Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Control flaws mar an otherwise decent preschool adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Mega Bloks Diego's Build and Rescue
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
MEGA BLOKS DIEGO'S BUILD AND RESCUE follows Nick Jr's Diego character as he treks through four different global habitats to rescue stranded animals. He'll jump chasms, climb ladders, swing on ropes, and perform other exciting stunts along the way -- including stopping to build helpful items (like staircases and bridges) out of Mega Bloks construction toys. In each habitat, he'll also have to find lost animals that don't belong in that part of the world and collect Mega Blok pieces to build vehicles that he will drive in later levels.
Is It Any Good?
Mega Bloks Diego's Build and Rescue is a great concept with unfortunately less-than-perfect execution. Searching through different habitats to find the lost animals is a great premise for a Diego game -- and even the Mega Bloks license is used well, providing neat construction elements for the game. But unlike most of 2K Play's Nick Jr games (which typically have fantastic controls, perfectly designed for preschoolers), this game can be pretty tough to work through. When a preschooler is trying to tap an item to make Diego interact with it -- and he ends up just making Diego jump back and forth in front of it -- that's a recipe for frustration. And steering with the stylus on the vehicle levels, while not insanely difficult, is just as challenging as it would be in a racing game meant for much older kids. This game feels far too demanding for Diego's audience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about product placement in video games and selling to kids. When young kids see Diego building with Mega Bloks and hear him refer to them by their brand name, what does that make them think about Mega Bloks? Does playing this game make preschoolers want to buy Mega Bloks of their own?
Kids and parents can also discuss Diego's job as an animal rescuer. What are endangered species? Why is it imporant for humans to protect these animals in real life?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : 2K Play
- Release date : October 27, 2010
- Genre : Preschool
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 15, 2019
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