Parents' Guide to

Battleship (Wii, DS, 3DS)

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Less violent version of movie-based game uses strategy.

Game Nintendo Wii , Nintendo 3DS , Nintendo DS 2012
Battleship (Wii, DS, 3DS) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

See all
age 7+

Based on 1 parent review

commonmom01
commonmom01 Adult
May 27, 2012
age 7+

The Indruduction to Battle type games: Best Game for Strategizing Next Moves, After Each Turn.... The Ultimate Thinking Game!!!

Battleship board game has always been a game to help incourage thinking and strategizing your next move based on what the oponets move is. You also have to have patience while the other person is making their move. It is a turn-taking game. Should you defend, or should you attack after each move the other person makes? (Kind of like chess). You can play it with your child or they can play it with your friends. I do not know if it can be played online, but if it can, would not recomend them to play it online at a young age, or any age due to language, getting distracted, etc. The computer does a great job of mixing up moves. It is great for younger children that are interested in playing the interactive games. There is no blood, or scary graphics in this game. It is pretty 1980s-90s basic, the water moves with great graphics. The explosions of the battleships with each move is plain. (no people involved, plain smoke) It is alien force shield attack v.s. U.S. navy fleet missles. Each move is plain like the original battleship game. There is writing as if people are talking back and forth to eachother at the bottom that can help you to better determine how to make your next move. No bad language. No blood/ people on ships shown. Just ships that will be mildly blown up, then turn over in the water to show you have sunk a ship or that someone has sunk your ship. The goal is to get to the destination spot with as many of your original ships as possible while taking out the oponets ships. If you do not like the sound of the ships being blown up, you can turn off the sound and turn on some music instead, which is what we did.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

While this Nintendo game is different than the Battleship created for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it's also based on Universal Pictures' Battleship film, and is loosely tied to the classic board game of the same name. As an Admiral in the U.S. Navy, you must fend off a mysterious alien threat off the coast of Hawaii by deploying naval units to go up against enemy vessels. The turn-based strategy game follows the classic tactics of the board game -- attempt to destroy the other fleet of ships before they can do the same to you -- but also has a story mode, more action elements, and unique Navy personnel, each with their very own special abilities.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

While more enjoyable than the pricier Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version (a first-person shooter), this Nintendo version of Battleship still isn't a great game -- especially given there are free online and mobile versions of the game with the same core mechanics. On one hand it's enjoyable to direct real-world naval vessels -- such as submarines, destroyers, frigates, patrol boats, and of course, battleships -- plus you can unlock maps and unique naval officers to use in a customizable "skirmish" mode. But despite a few additions and cinematics, there isn't much more to the game. Plus, it feels like a shameless marketing tie-in with the movie. If you love the movie, then maybe this new version of the classic naval board game is worth a rental.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why movie-based video games are usually disappointing. Are these games rushed to be released in time with the feature film? Are developers handed the materials to work with opposed to an original concept? Are there content limitations on what can be done with an existing intellectual property?

  • Families can also talk about playing strategy games. What makes them fun?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate