Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition for the Nintendo 3DS

Disclosure- We received this game in order to review it.  All opinions are our own and honest. For more, see “I Disclose”.

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This is a game for adult players. While there is no outright “acts”, there are some allusions that in my opinion make this not the best game for young gamers.  My husband played this game, enjoyed it, and has reviewed it below.  There are interactions with other characters in the game that are a bit grown up, such as blowing on them, touching faces, flirting, and other things of that nature. Nothing major, but a little to adult for kids for my personal taste.

Fire Emblem is the long running RPG with tactical movements on a grid environment.  Each environment has various obstacles and story line elements from Dragon Veins to deep canyons.  The series spans over 15 games and often refers to a weapon or shield seen as the power of war and dragons.  Each character has a turn in your party and then the enemy gets a turn for each of their characters.  There are also ally characters who you help and defend throughout the course of the game.  The most striking element of this game is the story line.  It starts out as many role playing games do, with a lost main character just trying to fit in.  From there, it spins out of control and an important decision must be made- stay with the family that raised you, side with you biological family, or choose neither.  Depending on your pick is which game you will play each with its own unique story which weaves your player into some interesting adventures and situations.

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Fire Emblem Fates : Birthright has you side with your biological family, Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest with the family which raised you and Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation has you side with neither.  Each story is fun to play and is in its own right a fully developed tale, but to get the true entire story all three games should be played.  This can add up to quite a bit of money if each game is purchased separately, but if purchased together in the Special Edition bundle you receive not only all three games on one cartridge on game release without having to wait for Revelations to become available but you also receive a 3DS carrying pouch and a hardcover art book featuring some of the stunning artwork from the game.

Fire Emblem Fates Birthright and Fire Emblem Fates Conquest retail for $39.99 each and the Special Edition with all three games retails for $79.99.  And will be available 02/19/16.  While Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation will be available for download on 03/10/16 for $19.99  or on 02/19/16 with the Special Edition.

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon for the Nintendo 3DS

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The Pokemon games have been known the world around for their fun role playing Pokemon collecting fun.  Where the action is more directed via third person through a trainer.  There are a series of RPG Pokemon games where you play not the human trainer, but a Pokemon exploring a dungeon filled with other Pokemon to battle, adventures to have, and lots of action and treasures.  This game is called Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and the most recent game in the series is Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon for the Nintendo 3DS.

In this game you pick your character as well as your “friend” Pokemon, and are transformed into a child’s Pokemon. You must explore dungeons to help solve a mystery which is effecting Pokemon by turning them to stone.

Throughout Mystery Dungeon, it is possible to meet all 720 known Pokemon (even rare and mega evolved Pokemon) with whom you can befriend and who can help you in battle.  There also many ways in to interact with this game as well, Wonder Mail players can receive special items via code of QR codes.  Street Pass is also available in Mystery Dungeon, where when you pass another player their Pokemon or assist in the next adventure.  If all your Pokemon faint, it is also possible to be revived to a local player as well, who will bring you back to life without the loss of any items collected.  These features bring a fun multiplayer aspect to the game which is both highly accessible and easy to use.

What we enjoyed most about this game is the ability to play as some of our favorite Pokemon, including Pikachu and Squirtle.

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon for the Nintendo 3DS is available now for $39.99 in the e Shop as well is at retailers everywhere.

1More Headphones – Clarity and Comfort

Good headphones can be difficult to find.  But there are some incredible ones out there, like the newest from1More.  These headphones are tuned by a Grammy Award winning mixer Luca Bignardi, internationally acclaimed audio engineer and mixer, who helped them to complete the final product.

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Two of their finest right now are the Crystal in-ear headphones and the MK801 over ear headphones.  The Crystal are genuine Swarovski crystals with chessboard faceting, which makes them sparkle and shine while you are on the go.  The in-line remote is compatible with iOS as well as Android devices with both volume controls, selection functions play pause, and call answering all at your finger tips.  The headphone’s mechanisms are made of aerospace-grade metal composite diaphragm allows the crystal piston in-ear headphones to accurately present diverse musical styles. The diaphragm extends the frequency range as well as enhances the richness and detail of the music, all while lowering distorting to produce a powerful bass.  Strong Kevlar fibers lend durability to the cable by protecting the internal wiring and extending its lifespan. The cable’s outer shell is made of two different materials. The TPE portion is strategically located for comfort. It also reduces friction on clothing to help prevent the annoying “stethoscope effect” created by noise interference.  What is really interesting is the braided section of the wire which makes for less tangles and easy tuck and go storage.

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The over the ear headphones carry some of the same characteristics as the in ear, but without anything inside your ear (obviously) and also with more comfort with four direction ear cups and a  TR-90 titanium steel head band. Incorporating this material in the ergonomic design allows for the stretching required with everyday use. TR-90 steel is flexible, lightweight, and sweat resistant.  The dual-system in-line remote control allows for compatibility with both Apple and Android systems. You’ll love having volume control, play/pause, and call answering easily accessible.  The over the ear design also allows for the reduction of ambient noise, so your listening experience is more pure and just what you want to hear.

The 1More Crystal In-Ear headphones retail for $79.99 and the MK801 over-ear headphones retail for $79.99.

Hyrule Warriors: Legends for Nintendo 3DS

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Hyrule Warriors is a fun hack and slash game, mixing the familiar game characters from the Legend of Zelda with the game play and mechanics of the Dynasty Warriors series to make a fun beat ’em up style game with the rich character design and story line of Legend of Zelda.

The story involves Link and some new friends, Lana and Sheik, helping to restore the Tri-Force and save Princess Zelda while defeating the evil Cia.  In doing this, our heroes must travel through eras in the Hyrule time line ranging from Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword  and now Wind Waker as well.

Each level has tons of enemies to mow down using your hero, and now also allows you to switch characters on the fly so you can further develop an attack plan and strategy without leaving too much responsibility to an AI character.

Included in these tons of enemies are also big bosses who have weaknesses and special techniques in order to be defeated.  This keeps alive the puzzle solving aspect of the Legend of Zelda series.  There are tons of characters to play as in Warriors and with this new version there are five more, Tetra, King of Hyrule, Toon Link, Skull Kid and Linkle.  All of these are usable in addition to other favorites like Link and Sheik.

Hyrule Warriors is a good pick up and play game, and is a great game to play on the go or pause and come back to at a later time.  The action being intense and fun while ,still being playable by gamers of all skill sets.

Included with the 3DS game is a download code to bring the new characters now included in the 3DS version of Hyrule Warriors to the Wii U version, further expanding the fun.

Hyrule Warriors is available now for the Nintendo 3DS both in retail stores and in the eShop online for $39.99.

ZUS Smart Car Charger

We all know that all chargers for our phones are not created equal, some phones even tell us this when they are plugged in to a slower charger.  Has your phone ever told you it is trickle charging?  Ridiculousness, we have smart phones and now there is a Smart Charger for all your mobile power needs in the form of Zus.

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image via gadgetnote. com

Zus is a smart charger for your smart phone powered by your car.  It can charge two cell phones  (Android or iOS)at the same time in as little as 2 to 2 and a quarter hours.  From empty to full in no time.  Zus may sound like a great charger, but that is not its only asset.

It can also act as a car locator when you park.  Just plug in the Zus, and open up the app, available for free.  Then your parking spot will be saved and you can find it later.  This is perfect for those Summer festivals right around the corner where you leave your local neighborhood and park on side street in a suburban place, only to realize all these houses look the same on the way back when the lights are low.  (Or when you try to find your car in a theme park parking lot…oy.)

I love this feature of the charger, and it will only come in more and more helpful as the Summer months get closer.  Another safety feature is its built in ambiance lighting which is a nice touch in dark vehicles or even darker evenings out.  No longer will that dropped phone be lost until sun up.

Some of the features of this charger include:

Designed in Germany

ElegantShine™ Lighting

Smart Device Detection

Data Plan Free

Titanium Coating

12-month Warranty

Smart Car Locator

US Military Grade Quality

2x Charging Speed (4.8A)

Low Energy Bluetooth

German Bayer Material

ZUS Cooling System

Zus retails for $35.99 each and are available both on their website as well as on Amazon.

Mario and Luigi Paper Jam for the Nintendo 3DS

Mario and the crew are back for a brand new adventure that pairs the 3 dimensional Mario with his Paper version, Paper Mario, and his world of characters in the new Mario and Luigi Paper Jam.  The story of the game involves Paper Mario pages to come out of a book which exists in the world of Mario and Luigi.  The characters brought over are both friendly and not, ranging from Paper Mario to Paper Bowser.

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The action in this game is played out in role playing style where the player takes turns attacking with various skills to defeat the enemy.  What sets Mario and Luigi apart from classic role playing games is that they include player interaction by either bouncing like an acrobat on an enemy or tapping as many fireballs volleys as you can (etc).  Battles are action based rather then waiting for your next turn.  This makes the game accessible to both younger players as well as more experienced players.  The 3DS is the perfect console for this type of game, because with it you can just put your game to sleep and come back to it at any time.  I do have this word of warning- once you start playing, you are not going to want to stop.  With funny dialogue and silly interactions, the game is accessible and engaging to all levels of player.

Paper Jam also supports Amiibo’s as special power ups that can be used in battle.  Each Amiibo can store character cards, and during battle the player can call upon these cards via the Amiibo to get powers like temporarily improving your stats, healing your characters, and even making your enemies easier to defeat.  Amiibo’s definitely make the game more interesting and are highly suggested, as they are used across multiple current generations of Nintendo systems from the new 3DS XL to the Wii U.

Mario and Luigi Paper Jam is available now for the Nintendo 3DS retailing for $39.99 and available at both the eShop and retail locations.

Fun New Video Games

Disclosure- We received the below in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are our own and honest.

If you are looking for fun new video games, here is what is in our systems right now.  Check them out, they are great picks for kids of all ages.

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The Pokemon games have been known the world around for their fun role playing and Pokemon collecting fun.  The action is more directed via third person through a trainer.  There is a series of RPG Pokemon games where you play not as the human trainer, but as Pokemon exploring a dungeon filled with other Pokemon to battle, adventures to have, and lots of action and treasures.  This game is called Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and the most recent game in that series is Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon for the Nintendo 3DS.

In this game you pick your character as well as your “friend” Pokemon, and are transformed into a young Pokemon who must explore dungeons to help solve a mystery which is effecting Pokemon in a terrible way- by turning them to stone.

Throughout Mystery Dungeon, it is possible to meet all 720 known Pokemon -even rare ones and mega evolved Pokemon.  There also many ways in to interact with this game as well, with Wonder Mail players can receive special items via code of QR cods.  Street Pass is also available in Mystery Dungeon, where when you pass another player their Pokemon assist in the next adventure.Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon for the Nintendo 3DS is available now for $39.99 in the e Shop as well is at retailers everywhere.

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A little something for the dads- Fire Emblem is the long running RPG with tactical movements on a grid environment.  Each environment has various obstacles and story line elements from Dragon Veins to deep canyons.  The series spans over 15 games and often refers to a weapon or shield, seen as the power of war and dragons.  Each character has a turn in your party, and then the enemy gets a turn for each of their characters.  There are also ally characters which you help and defend throughout the course of the game.  The most striking element of this game is the story line.  It starts out as many role playing games do, with a lost main character just trying to fit in.  From there is spins out of control and an important decision must be made, stay with the family that raised you, side with you biological family or choose neither.  Depending on your pick is which game you will play each with its own unique story which weaves your player into some interesting adventures and situations.  There are some “interesting” situations, like stroking your loved one’s face and blowing on them to “cool them off”, which make me say that this game is for mature players only.

Fire Emblem Fates Birthright and Fire Emblem Fates Conquest retail for $39.99 each and the Special Edition with all three games retails for $79.99.  And will be available 02/19/16.  While Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation will be available for download on 03/10/16 for $19.99  or on 02/19/16 with the Special Edition.

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Mario and the crew are back for a brand new adventure that pairs the 3 dimensional Mario with his Paper version. Paper Mario and his world of characters in the new Mario and Luigi Paper Jam.  The story of the game involves Paper Mario pages that come out of a book which exists in the world of Mario and Luigi.  The characters brought over are both friendly and not, ranging from Paper Mario to Paper Bowser.

The action in this game is played out in role playing style where the player takes turns attacking with various skills to defeat the enemy.  Battles are action based rather then waiting for your next turn.  This makes the game accessible to both younger players as well as more experienced players.  The 3DS is the perfect console for this type of game, because with it you can just put your game to sleep and come back to it at any time.  I do have this word of warning- once you start playing you are not going to want to stop.  With funny dialogue and silly interactions, the game is accessible to all levels of player.

Paper Jam also supports Amiibo’s as special power ups that can be used in battle.  Each Amiibo can store character cards and during battle, the player can call upon these cards to get powers. Amiibo’s definitely make the game more interesting and are highly suggested as they are used across multiple current generation Nintendo systems from the new 3DS XL to the Wii U.

Mario and Luigi Paper Jam is available now for the Nintendo 3DS retailing for $39.99 and available at both the eShop and retail locations.

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Mario Tennis has been an evolving franchise since the Nintendo 64, and with each iteration the game gets prettier with slicker graphics and tighter game play, as well as a few new bells and whistles.  Mario Tennis Ultra Smash is the newest iteration in the series.

The most prominent addition the Ultra Smash is the Mega Mushroom, which makes your character explode in size to tower over everything at least triple your original size.  This can be both a blessing or a curse depending on how well good you are in the game.  There are a total of 16 characters available in Ultra Smash, some of which are unlocked through playing the game and completing specific tasks.  The game also sports the ability to level up your Amiibo to the best tennis partner ever, improving both their stats and giving them new skills.

Mario Tennis Ultra Smash is available now for the WiiU from both retail stores and in the eShop.  The game retails for $49.99.

Day of Drones at Liberty Science Center

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The drones are here!

And if you showed up at Liberty Science Center on March 6th, you too could have seen how a drone perceives our world.  From big dips to zipping flips, drones are making a big splash in modern culture.  What better place to learn and play with them then Liberty Science Center?

On March 6, Liberty Science Center (LSC) and the New York City Drone Film Festival (NYCDFF) hosted the “Day of Drones,” a high-flying celebration of drones, their pilots, and the award-winning films made from the drones’ unique perspective. Participants will enjoy all things drone including screenings of the films and interactive activities at LSC.

As the day started there were lots of exhibits to check out and many drone activities to partake in.

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Some of the most exciting activities were:

Drone Theater which showcased some of the nominated films for the 2016 NYCDFF these films included Cirque du Soleil’s Sparked, National Geographic’s Lava Chaser, Corridor Digital’s The Smallest Empire, Jordan Rubin’s The Drone, and the NBC News coverage of the Nepal Earthquake.

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Drone Flights highlights some the mots talented builders and operators combating each other all day long.

The Drone Runway features expert pilots showing off their custom built drones and taking questions and answers from the crowd.

Drone Vision takes guests through he loops and zips in the sky giving them a first person view of what a drone sees.  At the time we saw it it wasn’t functioning as we had hoped it would but at least the line moved quickly.

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“Day of Drones” activities are free with membership or paid admission. NYCDFF film screenings are available with the purchase of a combination ticket. For more information, please visit www.lsc.org/day-of-drones or call 201.253.1310.

Day of Drones is only one of the most recent events at Liberty Science Center as they run events all year long so be sure to keep an eye out for some of your favorite featured events.  One tip we do have for anyone going- go early.  Crowds start to file in as the day progresses, and parking can be an “exciting” event as well.  Get there early so you don’t have to wait for the fun to start.