So you all know how much we love the 3DS this year for the holidays.Now we take a look at a few more great 3DS games and even a DS game which is often overlooked.

First we start with a stellar DS game, Professor Layton and the Last Specter. The story of professor Layton is an easy one to jump into, think Sherlock Holmes with more puzzles and a younger assistant. This particular game is a prequel to the trilogy which began with Professor Layton and the Curious Village. In this game we meet his assistant and start up a new trilogy of games. Originally scheduled to be one trilogy, this new/prequel trilogy was began when the developer learned of people love of the characters and game design. Professor Layton is a puzzle based detective story which is heavy on the puzzle solving and thinking.
This particular game also includes a large role playing game starring the Professor called “Professor Layton’s London Life”. This game is a bit plain graphically, but is a very nice addition to an already incredibly fun game.

Next up is a game for the more casual gamers and kids among us, Nintendogs and Cats. This game lets you raise a puppy and for all intents and purposes, lets you “adopt” a new pet. It is quite fun as most digital pets are. This is a fun game for little ones. The kind of game a little kid can fool around with for quite some time, then come back to later. This is more of an interactive toy then an actual game to me. Take your dog for walks, to the store, the park, give them baths, teach them new tricks, everything you do with a real dog. The only problem we had with Nintendogs was when we had to say the dogs name, the 3DS couldn’t hear us when we said the same name twice as it asked.

When designing this portion of the game I really wish there was a way to skip it. It took us a good half hour of Little Man trying, then me trying, then use shutting it off because it was stuck. We had to start the whole process again. Quite a bit aggravating, but these things can be expected with any game which requires user input, its going to go wonky sometimes. Other then this one issue, it was definitely a favorite of Little Man. Just a word of warning, the 3D elements are not meant for children below the age of 7. Little Man still had a blast and the game is just as playable in 2D as it is in 3D. We did turn the 3D off for him, and we suggest you turn it off for your kids as well.

Up next is a launch title. Meaning this was released at the same time as the 3DS, Pilotwings Resort. In this game you take your Mii avatar, which is created and paired with your 3DS, and fly around the island of Wuhu. The air crafts available are [Read more…]

Time for some ThinkGeek Awesome on Daddy’s Corner.
Today’s episode is Halloween themed. Spooky! We have English zombies and Valve Zombies and even a sprinkling of 8bit pumpkins and a costume. Can’t have Halloween without a costume!

It’s zombie time! First out- English. If any of you have seen Shawn of the Dead, (great movie by the way) this shirt will make you smile, Ed’s shirt. This shirt is awesome, it even comes pre-splattered with a red substance to resemble blood. If you haven’t see Shawn of the Dead, Ed is a crude gentleman who is quite lazy and a best friend/ room mate to Shawn. As if the splatter and the title didn’t give it away the two of them have a few ‘adventures’ with zombies. In a pinch this shirt can even be paired with an unkempt individual and instant costume. Or lets say you are throwing a party and that ‘guy on the couch’ is going to be the only one without a costume, “Bazinga!”- costume.

Next up Valve time. Valve are the masterful creators of such gaming gems as Half-life, Half-life 2, Team Fortress, Portal and Portal 2. Every game they make is incredible and a work of art. Half-life 2 is their Mast head. Great game play, superb story, unforgettable characters and the voice acting of the main character Gordon Freeman is stunning. 😉

Check this out: Headcrab hat. One of the most irritating enemies in the series are the headcrabs. They are generally roaming about on the ground looking for a victim to latch onto their head and take over their body. Generally turning them into a headcrab zombie. Quick buggers too, but with a clean sweep of the crowbar all is well in the world and Mr. Freeman is on his way to save the day. Now its your turn to play zombie with your own cute headcrab. Reinact a scene from Half-life (NO CROWBARS!), get giggles on Halloween or just keep your head warm [Read more…]

Welcome to another addition of Daddy’s Corner- where Daddy gets his turn.  

OK everyone with a PlayStation 3 listen up.
You all know there are some killer games for the PS3.  You also know it is a killer system.  Able to do so much in such a small box its amazing.  Well there is one portion which is quite often overlooked, the PlayStation Network.  They are currently running a promotion, called Only on PSN.  One of these shining gems is Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken.  I had the honor of giving this game a test run and I have to say this game is very well put together.  

You play the part of Hardboiled Chicken who is fighting against the totalitarian penguin leader, Putzki.  I know, great names lol.
The game play is varied between side scrolling gun totting chicken shooting his enemies and melting into shadows to rocket pack fueled dog fights.  One of the first characteristics I noticed playing was the soundtrack.  It was quite dynamic and alive.  Almost as if you are playing a music video which perfectly fits the music but also playing a game where the music perfectly compliments the game, without actually playing a rhythm based mini game, thankfully.  

Take a look at this video by New World and Rocketbirds, which will give you a small taste of the music.
The art direction is cartoony, BUT it is violent so you will want to be aware of that.  Rocketbird also has couch co-op (2 people playing together on one screen)  I love this feature and I love how this mode is coming back to video games.  There is nothing like sitting next to a friend, kicking butt and taking names while actually talking to one another.  Rocketbirds has Stereoscopic 3d as well.   This means, if you want to, there is 3D with the silly glasses, not the expensive TV and shutter glasses.  These are the same glasses that you wear while watching movies in the theatre.  Rocketbirds retails for $11.99 and $9.59 for PlayStation Plus members.