 | 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. |
Spectrobes: Origins
- Nintendo Wii
- Price: $49.99
- Genre: Role Playing
Common Sense Media says
Action role-playing game has frequent but mild violence.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this game is an action-oriented role-playing game with frequent but mild violence. Players take on the role of a pair of noble young humans assigned to help protect the galaxy from evil aliens intent on destroying humanity. Battles involve monsters, aliens, and a variety of melee and energy weapons. There is no blood, and downed foes simply vanish. Players have the ability to switch between the male and female leads at will, allowing boys and girls to select to play as a character of their own gender. Drop-in cooperative play lets a pair of players band together for a positive social gaming experience.
What's it about?
Disney Interactive’s popular Spectrobes series arrives on the Wii with SPECTROBES: ORIGINS, an action-oriented role-playing game in which players take on the roles of a pair of young space-faring human fighters assigned to protect the galaxy from the Krawl, a race of malevolent aliens intent on wiping out humanity. Players travel about, helping innocents who have come under attack by the evil invaders while collecting more powerful spectrobes—monsters that they can control and send into real-time battles by flicking the Wii remote toward the screen. When not engaged in combat and exploring new environments, players spend their time visiting villages and chatting with locals or managing their spectrobes in the game's menu. Two-player drop-in cooperative play lets players recruit a friend to assist them.
Is it any good?
There’s not much originality in Spectrobes: Origins, but it’s still a slick and entertaining play. The real-time battles are simple and fun. Players simply tap the A-button to make their characters attack and use the d-pad and a flick of the Wii remote to send their spectrobes into battle. You can choose to let your spectrobes take on enemies on their own or help them out, creating big combos along the way. Collecting new creatures by using Child-form spectrobes to search the countryside is similarly engrossing, as is leveling up your spectrobes to augment their abilities.
Things start to drag a bit whenever the bland and predictable save-the-universe narrative kicks in, but, thankfully, players spend most of their time exploring and battling. It’s a safe bet that kids who enjoyed the first couple of Spectrobes games will eat this one up as well.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about cooperative gaming. Which do you enjoy more: playing games alone or with others? When playing with others, do you prefer to play competitively or cooperatively? How does playing cooperatively tend to change the gaming experience? How do you feel after a session of intense competitive play as opposed to a couple of hours of cooperative play?
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AGE
Now this is a good Spectrobes game!
Now this is what I am talking about! This is Spectrobes at its full potential. Great animation, the fights are awesome, it has 2-player co-op, actual kick-butt cutscenes that rival Kingdom Hearts, a better than average plot, now this game I would reccomend. However, this game is more violent than the first two.
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Kid, 11 years old
June 17, 2011
AGE
A good Spectrobes game?!
Content: Violence is worse than its DS predecessors, but not by much in my point of view. Violence is bloodless, but you will hear the occasional "grunt" of pain from a monster.
Is it worth the dough: It is. The graphics are great for the wii. The co-op play was disapointing (player 2 has to be the spectrobe which is only called out during a battle). Other than that it is a fun game with good cell-shaded graphics, fun gameplay and a 20+ hour story. I was able to find it in Gamestop for $9.99. You may too. So fork over that 10 dollars and get Spectrobes Origins today. 9/10
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| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Role Playing |
| Developer: | Disney Interactive |
| Release date: | August 18, 2009 |
| Price: | $49.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E10+ for Fantasy Violence |
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