Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
The ammo is candy, but there's a whole lot of shooting.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Hop: The Movie Game
What's It About?
The plot to HOP: THE MOVIE GAME is the same as that of Hop, the film. E.B. is a rabbit next in line to be the Easter Bunny. He doesn't want to be the famous bunny, and runs away to live with the humans and pursue his dream of becoming a famous drummer. His father sends a squad of commando rabbits, the Pink Berets, to retrieve him. In the game, you play as E.B.'s human friend, Fred, fighting off Pink Beret bunnies and overzealous chicks and collecting jellybeans.
Is It Any Good?
Beyond a couple of fun mini-games, including bowling with a jawbreaker candy as your ball, egg catching, and an Easter egg hunt, Hop: The Movie Game mostly offers run-of-the-mill run-around-and-shoot action. The story is told in a stiff and broken-up manner that could make following the plot difficult for anyone who hasn't seen the movie. And the level designs are very unnatural, making the play experience feel like an un-video-game-like movie being forced into a video game. For instance, Fred might be running through a house, but there are maze-like platforms with bottomless pits under them. The game could have been much improved if the developers had stuck to the more playful, Easter-themed fare in the mini-games, and shied away from the standard shoot-em-up action format that seems inappropriate for the targeted age.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in the game. Is there a difference between cartoony violence and more realistic violence in video games? Does it matter if the "ammunition" is candy, rather than bullets? What messages can this game send to children regarding guns and shooting?
Why do game developers make games with more violence than was in the original source material -- in this case, Hop, the movie?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : 505 Games
- Release date : March 29, 2011
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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