 | 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. |
HotWheels
Common Sense Media says
Lame games drive the way to Monster Car marketing.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this site is just the ticket for users who need to identify and inventory their Hot Wheels car collection, locate some new play sets, or buy accessories. Otherwise, steer clear.
What's it about?
There are two games available at HOTWHEELS.COM. In the first, you find a large dinosaur surrounded by a highway cloverleaf. You point your mouse at cars as they pass, and T-Wrecks slobbers over to them and gobbles them down. In "Crush Crashzilla," use the arrow keys to drive your monster truck around (or through) various hazards and get into the red zone of the speedometer to win. You won't be driving on a speedway track, mind you, you'll be careening through traffic, running stop signs, bisecting tractor-trailers, and busting through barns. At the end of your journey, should you survive, you'll accelerate into the Monster Truck arena, where Crashzilla awaits.
Is it any good?
Toy manufacturers should be able to market their products on their sites. What's funny about this one is that Mattel very carefully labels two small "advertisement" boxes -- while the rest of the site is pure products, links to sales partners, and marketing of both! And of the two games available, they rate from "This is dumb" to "What were they thinking?" Neither game has sound controls so you can't turn off the music, nor is there a way to quit the game before time runs out.
This is a missed opportunity to create edutaining games of value featuring a popular brand. Surely Mattel can do better.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the advertising on this site. Do you think the site needs to be so direct with its product push, or do most of the kids coming to the site already own Hot Wheels? Do all the ads annoy you, or can you ignore them?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Stupid people.
Your review says this site contains violence because of car accidents. If that's your stance, you might as well force your kids to wear blindfolds whenever they go outside also, they'd better not see anything that might be shocking. Listen. You can't shield your kids from everything. And if you do, how will they react when you aren't there to stop them? The won't know what to do. As for the commercialism aspect, a website's purpose is to either make money or promote a product. Organizations are another story, but those ask for donations.
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Kid, 12 years old
October 16, 2010
AGE
boys...
Yeah, Thats better than Barbie safer.
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Kid, 11 years old
October 16, 2010
AGE
boys...
Yeah, Thats better than Barbie safer.
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| Genre: | Brand Sites |
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