Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Buggy, unimaginative race game where you're a car thief.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Fast & Furious: Showdown
What's It About?
Based on the popular Fast & Furious movie franchise, FAST & FURIOUS: SHOWDOWN is an arcade racing game that pits you as one of the crew, tasked with pulling of daring heists, vehicle hijacking, and escaping with your prize. The storyline, which spans the entire franchise, has you travel around the world -- from L.A. to Hong Kong, Moscow to Miami -- to try and stop a power-hungry gang before they can wreak more havoc on the world. The game lets you build your dream car and modify it with more than 50 upgrades. Then you can play against the game's artificial intelligence (A.I.) to try your hand at more than 50 missions, in total, or team up with a friend, cooperatively, over the Internet.
Is It Any Good?
Like most movie-related video games that conveniently launch at the same time as the film it's based upon, Fast & Furious Showdown is a real mess. Where to start? The game is short. It's ridden with technical bugs, bad A.I., and graphical glitches. The vehicles aren't easy to handle and the shooting mechanics are sloppy. The voice acting is terrible and the bland environments all look the same.
As you can see, there's very little to like about this poor excuse for a video game. Even if Fast & Furious: Showdown was $20 instead of $40, and you're a huge fan of the movie franchise, it still wouldn't be worth your time. Let this game be a reminder for publishers like Activision not to throw money at a game with a movie tie-in unless you're willing to make it a great game on its own merits. Note: All versions of the game are the same, except for the Nintendo 3DS version.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about assuming the role of a car thief. How does it feel to play this type of character?
What is the impact of media violence?
Game Details
- Platforms : Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Nintendo Wii U , Nintendo 3DS , Windows
- Subjects : Science : motion , physics
- Skills : Self-Direction : achieving goals , time management , Thinking & Reasoning : applying information , strategy , Collaboration : teamwork
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Activision
- Release date : May 28, 2013
- Genre : Racing
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks ) , Adventures
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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