Parents' Guide to

Fracture

By Harold Goldberg, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

War game with good premise but just OK delivery.

Game PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2008
Fracture Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 2 parent reviews

magreen9
magreen9 Adult
October 9, 2014
age 10+

Great game, but is difficult and is very complicated

Fracture is a great 3rd person shooter where you fight aliens called the "Pacificians". They are basically people dressed up from head to toe in a brown and green suit, and you do kill them with guns, fist and grenades, but they do not cry out in fear or in pain when they get shot, punched or exploded. The language is what you would expect from a T rated game with mild language. Language includes a**, d**n and he**. The game is pretty hard but you get used to it. There are some puzzles with something called the entrencher, but they aren't that specific and I had to Google some stuff.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
Too much violence
Too much swearing
birley
birley Parent of 9, 12 and 14-year-old
June 23, 2009
age 11+

alright for tweens, not ok for kids under 10

It's a fine game, there is small instances of language, but it's nothing you can't teach your kids not to say.
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

When the game of FRACTURE first loads, it presents a compelling story. Climate change has hurt us all. Terrain deformation technology has saved our coasts from certain doom via giant tsunamis by creating big dams and mountains to block the big waves. The midwest wasn't saved, though, and now, the USA is divided into two warring nations. In the west, Pacificans changed everyone's DNA to adapt to the climate. In the east, cybernetics saved easterners from death. But the two sides are caught in a horrible civil war.

The game presents a well-written, fascinating story. You begin the game by choosing one of three difficulty levels. After immediately being immersed in what seems to be a coming Armageddon, you're given a tutorial by your commander, a tough guy with a heart, a la other shooters like Halo. You'll do a lot in that first level of the single player campaign, including learning how to use Terrain Deformation to your advantage. You'll also learn about your radar, your weapons (including three kinds of grenades and six kinds of guns), and some cybernetic upgrades (your powerups).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (8):

It's sad to say that the big cool feature of this game, the Terrain Deformation technique, isn't all that interesting after a while. You employ it mainly to climb, to block warriors, and occasionally, to kill enemies. Plus the game has a couple of software and camera angle issues. After using Terrain Deformation, its possible to get stuck under a building ledge, even when it looks like there is room to move out. Additionally, the many buttons you use on the controller are a bit confusing. And the wireless conversations between you and the commander can be crackly and too jumbled.

There's a big, robust online aspect to Fracture which you can play with up to 12 of your pals. There are even eight minor variations on your typical online shooting games to tackle; and other nice smaller touches, like objective markers in your radar and onscreen. You won't get lost here. And the music is quite appealing. But for those who have played many games in this genre, this game is not all that unique. You might want to rent before buying this $60 game.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it would mean if, as in the game, the United States had a huge secession and a large chunk of the country were pitted against the rest of the country. What would it mean if there was a new civil war? On a lighter note, what would you do if you had the ability to control the ground, to make deep holes and big, fat hills?

Game Details

  • Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Release date: October 7, 2008
  • Genre: Third-Person Shooter
  • ESRB rating: T for Animated Blood, Mild Language, Violence
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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