Archive for the ‘Christian Gaming’ Category

Reviewing in the Name of God

As with others who have little objection to religion, its exploitation for political or economic gain is my concern. Enter Christian-themed video games, which have unapologetically done the latter. In 1991, Wisdom Tree gave new meaning to “god games” with their epic failure Bible Adventures. With games tailored to a Christian lifestyle, why not a Christ-conscious game review web site? I won’t object to purchases based on the word of God, but this breaches the line between “religious consumerism” and “utterly insane”.

Guitar Hero II
This game is incredibly fun and addictive I will not deny that…[t]is game is great for parties provided that the music, language or pentagrams won’t offend anyone. I’ll be hesitant on purchasing any more games from this series.
Final Score 76%

LarryBoy and the Bad Apple
This game is fun for the whole family. The mini-games support two player modes and kids at any age can enjoy them. (Adults too!) The violence is cartoon like and there is no blood or gore. There are good moral lessons learned and you’ll see how other people are affected by the consequences of our actions. There’s plenty of humor but none of it is gross or offensive.
Final Score: 98%

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy my time in San Andreas. It’s a finely crafted game. However, the very questionable content makes it difficult to recommend this game to Christians. Violent action, strong language, drug references, and a healthy dosage of sexual content permeate what could have been a masterpiece. Discerning gamers should think long and hard about whether wading through a sea of sin is worth it.
Total Score: 71% C-
(Worth noting the review gave a “+3” to “Promotes importance of family values”.)

Dance Praise
Overall I’m impressed with this game and would recommend it to any church or any DDR lover.
Final Score: 94%

Resident Evil 4
From a secular standpoint, this is the magnum opus of survival horror games…and it is not out of the realm of reason that many such fans will remember this as the best game ever on the Cube…[t]his is Metal Gear Solid meets Resident Evil with a bit of Metroid Prime thrown in, and the results are predictably spectacular. From a Christian perspective, there are elements to this game that are unavoidably troublesome…[t]hose who are uncertain about whether or not to get it might want to rent it first.
Rating: 76%

Bibleman: A Fight for Faith

A Fight for Faith gives me mixed feelings. Covenant Studios did so many things right with this game, and it is their first video game ever. I was extremely excited when I installed this game, and started playing it. It took me a few minutes to become frustrated with the deflecting the shots, and dying with Cypher in the first level repeatedly. I was like, this is the Easy difficulty? So, I tried playing with Biblegirl (for a macho man like myself that was a stretch). Biblegirl was so easy that I felt like there was no challenge at all. I took time to enjoy the sounds, and music. I took time to wonder at the really cool level design (especially the maze level). The Wacky Protestor has some lines (about a chrome bumper) that had be laughing. Ultimately the decision is yours ? I only hope that I could give you the tools to assist in your purchasing decisions. God bless you and yours.
Overall Score: 89%

Starcraft
The multiplayer is simply brilliant.
Rating: 77/100

I’d rather not end this on a theological talking point, but God thinks you’re idiots for killing others in his name, and he doesn’t care who controls the Holy Land. I don’t think he cares if you’re having a good time with God of War 2.

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008