Disney Art Academy

When you are a beginning artist, it can be difficult to learn the skills needed to really make something memorable and special.  Art supplies are expensive, and art classes are even more so.  This turns away msny younger artists and parents of young artists, leaving them with the options of books and sub quality supplies.  But with the new game Disney Art Academy budding artists can have a Disney inspired artistic experience while learning and using the plethora of supplies at their stylus tip.  While learning how to paint, use pastels, and markers, artists from beginner through advanced can draw some of their favorite characters, ranging from Mickey Mouse to Buzz Lightyear.  There are 80 characters to draw, as well as letting your imagination run wild and going freestyle.  From shading to layering, this game is great fun for those willing to learn.  As long as you keep trying you will be amazed with your creations.

My youngest tried his best with this game, but after a few lessons he lost interest.  However, he continues to come back to it every so often.  This is the kind of game where you come back to it once it has planted the seed of what wonder and creative side of you it awakens.

I like how varied the art directions are, as well as the amount of skills the game teaches you. This is perfect for adults or kids who enjoy Disney and want to learn how to illustrate like a pro.

Once your creations are complete, you can share via Miiverse, social media or local wireless.  You can also save to your SD card then print out your creation to share a hard copy with friends and family.

Disney Are Academy is available now on both the eShop and at retail locations nationwide, it retails for $29.99

Nintendo’s Yo Kai Watch

The world of Yo Kai Watch is a strange one which centers around the city of Spingdale, where you take on the role of Nate.  Nate is an average kid trying to collect bugs, when he meets a Yo Kai named Whisper.  Yo Kai are mischievous creatures who love to cause problems for humans.  Whisper gives Nate a special watch which gives him the ability to see Yo Kai that are usually invisible.  Nate then has the ability to befriend Yo Kai wherever they may be hiding or causing hi-jinks. As Nate makes friends, they join his team of Yo Kai and help him uncover a mysterious force in town.  With the help of the strongest and best team of Yo Kai, you and Nate can help the town.

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The game play of Yo Kai is quite different then other “capturing creatures” games, instead of directly controlling the action, you act in the role of an assistant, directing Yo Kai in where to attack, when to use special moves, and giving them items as well.  As you battle more, your Yo Kai can evolve into stronger versions of themselves or can be fused with each or other items to make different or stronger Yo Kai.  There are many Yo Kai to befriend and each of them has their own unique powers and personalities.  The town is full of both people and Yo Kai to help, and with each new quest there is another chance to gain experience as well as gain more Yo Kai.

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The little guy loves this game because he thinks the Yo Kai are cute and interesting, so kids should love this game while more experienced players can appreciated the ability to fuse characters together to make new, stronger Yo Kai.

Yo Kai watch is available now for the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS retailing for $39.99 at retailers everywhere and in the eShop on the 3DS.

StreetPass Mii Plaza Nintendo 3DS

20150425_111058Many own the new Nintendo 3DS, but few really know the consoles in and outs.  Today we will be looking at the StreetPass Mii Plaza area.  This area is for use by your friend’s Mii’s.  As you walk around with your 3DS in your pocket, pouch, or case with StreetPass on, you get to meet other people who also have StreetPass on with their 3DS.  As you meet these people, they give you the opportunity to progress in mini games and puzzles for prizes like accessories for your Mii.  An example would be a hat that looks like Metroid on your head.  There are a total of 8 mini games available to play with other’s Mii’s.  The first two are free Find Mii, which is a light hearted RPG with some tough villains, and Puzzle Swap where each player shares their puzzle pieces to awesome moving 3D  puzzles containing characters from various Nintendo games and videos like Pikmin, Link from Zelda, and Mario Brothers.
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Captain Toad: Treasure Hunter

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

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There are many Nintendo characters out there who, after a major to minor introduction in a Mario game, received their own spin off game. Some of this elite crew are Yoshi, Luigi, and Princess Peach. Of these classic characters the newest addition is Captain Toad. Captain Toad started out life as a series of mini games in Super Mario 3D world. The mini games were puzzles where the player manipulated the point of view using the Wii U game pad to navigate carious 3D worlds based on the current levels Mario is working on.

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Captain Toad: Treasure Hunter builds upon this premise of puzzle solving through point of view manipulation and changing camera angles. The interesting bit about Captain Toad is he has no powers, no jumping at all, just running and walking. Of his unique talents, he can puck plants which reveal themselves to be gold coins or turnips which can be used to defeat enemies. Also Captain Toad can collect a pickaxe which can destroy enemies and blockades.
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Play Nintendo: Game Showcase series

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The first episode of the Play Nintendo: Game Showcase series for kids is now available!

Check it out- it might give you some great ideas for the holiday season.  (It can also help the “less video game inclined” among us to know what the kids in our lives are looking for right about now- so, useful!)
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VTech Innotab Pixar Play and I-Spy

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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Pokemon Art Academy

Pokemon is an ever evolving universe of characters. The most recent addition has the player take on the role of an artist going to the Pokemon Art Academy. As such the player learns how to use various methods and tools to make beautiful poke-art.

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As a young artist enrolled in Pokemon Art Academy, players learn from Professor Andy to draw some of their favorite Pokemon. In lessons which get harder and harder progressing from simple shape design and coloring to shading and blending users go from basic drawing to full color shaded Pokemon in all their glory. The Pokemon come from all the known regions so your favorite is probably involved, Little Man loves drawing Pikachu and the little critter is there. There are also various tolls at your disposal as an artist from pencils to paint brushes the possibilities for the artwork is only held back by your child’s imagination. The lessons involved show step by step how to create wonderful works of art which can then be practiced in free mode which lets players draw anything they wish. The drawings themselves can be posted to the Miiverse.
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LeapTV – Learning With Video Games

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

LeapTV is the newest gaming console by LeapFrog. This console differs greatly from its bigger counter parts, Playstation 4 and Xbox One, in quite a few areas but most of all the LeapTv is geared toward little ones and learning. With fun characters and fun new ways to interact with them, learning is much less of a chore and much more a fun game time.

kids gaming systemLeapFrog have been making educational based games for years now and their most recent gaming console the LeapTV brings them a step further into the future. The console features three forms of input body motion, so that the kids can see themselves on TV moving around.  This is best for sports games where the user can block the soccer ball or kick a ball for examples. The second is turn, move, and twist the controller- this is much like other motion controllers, but it also includes twist capabilities which is perfect for puzzle solving or moving a character on the screen. The last way to input with the system is a classic controller, perfect for those who enjoy old school input, great for platforming games which have been classically played with a d0pad and buttons. An interesting fact about the controller is that the motion sensing and classic controller are the same controller, just in a different configuration.  Once your child is accustomed to using on controller they are used to both of them.
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