VTech Innotab Pixar Play and I-Spy

November 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment

gift guideWe’ve talked quite a bit about big-kid gaming recently- what about the little ones?  With the holidays coming up, we can’t leave anyone out.  Check out these new titles fro VTech, makers of innovative, fun, and educational games for children.

pixar playPixar Play

Pixar Play is one of the newest games for Vtech Innotab tablets for kids. The game has activites and game for kids aged 4 to 7 years old. The game features some of your favorite characters from Toy Story, to Finding Nemo, the Monsters of Monsters University and The Incredibles. All these and more in one game. Not only is this game of fun but also of learning. Kids will learn spelling while fighting Zurg, Learn new words with Nemo and read an e-book of The Incredibles. These are just a few of the many games and activities included in Pixar Play. The best part is with each game you collect coins and with each coin you can play the Spaceship Crane Game with which you collect toys to fill a shelf. If you collect all the toys a special mini game is unlocked.
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Mario Kart 7

November 24, 2014 by 2 Comments

And now, for a timely Mario Kart 7 review. Sure this review is taking place after Mario Kart 8, but something to keep in mind is that this is the 3DS’s Mario Kart, not the Wii U. So instead of huge races with tons of characters red shelling each other, you have tight turns and blood thirsty Princesses on your morning train ride.

20140919_171459Nintendo have made a new Mario Kart for every console and one of their most recent is Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS. This game sports more tracks, easy multiplayer over the internet, and a bunch of characters to zip around tracks with. As an avid Mario Kart fan, but not a very good racer, I thoroughly enjoy Mario Kart with every iteration. The fun, light hearted racing can go from item using fun at break neck speeds to nail biting close finishes in a matter of moments. Never in any series of games have I cursed so many times at so many cute characters.
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Super Smash Brothers for 3DS #VideoGames

October 31, 2014 by 2 Comments

There are many types of video games available for purchase some are ok, some are good some are stunning gems. We are going to look at one of the stunning gems for the 3DS, Super Smash Brothers. Smash Brothers is a fighting game which has a plethora of Nintendo and non-Nintendo characters who face off in multi-person fights in last man standing type battles. Each character has different special attacks; different weapons, different speeds, and different heights and weights all of which will help you decide who your favorite is and who your personal enemy is. Personally I love Link and Little Mac. Each character can be broken down into three basic fighting categories, gunner, swordsman, or hand to hand. Mega Man is a good example of a gunner, his gun arm fires bullets and charged blasts at your opponents. Link is a swordsman who caries not only his legendary sword but also a shield and other items from his game. The sword has a longer reach then hand to hand but it take longer to swing the sword leaving the player open to attacks. Hand to hand is fast and furious with fists flying at a blinding pace but a limited reach Little Mac is an excellent hand to hand fighter.
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Skylanders Trap Team

October 30, 2014 by 5 Comments

With the recent craze of toys meet video games, Skylanders has been one top producer. With an ever expanding army of toys as well as innovative new ways to play, Skylanders are in it for the long haul. Their most recent release is no different. Instead of swapping or modifying figures, now you can trap villain characters and use them in game as your own. This might sound confusing or difficult, but in true Skylanders fashion, it is easy and fun to play. Also for the first time, you will be able to play as Kaos, who is the main villain and has never been playable previously.

10 13 14 161Skylanders started with Spyro’s Adventure and the collecting began which was the originator of bring toys into the video game through a portal. This was a smashing success and led to Skylanders Giants which brought us big figures and characters who were more powerful as well as larger in game. Also brought into the game are light-core figures who have glowing light core parts and updates of previous figures. Swap Force came next allowing players to swap out character traits to put together their favorites into a new character. Now we have Trap Team which uses special crystals to capture enemies which can be summoned then controlled by the player to further expand the Skylanders universe.
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Hyrule Warriors (New Zelda Game)

September 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment

hyrule

Zelda has long been an institution for Nintendo from the first Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System to its most recent iteration Hyrule Warriors, great fun is to be had. Today we are looking at Hyrule Warriors a recent game which takes the familiar Zelda franchise characters and settings and adds Dynasty Warriors game play and game mechanics to create a great game for long time Zelda fans or new comers to the characters.

First of all it is important to know this game was made by two big game developers Team Ninja and Omega Force. The result is a masterfully put together game which is hack and slash by nature and Zelda by setting, character and even music. The game play itself is simple button mashing fun which is a welcome change for little ones playing the game. Little Man loves it compared to the more complicated RPG controls of other Zelda games, which he doesn’t have a firm grasp on yet. Emphasis on YET.
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Mario Kart 8

July 1, 2014 by 1 Comment

mk8

Mario Kart is back and in a huge way.  With HD graphics, anti-gravity driving, and 30 characters, the game is packed to the brim with fun.  Mario Kart has always been one of the “go to” games in the Nintendo franchise, mixing fast moving racing and action style fighting while racing, the games have consistently improved and built more onto the previous iteration.  This is particularly true of Mario Kart 8.  The first thing you will notice is the graphics, sharp and bright and loud its like having and arcade game in your living room- except you and your friends don’t need fist fulls of quarters in order to wipe the floor with each other.  Another advantage of having Mario Kart for the Wii U is the controller, it is perfect for racing games and in my opinion more fun then using the Wii controller.  But both are available for usage with the game.  Also usable is the Wii U Pro controller which is another welcome addition to the party.  Up to 4 players can play at the same time with easy Grand Prix, Challenge more or Balloon popping.  Grand Prix being a set of 4 races and a grand champion is crowned, Challenge is player controlled opponents only to keep the race pure and no one complaining about that Red Shell Luigi keeps throwing at them at the finish line.  Balloon popping is more of a battle royale with lots of action and tons of fun.
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Kirby Triple Deluxe for the 3DS

May 27, 2014 by 2 Comments

kirby

Kirby is a cute little puff ball of vacuuming power and he is now attacking the 3DS with his newest game Kirby Triple Deluxe.  In this game Kirby is collecting items, copying abilities and kicking butt.

Kirby  starts out with no weapons and few special abilities save for one.  The ability to copy enemy abilities.  Some of the abilities Kirby can copy are sword, leaf, whip, beam, ninja bomb and fighter to name a few.  All of which can be used one at a time to take out other enemies.  One of Kirby’s newest moves is the Hypernova.  This move creates a massive vacuum and lets Kirby suck up just about everything in sight including entire trees and massive enemies.  This move is larger then life and is a blast to play with.

In addition to the main story there are also other game play types available.  Even a fighting game which is cartoon y and fun.  With up to three other players this game is a blast.  Each player uses a different colored Kirby and can pick their special ability which mirror the abilities from the main game, including ninja, sword and beam.  This makes for some fast paced action  packed game play.
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Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze

April 4, 2014 by 3 Comments

toys and nintendo 050Donkey Kong has been around since the early 1980’s in the arcade game Donkey Kong.  Since then Donkey Kong has hopped from good to bad many times.  Then 1994 happened and Donkey Kong Country would solidify Donkey Kong as a Nintendo legend.  This Rare made game brought Donkey Kong to the lime light with a CGI look, new music and Mario-type platforming with his side kick Diddy Kong.  Country is back and on the Wii U with Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze.  This game is a fun romp through Donkey Kong and makes for a great game to play with kids.

pic9

Tropical Freeze starts with a  birthday party which is interrupted by the evil Snowmad armada.  Once it arrives they proceed to freeze over the tropical landscape.  Out heroes Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Kranky Kong.  When Donkey Kong is teamed up with on of his cohorts the team has new powers.  Diddy Kong has a rocket pack, Dixie has helicopter hair and Kranky has a bounce staff.  These powers open up areas of each level which were previously unreachable.  The player has the option to either do your best to finish or do your best to collect everything.  This may seem difficult but with some thinking and some luck all are reachable.
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