zOMG!
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that zOMG! is a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) which is part of Gaia Online. The game will attract younger teens with its lively graphics and game play, but because chat (unless the filter is on) can be quite raw, we don't recommend it for kids younger than 15. zOMG! Is a free to play flash-based game, but teens will be tempted to spend real money to purchase in-game items. While the in-game fighting doesn't have blood or gore, an opening trailer shows a woman's throat being ripped open by a monster with blood shown. This game has not been rated by the ESRB and is currently in open beta.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
zOMG
Watch out for the Gnomes, though.
.................................
Parents nowadays are just overreacting.
What's it about?
zOMG! puts you in a world where the inanimate objects have been infused with an evil life force and their main objective is to kill humans. In defense, you have to destroy these anthropomorphized objects before they kill you. Apart from Barton Town, which is your safe zone, there are nine areas to explore. They have different landscapes and themes, which vary in danger and difficulty. The areas may be lush, beautiful, and seemingly tranquil but beware the pink flamingos, garden gnomes, green hamsters, and toaster ovens. You start off in a subway train, which is the tutorial to show you the controls of the game including how to hunt and destroy.
Is it any good?
There is some unexpected depth to this MMO because it uses a unique "rings system" for combat and leveling. A player can equip up to eight rings at a time and the rings are used for attack, healing, and support. Ring sets will give certain stat boosts and you do not level-up an avatar to get stronger, but rather, you level-up the power of the rings. The more powerful the rings, the more powerful the character.
The narrative and quests are full of humor as they have the player running around the areas delivering items or hunting numbers of monsters and zombies. There are also minigames which can be played and some of them make you play a minigame through the game world, avoiding or destroying monsters as you go along. At time of writing however, the game is still in Open Beta and it suffers from lag, bugs, and too many other people crowding on the small screen.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about online interaction with strangers. How much should you divulge of yourself when you are playing with other anonymous strangers? How do you know that they are kids like yourself? Are you tempted to spend money to buy in-game items? Why or why not?
Game details
- Platforms: Windows
- Price: Free
- Pricing structure: Free
- Available online? Available online
- Developer: Gaia Interactive
- Release date: November 6, 2008
- Genre: Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG)
- ESRB rating: NR
- Last updated: June 19, 2019
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