Warlords are battling it out in feudal Japan with the future of the country going to the first army to dispose of its enemies. SAMURAI WARRIORS 3 lets players take control of iconic historical figures and improve their skills to superhuman levels, making it possible to run through massive waves of enemy troops. As in other games in the series, the goal is essentially to try to score as many kills as possible.

Is it any good?

 

Unfortunately, Samurai Warriors 3 follows the same formula and format as all of KOEI's 'Warriors' games, including both the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors franchises. The character roster boasts a healthy 35 warriors and a few new skills have been added, but  the game bogs down in the series' repetitious play style. A frustratingly uncooperative camera doesn't help matters. It's not visually impressive -- even for a Wii game -- and the sound is only marginally better. And while there are several modes to play, there is very little to differentiate them. If you've played any previous Warriors games you can take a pass on this one without missing much.

Online interaction: Murasame Castle mode allows players to hook up with friends or to find others at the same stage in the story mode to play with in a cooperative setting. This requires a WiFi connection.There is no online chat.

Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about video-game violence and the dangers of trying to replicate it in the real world.

  • Families can also discuss how video-game developers twist real history to create fantasy playgrounds for games. Do you think anything useful can be learned from such games?

  • Parents can talk to their teens about responsible enjoyment of online gaming and what to do should they begin showing signs of obsession.

This review was written by Michael Lafferty

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title below.
This review was written by Michael Lafferty
Platforms:Nintendo Wii
Available online?Available online
Genre:Action/Adventure
Developer:Nintendo
Release date:September 30, 2010
Price:$39.99
ESRB rating:T for Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
This review was written by Michael Lafferty

Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.

 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Screenshots

  • 1 of 3
  • 2 of 3
  • 3 of 3

Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.

About our rating system
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.
Learning ratings
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.
Our child development rating guidelines

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

Better action games for teens
For kids who love smart action games
Browse more games
 

vote now

Will you play Samurai Warriors 3?

Game on
Press pause
Game over

Already played it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 
More from Common Sense Media
Age-appropriate reviews
Top advice and articles

Been There? Tell us about it