The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii U

August 25, 2016 by 7 Comments

zelda game

Every so often a gem of a game comes along for a console.  The biggest problem is, that console will eventually be replaced by a newer better one, so how does one share a great game with a younger generation?  With a remake, of course.  Shinier graphics, updated character designs, improved game play, throw in a few extras and you have yourself a fun new-ish game to share with everyone.  This is exactly what The Twilight Princess is.  A great game from the beginning of the Wii now remastered for the Wii U.

Twilight Princess has the familiar Link hero character in an action adventure game where he must fight, solve puzzles, and explore his way through his adventure.  This time, the story line and art is a bit darker, but this doesn’t distract from the same Legend of Zelda formula we all know and love.  Link must find a way to save his world from the Twilight dimension and its evil king, Zant.  In order to do this, we meed some new characters like Midna, who teaches Link to change into his Twilight Wolf form as well as familiar ones like Zelda and Ganondorf.

As this is a remaster, you may be wondering what was added to make this a must buy.  Well, there is added Amiibo support which opens up a new Wii U exclusive dungeon as well as power up abilities with other Legend of Zelda Amiibos.  Your Amiibo also has the ability to carry over data into the next Legend of Zelda release planned for later this year.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is available now for the price of $59.99 and includes an exclusive Wolf Link / Midna Amiibo.  It is also available for download from the eShop for $49.99 but this version obviously will not include the Amiibo.

Filed Under: gaming, technology Tagged With: , ,

eShop Fun for the Wii U and 3DS starring Noitu Love Devolution and Rhythm Heaven

August 10, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Check out these two eShop games for the 3DS and Wii U.

First up is a throw back to the 16 bit era of gaming with Noitu Love Devolution which is available for both the 3DS and Wii U.  This game looks and has the feel of the intense enemy battles of Gunstar Heroes and Metal Slug but throw in a  novel control scheme which gives the player a fresh perspective on the touch screen and motion on a game in general.  The story of the game revolves around a police force called the Xoda Rap who are sent to protect the city from the evil robotic aliens the Darns.  These enemies are smiley faced robots bent on destruction.  They do so by also throwing in time issues which in turn throw the player into new locales like feudal Japan and the wild west all while destroying plethora of enemies and gigantic bosses.  The game play in Noitu is one where instead of controlling your hero with direct button bashing you control where the hero is going to attack, by using a target on screen.  This target acts as a guide for the hero and his/her attacks.  This may not sound like an intuitive way to play a game but it works surprisingly well and is a fresh paint job on a fun genre of games.

Next up is the newest addition to the Rhythm Heaven series, Rhythm Heaven Megamix.  In this game you do various in game actions via button presses to the rhythm of the game to on screen zaniness like chopping wood as a bear, plucking hairs from an onion, and shaking your bottom as a frog dancer.  These are all set to some toe tapping songs and have a frenetic pace to them much like other collections of mini games like Wario Ware, but all of these are rhythm based.  The main story follows a boy trying to reach Rhythm Heaven by helping those along the way find their flow in rhythmic ways the cast of characters include a bee costume wearing bear, a car headed man, and a doughnut enthusiast.  In total there are over 70 mini games each unique to themselves.  This game features hits from previous games in the series as well as new ones we well as some not seen in the USA as of yet.

Overall both games offer a unique gaming experience and are a must for fans of action adventure or rhythm based games.

Filed Under: technology Tagged With: , , ,

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Wii U

July 8, 2016 by 1 Comment

Disclosure- this item was sent for review. Have Sippy Will Travel is a Nintendo Kid Ambassador. All opinions are our own and honest. For more, see “I Disclose”.

pic4

Have you ever wondered who was faster?  Sonic the Hedgehog or Super Mario with star power? How about who is better at table tennis Yoshi or Eggman?  These questions and more could be answered with your won quick wits and faster thumbs in the new Wii U version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.  This game pits familiar Nintendo and Sega characters against each other in Summer Olympic events.  There are 17 events available, including full team sports: like soccer,  Beach Volleyball, and  Rugby Sevens.  This game was also released for the Nintendo 3DS but this version includes 4 x 100m Relay, Rhythmic Gymnastics (Clubs), Triple Jump and Rugby Sevens.

We like how each event is a separate event, with a ton of details and attention put into it.  This is less a series of mini games and more of a series of different events.  Each event is polished and fun to play, especially the Duel Events with add in themed obstacles and items from the Mario™ and Sonic universes for even more fun.

This game is great fun for gamers of all ages and bridges the gap nicely between younger players and older ones.  There is one draw back to this game.  The laughter and fun will keep going and the day will melt away into a giggling, competitive afternoon.

As a small tid bit, this is the first time the console version of a Mario Olympics game is available the same year as the Olympics games themselves.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for the Wii Uis available now across the country and retails for $59.99.

Filed Under: electronics, entertainment, gaming Tagged With: ,

12-City Play Nintendo Tour Brings Family Fun and Magical Adventures This Summer

June 14, 2016 by 2 Comments

Nintendo has touched millions of families all over the world with its much-loved characters and games. Parents can rekindle the magic of the Nintendo world that shaped their childhood and share the wonderful memories with their kids this summer at the upcoming Play Nintendo Tour. Inspired by the Play Nintendo website, Nintendo’s fun, engaging and age-appropriate online destination for kids and families, the 12-city tour will visit malls and other locations across the United States. The tour will bring the magic of Nintendo to life with playable Nintendo 3DS games starring characters like Mario, Kirby and Donkey Kong from June 17 to Sept. 5. There will be exciting contests, amazing prizes (while supplies last) and photo opportunities. This one-of-a-kind experience bursts with color and imagination to offer parents a fun and engaging way to spend time with their kids. Best of all, the tour is free for everyone.

pic5
12-city Play Nintendo Tour will visit malls and other locations across the United States and bring the magic of Nintendo to life with playable Nintendo 3DS games. (Graphic: Business Wire)

“With the Play Nintendo Tour, there’s a surprise around every corner for kids and kids at heart,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “The tour’s massive play area is filled with Nintendo 3DS games and charming worlds themed around classic games and characters.”

Visitors can hop into a Yoshi egg to play Yoshi’s New Island, recline on a giant banana while checking out Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and relax in pink beanbag chairs to play one of the newest games, Kirby: Planet Robobot, which launches on June 10. People who are into cool family photos or amazing selfies can take some snaps next to a huge Kirby figure, beside an oversized Yoshi egg, inside a barrel flanked by Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, under a devastating blue Spiny Shell in the Mario Kart 7 area or next to a giant Pokéball in the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire region. The New Super Mario Bros. 2 section features a photogenic flagpole, stacks of coins and a warp pipe, while the YO-KAI WATCH area makes people look like they have stepped into Springdale, the town in the game, complete with mischievous Yo-kai lurking about.

At each location, visitors can compete for a chance to win prizes (while supplies last) and play games on a video wall shaped like a giant Nintendo 3DS system. The Play Nintendo Tour is scheduled to visit the following locations:

  • June 17-19: Westfield Culver City – Los Angeles
  • June 24-26: Arrowhead Towne Center – Glendale, Arizona
  • July 1-3: FlatIron Crossing – Broomfield, Colorado
  • July 8-10: Mall of America® – Bloomington, Minnesota
  • July 15-17: Bite of Seattle – Seattle
  • July 21-24: Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina – San Diego
  • July 29-31: Memorial City Mall – Houston
  • Aug. 5-7: Woodfield Mall – Schaumburg, Illinois
  • Aug. 12-14: Roosevelt Field – Garden City, New York
  • Aug. 19-21: South Shore Plaza – Braintree, Massachusetts
  • Aug. 26-28: Tysons Corner Center – Tysons Corner, Virginia
  • Sept. 2-5: North Point Mall – Alpharetta, Georgia

To extend the tour online, the Play Nintendo website features many additional activities that kids and families can enjoy. Kids can create their own Super Mario Maker wallpaper, take a quiz to learn their Pokémon type, discover their Mushroom Kingdom BFF and many more creative and surprising things. For more information about the Play Nintendo Tour, visit https://play.nintendo.com/tour. To enjoy Nintendo’s site for kids and families, visit https://play.nintendo.com/.

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™ and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.4 billion video games and more than 693 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

Filed Under: entertainment Tagged With: ,

Mario Tennis Ultra Smash for WiiU

June 10, 2016 by 6 Comments

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 bells and whistles.  Mario Tennis Ultra Smash is the newest iteration in the series.

pic7

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 good you are in the game.  On the plus side, your character can really smash the ball, but on the minus side, you see a lot less court because of your size.  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.  In our house sports games are difficult to get into, but Mario Tennis has the fun pick and play game style while still being deep enough to get good at and trounce your friends.

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

 

Filed Under: technology Tagged With: ,

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016

June 9, 2016 by 5 Comments

What if there was a way to skip years of hard work and practice and actually play in the Olympics.  Iinstead of the incredibly talented athletes actually competing, you get to actually play as some of your favorite video game characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario.  Sounds good, no?

pic3

Well, your dream have come true Mario and Sonic At the Rio 2016 Olympics Games lets you live out your Olympic dreams.  In the proud tradition of Mario and Sonic Olympic games, this game features tons of events, a total of 14, ranging from table tennis, to BMX, hurdles, Golf and even football, which we call in the states soccer.  Each event features different characters to pick from and has different game mechanics to play all of which take advantage of the 3DS’s many features like its gyro, touch screen and of course careful button mashing.  Of the events featured you can rest assured each is fun and well put together with easy to pick up and play arcade controls.  The favorite in our house is definitely boxing- there is nothing quite as entertaining as controlling a punching Donkey Kong.

pic4

There is also a training mode, “Road to Rio”, where you pick which gym to train in Sonic or Mario and work through a story line and level up your Mii. You get to unlock outfits and character suits as well.  In addition to single player, there is also a multiplayer function via download play for up to 4 people to compete with one copy of the game, players can pick either a single event or a mix of a few events to see who comes out on top.  The pedometer function of the 3DS is also used with this game where you can walk a virtual marathon.  Each step not only getting you out and about but also unlocking prizes in game as well.  Amiibo’s can also be used once a day to power up your Mii and give you that slight edge that can br the difference before first and second.

Mario and Sonic At the Rio 2016 Olympics Games is available now for the 3DS as stores everywhere and online at the eShop, for $39.99.

Filed Under: technology Tagged With: ,

Star Fox Zero for the Nintendo Wii U

May 26, 2016 by 2 Comments

Star Fox has quickly become one of the fun Nintendo staples for each of its consoles, from his debut on the Super Nintendo right on through to the Wii U with Star Fox Zero.

pic5

Each one builds upon the familiar,  rails shooting style to open area dog fights, while building up on new vehicles as well as mechanics.

In addition to the familiar Arwing, which is Star Fox’s memorable space craft, there are also the Walker which is a bird type running hopping transformation of the Arwing.  The Land master is a tank design which can also perform on ground rolls from side to side adding much needed mobility to the force of destruction.  The newest addition is the Gyrowing and Direct-i.  This combo vehicle includes a slow moving but very mobile helicopter feeling hover craft which is attached to a small drone type robot which can collect items as well as hack computer systems.

Star Fox has also brought some classic friends along for the adventure this time around as well, including the tough guy falcon, Falco Lombardi, the troublesome Slippy Toad, and the tactician Peppy Hare.

The enemies are varied and a blast to mow through a galaxy of more then 9 locations.  Also Star Fox Zero interfaces with the Fox McCloud Amiibo as well as the Falco Lonbardi figure.  Both of which unlock new Arwing designs for Fox to use.

The controls do take some learning to master, but with the proper amount of trying and learning the game mechanics are easy to get into. My son was more drawn to the Star Fox Guard game, while Dad liked Star Fox Zero.  For fans of the series you are going to have fun, for new comers this is also a nice way to get your feet wet in the gorgeous graphics and fast paced gameplay of a Star Fox dog fight.

Star Fox Zero is out now for the retail prices of $59.99 and includes a second tower defense type game called Star Fox Guard.

Filed Under: entertainment, gaming, technology Tagged With: ,

Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition for the Nintendo 3DS

May 23, 2016 by 2 Comments

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

pic1

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.

pic2

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.

Filed Under: entertainment, gaming, technology Tagged With: ,