video games Archives - Page 13 of 14 - Have Sippy Will Travel

Super Mario 3D World

December 30, 2013 by Samantha 10 Comments

Disclosure: The below was provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

Mario comes in many different iterations from his first 8 bit adventure through his 16 bit days and beyond. His most recent is one of the most fun and social ways to play a Mario game that I can remember. Mario’s latest foray is in a 3D interactive environment full of bad guys of all shapes and sizes. The bigger the more fun to take down.

Family Video Game

Super Mario 3D World takes the familiar run and jump mechanics of 2D Mario puts them into a 3D environment AND throws in the fun of co-op with up to 4 players. Players can pick between Mario, Luigi, Toad and for the long awaited return of Princess Peach. Each player races to the end of the level, trying to collect more coins and rack up more point than the other players, sometimes working together, but at all times competing for those little gold coins.

The bad guys include fire flowers, turtles, and of course the big villain himself- Bowser. While progressing through each level, the players are rewarded with access to the next leading up to a boss battle, with one, sometimes more big guys who have a trick or a pattern to them, that once figured out makes the battles a breeze but is always fun to figure out, especially with a room full of people. The “Ah ha!”, moments are always entertaining.
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Filed Under: kids, technology Tagged With: family video games, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario game, video games, video games for kids

Pikmin 3 Video Game

December 17, 2013 by Samantha 4 Comments

The Nintendo Wii U has been getting some attention recently with the recent release of its competitors new additions to the market the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox One. With such fierce competition Nintendo has to pull out the stops and release some stellar games for the Wii U. One such game is Pikmin 3. This game follows a space traveling group as they try to collect fruit to help their people and eh missing components of their space ship to actually get home. Along the way they meet some friends and some foes.

Pikmin are small plant based creatures who are incredibly loyal and incredibly useful on an alien world inhabited by a diverse and dangerous amount of bigger creatures, all of which seem to be hungry for Pikmin and space captains. In order to overcome these adversaries team work is needed. Their are various types of Pikmin which are each specialized in what they do best. An example is grey rock Pikmin are tough and fight well but are not easy to throw to reach far away spots, while yellow electric Pikmin are great and conducting electricity and being thrown about but are not the best of fighters. These are just two of the seven types of Pikmin. Each a cute little creature sporting either a leaf, bud or flower on their heads.
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Filed Under: technology Tagged With: family video games, holiday gift guide, holiday gift guide 2013, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 3 Video Game, video games, video games for kids

Nintendo 2DS

November 26, 2013 by Samantha 4 Comments

Disclosure: The below was provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

With every new console innovation, a bright shiny new technology is expected, but what if instead of adding something new, some components are improved. This improvement has long been the norm for Nintendo. First release a new innovative system, then tweak it, make it better, different and more accessible. This is the idea behind the new Nintendo 2DS handheld system. The handheld is based on the 3DS handheld but has tweaked a bit to have a lower price point, and more accessibility to children of all ages. This in addition to a big design change gives players a new way to play their 3DS and DS games.

The 2DS in comparison to the 3DS is now one solid unit, no hinge in the middle. Also it has a more tablet-feel, with a slight tilt when put down, to rest easier on a hard surface and play in this manner. The most remarkable characteristic of the unit is the removal of the 3D feature. The 3DS has a slider which can increase the 3D experience or remove it completely to a 2D gaming experience. This 2D experience is the way in which gameplay is featured on the 2DS. You may be thinking so then why not just get a DS? The reason is this unit could be called a DS2. The 2DS can play most DS games as well as all 3DS games,with crisp sharp graphics and some incredibly fun games like Pokemon X and Y and Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds, the entertainment value is quite high. With the reduction of 3D the price of the 2DS was also reduced, leading to a more wallet friendly way to get the newest system and games in the hands of you and your kids.
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Filed Under: holidays, technology Tagged With: gaming, holiday gift guide, holiday gift guide 2013, Nintendo, nintendo 2ds, video games, video games for kids

Game On!

November 13, 2013 by Samantha Leave a Comment

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate my review. All my opinions are my own and honest.

Looking to connect with the kids in a virtual way, but still hang out together in the “real world”? Check out these fun systems and games, perfect for rainy days, nights, and family fun for most ages.

Ouya started life as a Kick starter campaign, and quickly became fully funded and then some. Ouya is an android, 4.1 jelly bean, based micro console. The hardware does its job well and because of Ouya’s open source thought process has great potential for upgrades and do it yourself add-ons.
Currently there are over 400 games available for Ouya ranging from racing games to role playing to action games, all of which feature a free to play element in the form of free levels, free trials or being completely free. With the free to play element, you can actually try every game before buying it- meaning you will never pay good money for a not-so-good game with the Ouya.

The console comes packed with one Blue Tooth controller. Additional controllers can be purchased and other Blue Tooth controllers can be paired with the console in a pinch. Ouya retails for $99 and is available at fine stores everywhere as well as from Ouya.tv.

With every new console innovation a bright shiny new technology is expected, but with the Nintendo 2DS handheld system, some components are improved or altered. The handheld is based on the 3DS, but has tweaked it a bit to have a lower price point, and more accessibility to kids. This, in addition to a big design change, gives players a new way to play their 3DS and DS games.

The 2DS in comparison to the 3DS is now one solid unit, no hinge in the middle, which also makes it harder to break. Also it has a more tablet-like feel, with a slight tilt when put down, to rest easier on a hard surface. The 2DS can play most DS games as well as all 3DS games,with crisp sharp graphics and some incredibly fun games like Pokemon X and Y and Legend of Zelda, A Link Between Worlds, which makes the entertainment and value for your dollar quite high. With the reduction of 3D the price of the 2DS was also reduced, leading to a more wallet friendly way to get the newest system and games in the hands of you and your kids.
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Filed Under: gaming Tagged With: family video games, game on, games for kids, gaming, pokemon, skylanders, video games, video games for kids

Ouya Gaming System

November 11, 2013 by Samantha 2 Comments

There is a spot in your living room right now that is one of the most sought after spots in America. No, its not that spot on the couch where Sheldon sits or Dad’s recliner. It’s the game console, hooked to your TV. With the holiday season upon us and the forthcoming releases of two power house systems, this spot is happening.

In our house, there are more video consoles then there are TV’s. We have a problem with video games. Video games are a fun distraction from everyday life that are creative and engaging. One of the inhibiting factors with video games can be cost. Video game consoles have been creeping up in cost over the years as have the games themselves. With this in mind we are taking a look at the new kid on the block- Ouya.

Ouya started life as a Kick starter campaign, and quickly became fully funded and then some, becoming one of the most funded projects. Ouya is an android, 4.1 jelly bean, based micro console. The hardware itself is quite small, measuring only 2.95 and cubic in shape, it is about the size of half a pound of butter, but with way less calories. Under the hood the console sports a Quad-core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 MP Core and 1 GB of RAM. The hardware does its job well and because of Ouya’s open source thought process has great potential for upgrades and do it yourself add-ons.
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Filed Under: technology Tagged With: gaming, holiday gift guide, holiday gift guide 2013, new gaming systems, ouya, Ouya Gaming System, tech, technology, video games

Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver Video Game

October 1, 2013 by Samantha 4 Comments

Disclosure- The products below were provided to me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

Hot Wheels are known for their small cars and big fun. With creativity, any location can become a road and or track for your little ones. So now instead of having tiny tire tracks on the TV, Hot Wheels has made World’s Best Driver, a video game.

Family Video Game

The game starts out with selecting a team, each team specializes in a certain driving style, red is for tricks, green is for speed, blue is for drifting and yellow is for off roading. The interesting aspect of this game is when hopping from team to team, there is a clear difference in vehicles which can be felt in their handling and speed as well as vehicle types. Multiplayer takes a ‘hand off the controller’ type competition where each player takes turns, which can be frustrating to little ones, but to older players can teach them by example on ho to master the more difficult challenges. Little Man’s favorite team to play was yellow, yet when watching Daddy play his favorite to watch was blue. The bright colors and futuristic feel of the cars were quite appealing, but the drifting was a bit beyond his driving skill at this point in time.
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Filed Under: kids, technology Tagged With: family video game, games for kids, Hot Wheels World's Best Driver, kids games, Playstation 3, PSP games, video games, video games for kids, wii u games, Xbox 360

Turbo Video Game by D3

August 29, 2013 by Samantha Leave a Comment

Video games can be difficult to gauge on the surface, especially ones which are franchises. The gems of these are usually few and far between, but in recent years there have been some notable exceptions. These include Toy Story and the popular Batman: Arkham series.

To be a gem, the game has to tie into the move/cartoon/character while also being fun and interesting. Turbo: Super Stunt Squad is the newest game by D3 featuring characters from the movie Turbo. This game is a stunt based game. Think the popular skate boarding games of yester year minus humans and skateboards and instead super speed boosted snails.
Initially there are a few levels open. Each level is based on a human environment, but from a snails perspective. These settings include a kitchen at a fast food establishment and a nail salon. In each level there are collectibles and upgrades which unlock new abilities as well as open up new portions of the level to explore and conquer.
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Filed Under: gaming, kids, review, technology Tagged With: family games, kids video game, kids wii games, PS3 games for kids, turbo game, turbo video game, Turbo Video Game by D3, video games, wii games

Spring Travel with Nintendo 3DS

April 21, 2013 by Samantha 3 Comments

I can remember all my vacation memories growing up started with a long car ride. These car rides would drag when we were younger and would lead to angry parents and uppity children. Then my parents found the magic charm that is the original Game boy. The grey brickish, green screened dot matrix and stereo sound emitting wonder was the first time one could bring Mario and Tetris with you everywhere. Only drawback was Mom would want the Game boy for Tetris too.

Fast forward a few decades and now the handheld of choice is the Nintendo 3DS. Instead of big and grey they are now sleek and brightly colored, with two screens and a stylus. With bright, vibrant colors and graphics that are in 3D, long gone are the black and green screens of yester year. Instead of carrying around a case of games, an entire library of stellar games are now available with a few clicks and downloads directly onto the 3DS through the Nintendo eShop.

This Spring Nintendo is releasing quite a few gems to catch your attention. We are going to take a look at two of the ever expanding online library of 3DS games.

First up we are going to look at HarmoKnight. HarmoKnight is a music/rhythm platforming action adventure game. Yes, its a mouth full but there is one more important characteristic [Read more…]