It's Official: Nintendo, Wii (Heart) U

A few weeks ago we were invited to Siren Studios in Hollywood to try out the new Wii U system. What a great event – besides turning a soundstage into a futuristic gaming nirvana with individual gaming stations, fancy couches and separate rooms for some of the games – they had Nintendo cookies, too. I say an event is reflected in the cookies they serve, and these were fantastic, classy and my teenagers loved them. And much like the event, they were making some people drool.

Here are some of the down and dirty specs of the new Wii U, and then I'll let my teens give you their reviews of the game. Stay tuned for hilarity.

The biggest difference in the Wii U is the addition of the Wii U GamePad™ controller, a gaming pad that features a 6" window that expands your gaming experience (not all games will require the second screen.) The GamePad also includes motion control, a front-facing camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, rumble features, a sensor bar, and a stylus. (Your old Wii controllers and nunchuks will work just fine with the new system – in fact, hang onto them because only the new GamePad will be included with the Wii U.) Here's a little intro:



Along with the Wii U will be a new movie system, Nintendo TVii. The GamePad will function with your DVR and TiVo and can also be used to search for programming from sources like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, cable and satellite channels and video-on-demand services. I CANNOT WAIT to check this out:



There will be two versions of the Wii U:
- The Deluxe set that features a black Wii U unit and has 32GB of internal storage. This will retail for $349.99
- The Basic set that features a white Wii U unit and has 8GB of internal storage. This will retail for $299.99

Because I'm old and boring, the first thing I inquired about was if the Wii U would still be compatible with my Wii Fit balance board. It is! But there will also be some new games as well in the form of Wii Fit U so that I can change it up from my old Yoga/Skiing/Segway Circuit routine. (See 'old and boring' above.)

My teenagers were much more adventurous. Their faves of the day were Batman: Arkham City, Pikmin 3, Just Dance 4 and Sing Party. I didn't play all of these, but I did sit in on the demos when the girls were playing – I had no desire to hold up the lines of people waiting for their turn while I tried to find the 'start' button. Have you ever pissed off a bunch of eager gamers? Oh, they get mean.

But don't take my word for it - here are reviews of a few of the games, straight from my 14 & 16-year-old daughters' brains:

BATMAN: Arkham City

"The batman game was super cool and really let you experience Batman first person with full use of all his fancy rich people gadgets. It's a bit difficult to get used to when you first play, but when you finally get the hang of all the controls it makes you feel pretty awesome. The ability to kick-butt as batman is pretty sweet if you haven't heard already."

"Batman had awesome graphics, and you also have the option to be Catwoman, which is super cool because I LOVE Catwoman."

PIKMIN 3

"Pikmin 3 was also an awesome surprise because it's been FOREVER since the last one was out. It'll be a big hit for people not familiar with the previous ones, and of course even more exciting for those who are already fans. (The game in itself is pretty much the same as the others with added characters and new levels and actions with the GamePad.) It's both similar and different enough to live up to the old version's expectations as well as introduce some new things to do with the GamePad.(and omg there's cute lil' rock Pikmin??)"

JUST DANCE 4

"Just Dance was great as ever; still my favorite way to exercise without like, actually exercising. Probably the funnest game to play at sleepovers or just hanging out. The mix of wonderfully horrendous '80s songs and modern pop is enough to provide entertainment for happy(but wheezing) teenagers. Plus you can play with 5 people using the game pad so your poor friend doesn't have to sit down while you dance (for added usefulness the GamePad option doesn't require dancing, just in case you have a friend that hates dancing or is injured etc etc - or your mom wants to play and - don't lie - we all don't want to see your mom dougie.)"

"Just Dance was crazy but fun.  The new 'puppet master' feature exhausted me.  It's a great game to play with friends at parties and stuff, I even came back to play it twice!"

SING PARTY

"Sing Party can only be described as a beautiful smoothie of Just Dance and Sing it. Although the Carly Rae Jepsen and LMFAO soundtrack will get a little headache inducing when your daughter plays Call Me Maybe for the 30th time in a row at 1 in the morning, even you can't resist the booty-poppin fun of dancing really badly while your friend takes lead rapper."

"Just Dance 4 was crazy but fun. The new 'puppet master' feature exhausted me. It's a great game to play with friends at parties and stuff, I even came back to play it twice!"

And there you have it – our preview of the new Wii U. We loved what we saw, and are totally looking forward to checking it out further. You can pre-order yours over here. Sorry, cookies not included.

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I Wanna Be Your Superhero: Kirby's Helping Kids

I'm totally suspicious of people knocking on my door. I automatically think it's either an axe murderer or a rug salesman, both of those being equally scary and equally unwelcome. Most people who want to get in touch with me would either text me or email me and would never dream of knocking on the door. Man, I guess I just gave permission to all the axe murderers and rug salesman to email me now.

But recently I opened the door to find this:

It didn't look scary at all, so I opened it up. Then my paranoia took over and I thought of Pandora's Box and was certain that I had just unleashed evil on the world, but then I saw this:

Kirby's Return To Dream Land! And Kirby CAKE POPS! Not scary or evil in the least bit. In fact, the total opposite of scary and evil – cute and delicious. Although that one cake pop in the top left does look like a rug salesman that came by once.

Here's a trailer for the game:



This was yet another awesome gift I received as a Nintendo Ambassador. It was sent to give my girls and I a chance to check out Kirby's new game, but more importantly to announce Nintendo's partnership with the Starlight Children's Foundation – a foundation committed to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and injuries by providing entertainment, education and family activities.

And they've come up with a clever way to get your kids involved: Just as Kirby uses his 'Super Abilities' in the game to help his friends, Nintendo is asking kids all over the country what 'Super Ability' they'd like to have to help others. They can go to the Super Ability microsite to download a coloring sheet and describe their 'Super Ability' – it might get posted on the Nintendo site!

And as a total non-sequitur and because ever since I heard the words 'Super Ability' I couldn't get the Entourage theme song out of my head, here it is so you can have it stuck in yours. Hey, it beats listening to the doorbell ring.



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My Daughter Takes On 'Dragon Quest' and Wins

A few weeks ago Nintendo sent over the new Dragon Quest game for the DS and as usual I just opened the package and handed the whole thing over to my 12-year-old. I can't even begin to understand these video games – it may as well have been a box filled with parts to build a pony. Although at least with a pony I could point out things I recognized, like 'ear' and 'bladder' before my daughter stepped in and said, "You're doing it wrong, mom."

This time Nintendo sent over several copies of the game so that my daughter could have her friends try it out, too, and it just so happens the package arrived the day before she was having a slumber party. How perfect is that? Unfortunately her friends all think that they'll get a new DS game every time they sleep over, and now they're just hanging out on our front porch till all hours just waiting for me to invite them in. Funny, they were never this enthusiastic when I handed out my pizza rolls.

(I will say this, though – those girls played this game for hours on end, nonstop that weekend. I woke up at 4am to find them all awake in the living room, their little DS screens glowing. There were also empty soda cans and potato chips strewn about – it was a tween girls' version of a frat party.)

The people at Nintendo wanted some sort of video reaction to their game, so not only did my daughter write an eloquent review but she put together this video with her best friend. We had just seen 'Inception' so it's a sort of homage to that, as much as a homage as two tween girls could muster after staying up till 4am and getting hopped up on root beer and Cheetos.



Here is the review my daughter wrote. It's a 100% her. Please read through to the end for the important life lessons she gleamed from this.

As I’ve heard, the Dragon Quest games are quite popular in Japan, as well many other role-playing action games. Although I’m not a big fan of action games as much as I like a game with a story-line, Dragon Quest quite generously balances them both.

When you first start off, you get to create your character known as a Celestrian. You can pick out the eyes, the hair, etc., either way creating an adorable hero to represent you through the game. Celestrians are basically angels, that are guardians to the many towns in the game. They go through the town and help people, gathering benevolessence, otherwise known as gratitude gained from helping the mortals in your town.

Your oh-so-adorable Celestrian hero guards over the small (But big in heart!) city of Angel Falls, where you invisibly float around listening to the many “Oh no he didn’t!"s and collecting benevolessence that you give to the great tree, Yggdrasil. The tree eventually bears magical, golden fruit, known as Fyggs, that can make the consumer’s desire come true. The bearing of the fruit also means the Starlight Express will arrive and take the Celestrians to the world of the Almighty. But, when the Yggdrasil finally bears fruit that’s when it all goes wrong. Right when The Starlight Express arrives, purple blasts of light shoot up, followed by many “Oh snap!"s as you plummet to the ground (Along with the Fyggs) without your wings or halo.

For all of the adventures, I think the stories that go along with it are very interesting, although sad, and make the game interesting and fun. The downside of the stories is that each one usually involves a death and creepy ghosts wandering around.

I’ve also found defeating the many monsters extremely difficult, in which some take days to defeat. Of course nothing is impossible, so after many tiring days of sitting on the couch fighting fictional monsters, I eventually defeat them.

I think one of my favorite things from the game is the clothes. You can explore different towns for their clothes and decorate your characters to match their personality. Cause I mean, when you’re fighting to your death, you might as well die fashionable.

Overall, I think the game is very creative, and while the entire story is quote confusing, the smaller stories are sweet, and give important messages as in: “Don’t eat magical Golden fruits from strangers.” and “Don’t go fighting Dragons after dark.”

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Wii and Netflix Go Together Like Pizza and Martinis

A few weeks ago Nintendo threw me a fantastic party to help me get the word out to my friends about their partnership with Netflix. Did you know you can stream movies and TV shows straight from your Netflix queue through your Wii and watch them on your TV? Well, did you? Yes, it's amazing but don't ask me how it works – like my explanation for everything else I don't have a clue about, I'll just tell you it's done with magic. How does the music come out of the radio? Magic. How does an airplane stay in the sky? Magic. How does popcorn pop? Magic, voodoo, and a little bit of oil.

Nintendo sent over a Netflix/Wii streaming disc (which you can get here), some genuine concession stand treats (hello, Raisinettes!), a catered meal and best of all provided me with a three-month subscription to Netflix. We had a subscription many years ago, but canceled it when we realized it wasn't cost effective for people like us who take eight months to get around to watching a DVD – that one viewing of Eraserhead in '02 cost us $96.

(The process is simple: Set up an 'Instant Queue' on your Netflix account online, pop the streaming disc into the Wii, access your queue and select the title you want, and the movie downloads within seconds.)

Our meal that night came from one of our favorite restaurants – California Pizza Kitchen – and we decided the drink of choice for the night would be martinis. Maybe an odd beverage to pair with pizzas and salads, but we thought it would add a nice adult, upscale air to the evening of dining and fine cinema. After all, we were using our fancy new movie projector, and I was looking forward to kicking back with my friends, noshing on some pizza and sipping a beverage while watching La Dolce Vita.

Which is why it all felt so futile when the choosing of the movies quickly got overtaken by the kids at the party, and I turned my back for a minute to mix up a pitcher of Cosmos and came back to find this on the screen:

Damn those diabolical toddlers! I managed to lure them out of the room by throwing a box of Junior Mints out onto the lawn, but when I left again to mix up a pitcher of Lemon Drops (hey, my friends are insatiable when it comes to free booze) I came back to find a gaggle of girls watching this:

Come to find out this movie was neither streaming through the Wii nor a Netflix DVD, but was a gift my 14-year-old had gotten for her birthday. This party was seriously getting out of control. What was coming up next – reruns of Matlock on Beta? Thank goodness the Nintendo people weren't at the party see the anarchy.

This time I lured all of the teens and tweens out to the backyard with a couple of Forever 21 gift cards tied to a string so that we could get to some serious movie watching. Unfortunately, by then a lot of the adults were starting to get restless from the mixture of vodka and pepperoni in their stomachs and headed outside before I could get another movie queued up. Personally I think it was just an excuse to go out and dig around in the lawn for those Junior Mints.

Eventually I gave up, and gave the controls back to the kids so they could watch 3 Ninjas and Ace Ventura which they had so cleverly queued up when I was busy mixing up that fifth pitcher of martinis. I joined the party outside, but not before sneaking onto the computer and queuing this up to watch later on my own:

I forgot to mention the nice people at Nintendo also sent over a Flip camera to record the festivities with, and my 12-year-old aspiring filmmaker was in charge of that. Here's a movie she made:



Mandatory small print disclosure that I implore you to read: I was not given any monetary compensation for hosting this event or writing about Nintendo or Netflix products, nor was I required to write a review. From Nintendo I received a Flip camera, a three-month subscription to Netflix, food for my guests and Wii Points cards to distribute. Beverages were provided by me, but if Nintendo were paying for the vodka I'm sure it would have been the good stuff and not the cheap swill I passed off to my guests.
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Happy Monday! Win a Wii and Wii Fit Plus

A winner has been picked -- see below!

I hate Mondays. Who's with me? Well, here's something that might help you pull the day out of the toilet -- the chance to win an awesome prize! Remember I told you about my fabulous Wii Fit™ Plus yoga party hosted by Nintendo? And remember I told you I’d be giving away a Wii™ system and a copy of the Wii Fit Plus video game? Well, seeing as I only lie about things like my weight, and my age and how many cups of coffee I’ve really had, here’s the giveaway.

Nintendo has given me a Wii system and a copy of Wii Fit Plus and I’m going to give them away to a lucky reader who wants start enjoying the benefits of working out right in their living room. That’s right - work on your abs without having to drive cross-town to the gym, or fit in a calming yoga session without having to fight for a parking space at the local yoga studio. That means more time to hang with your family, or play with your cat, or –– pick lint out of your navel – I don’t judge.

Just leave me a comment where you answer the question, “How would YOU fit some fit in with Wii Fit Plus from Nintendo?” Just do it before 11:59pm PST on May 16 2010. To keep things fair and totally random, I’ll use random.org to pick one lucky winner. Winner will be notified by email within one week and the prize will be sent out within two weeks.



A few rules!

1) I only ask that you give me a real answer – no smartass lines like, “When my wife’s not looking,” or I’ll be forced to disqualify you and your cat.
2) One entry per person.
3) No anonymous comments.
4) Entries from U.S. residents only.
5) Employees of Nintendo and my family members are ineligible to enter (sorry mom.)
6) Entrants must be 18 years or older.

So hopefully your Monday just got a little better. Carpe Diem! Seize the day! And the Wii if you're lucky.

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And the winner is:

Megryansmom of Look It's Megryansmom. Congratulations! (Is she really THE Meg Ryan's mom? I have no idea, but she is the proud owner of a brand new Wii and Wii Fit Plus!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

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Disney Interactive Party: I Came, I Saw, I Brought Home Gift Bags (Including One to Giveaway!)

Update: 10/21 - The winner has been picked! See below.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a party thrown by Disney Interactive Studios to introduce some of their new games for Wii, Nintendo DS and PlayStation. I took my girls and a couple of their friends, since they're the real gamers and the ones whose opinions count - no one wants to hear me complain about how the game's going too fast! And hey - I swear I got a gazillion points so why is the score telling me I'm a loser? Better for everyone if I just kick back on one of the comfy couches, sample the food and shout encouragement.

No slouchers, these Disney people - they had their party at the über hip Coco de Ville, where David and Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian have been known to party. They weren't there that night, but I'm sure if they were they would have hung out with me on the couches. Except for Posh - she looks like she might be able to kick ass on Toy Story Mania.

And speaking of one of our favorite games, Toy Story Mania for Wii is based on the ride of the same name at Disney's California Adventure. This is a really fun, fast-paced carnival-style game and one of the few that I can actually play without looking like a complete idiot. I played this at the party with one of the people from Disney Interactive who helped develop the game, though, and not surprisingly she beat me pretty badly. In fact, I think she may have had her eyes closed the whole time. And one of her hands tied behind her back. Okay, both hands.

I finally talked my girls into giving the new Sing It: Pop Hits a try, but only because I threatened to get up there and sing a Coldplay song by myself. Nothing gets kids motivated like the threat of being horribly embarrassed and they couldn't wait to get the microphone out of my hand. Once they started singing this ended up being their favorite game, and they loved that the song selection included some current artists like Duffy, OneRepublic, Maroon 5, Colbie Caillat and Taylor Swift. And they're going to die if any of their friends see this, but they even sang along (very well, I might say) to Miley Cyrus' The Climb.

I have to add that the food, provided by the adjacent restaurant STK, was amazing. There was fare for the kids (corn dogs, chicken fingers) and a cotton candy machine that was the highlight of the evening for my 11-year-old. For the adults there was tuna tartare, beef kebobs and salad sticks and what may be the best cheeseburger slider and fries I think I've ever had. Just to make sure I had three of them.

As is tradition whenever I take this group of girls out, we stopped at Starbucks on the way home, and as the gaggle enjoyed their mochas and lattes I overheard what passes for an enthusiastic endorsement from this jaded crowd. "Dude, I totally don't like karaoke but I'm going to have to buy that Disney Sing It." So thanks, Disney - I might get to warble along to that Coldplay song after all.

And leave it to Disney Interactive to send all of us home with not one, but two great swag bags - one to give away to one of my readers.

Here's what's in the bag: Toy Story Mania for Wii, Spectrobes Origins for Wii, a Tinkerbell Light-Up Projector flashlight, a Spectrobes Excavation Kit, a Jonas Brothers mouse pad and a set of Princess and the Frog measuring spoons.

Oh, and also? In keeping with my tradition, I'm personally throwing in a $5 Starbucks card so that you can get yourself a coffee after you've worn yourself out gaming.

So, if you'd like a chance to win here's how you can enter:

1) Leave a comment on this post, below. Or,
2) Leave a comment on my Facebook fan page (Sweatpantsmom)

You can enter once in either location (meaning two entries per person)

I'll be picking a winner from all the combined entries on Tuesday, October 20 using random.org, which is, as the title suggests - random.

*Sorry - entries from the Continental U.S. only.

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Update: 10/21: WINNER PICKED

I put all the entries into the random list generator and let it do its thing.

AND THE WINNER IS...



Kirsten Pekrul Dominguez! Kirsten, send email me your address so I can ship you your swag bag! Congratulations!

And thanks to everyone who entered - I have lots more giveaways coming up!

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tags: disney interactive studios | disney toy story mania for wii | coco de ville | nintendo wii games | disney sing it pop hits

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MySims Racing is Keeping the Peace in My House

I have two daughters, ages 10 and 13. When it comes to playing video games, the scenario goes like this: The 10-year-old spends a huge amount of time begging the 13-year-old to play with her, while the 13-year-old does her best to ignore her and then finally promises to play with her as soon as she's done updating her Facebook page, re-charging her iPod and IM'ing with her 75 closest friends that are usually online at any given time. Because discussing the latest Gossip Girl episode is apparently more important than crushing your little sister in a video game any day.

But all that changed when we got a copy of MySims Racing for Wii to review. My 13-year-old? Suddenly a world-class racer who is determined to conquer the Burning Lap Challenge no matter how many of her friends are waiting for her to text them back. She's a fan of the Story Mode version of the game, where you can customize your car and chart your own course. In fact, she was so engrossed in a race through a snowy field the other day that she was unplugged from her iPod for an entire 30 minutes, a record. And crushing her little sister in a race has once again become a priority. I'm so proud.

The 10-year-old, who was already a fan of all things MySims and Sims, didn't need any convincing. and is expertly racing her customized kart around the track. And now, she's happy to have her sister along for the ride.

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tags: ea games | my sims racing | nintendo wii | video games for teen girls

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We Went to an EA Games Party and I Brought Something Back For You

Last week I took the girls to the EA Games Summer Block Party held at the EA offices in Playa Del Rey. Let me just say the party started before we even walked into the event - this is one of those places that everyone dreams of working at. They have gaming centers everywhere, a beach-like pond in the middle and my favorite - a cafe in the lobby. Imagine not having to lie to your boss about an emergency and then sneaking out to get your afternoon caffeine and pastry fix.

The hedonism didn't stop there; as soon as we stepped in we were pointed towards the make-your-own sundae bar, the buffet table filled with fresh pizzas and the cotton candy and popcorn machines. All this surrounding a huge room with couches, huge screens and all the latest games from EA. The kids of course, went nuts. At one point I saw my 10-year-old with a Wii controller in one hand and a cotton candy in the other and I haven't seen her that happy since I told her she could skip flossing on Fridays.

The best part was, my girls and their friends got to game to their hearts content. Really great new Wii games, like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, MySims Racing and a new version of Boom Blox, Bash Party. Me, I got a little taste of the new EA Sports Active for Wii, which I loved. That might be just the thing I need to work off all that pizza I ate at the party.

A few of the other games they featured were Tiger Woods PGA Tour (wanted to try this out but got intimidated by an eight-year-old) Sims 3, Madden NFL 10, G.I. Joe, Littlest Pet Shop Spring and video game versions of classic board games like Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. I'm happy to see EA coming out with Wii games for adults - us grownups aren't just about blogging, Twitter and ordering housewares from Amazon.

And guess what? I brought something back for you: I have a copy of MySims Party for Wii to giveaway, and all you have to do is leave a comment below. I will then determine the winner in a random, reckless manner. Enter before midnight pst on Tuesday, May 19. (Sorry, U.S. entries only.) You may all skip flossing tonight.

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tags: ea games | nintendo wii | mysims party | ea sports active

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And The Winner Is...

The winner of the We Ski & Skateboard for Wii is...

Heather Ostrom. Proving that bending back the corner of the comment box really does work!

Heather, send me your mailing address so I can get your game to you. You'll be spewing out snowboard lingo like an adolescent boy in no time!

Thanks to everyone who entered - I have another giveaway coming up next week. And no, it's not leftover Easter candy.

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tags: wii ski and snowboard | namco bandai | nintendo wii games | wii fit balance board

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We Ski & Snowboard: Come Out of the Cold - and Win Your Own Copy!

The last time I went skiing, a friend and I stopped halfway down the mountain at a warming hut during our first run. We had only been on the slopes for thirty minutes but we were exhausted and cold, so we sat ourselves down in front of the fireplace, propped our feet up, sipped our steaming cups of coffee and complained. The next thing we knew our husbands came marching in wondering where we had gone to, and it was then we realized we had been sitting there for four hours.

I learned something important on that trip (besides which muffins at the cafe were the best) and that was while I loved skiing, it combined three of the things I hated most in life: Waking up early, being cold and waiting in line. I haven't skied since that day, and while I keep meaning to get back to the slopes the thought of waking up at dawn and standing for up to thirty minutes in freezing temperatures to get on a lift is not my idea of a fun day.

So I was excited when I was asked to try out We Ski & Snowboard, a new game for the Wii. Here was a chance to use my skiing skills, without having to leave my house. I put on a pot of coffee, put a log on the fire and got to work. And the temperature in my living room? Perfect.

We Ski & Snowboard lets you hit the powdery slopes in a virtual adventure through beautiful scenery - you can even do jumps, perform tricks, have races, take pictures and meet up with other Mii skiers. The only thing I didn't find was a warming hut halfway down the mountain so I could take a rest, but thank goodness I was able to pause the game, head into my kitchen and make myself a snack. A girl can really work up an appetite doing a wheelie off a half-pipe.

Just like on a real mountain, there are slopes of varying difficulty for beginners or experts. I had never snowboarded before, so I was excited to try it out. Sure it's not the 'real' experience, but even learning some of the moves is a step in the right direction. Also, the more you play and progress, you're given the opportunity to unlock prizes like costumes and equipment. I haven't gotten that far yet, but I think with a little bit of practice I'll be snowboarding like a pro. At least like a pro who's never actually snowboarded on snow.

We Ski & Snowboard can be used with Wii Fit balance board, or for those days when you're really feeling lazy, with just your remote and a nunchuck. This opens up the possibility of actually skiing while you're sitting on the sofa, but let's not go there quite yet. I used the game with my balance board, and found that it was really responsive and felt like I was using a lot of the same movements as I use when I ski, although crashing into that tree was not quite as painful. And the best part? The only waiting I had to do was hanging out while my 10-year-old showed me how to turn the Wii on and then set up the game for me. Yeah, I haven't mastered that part yet, but when you're a world-class snowboarder you get other people to do the dirty work for you.

Want to win your own copy of We Ski & Snowboard? Leave a comment below by 11pm pst on Sunday, April 5, and I'll be picking a winner on Monday, April 6. (U.S. entries only, please.)

I'll even throw in this cool snow hat, in case it gets a little chilly in your living room.
















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tags: wii ski and snowboard | namco bandai | nintendo wii games | wii fit balance board

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Family Game Night for Wii: More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys*

A few weeks ago my 10-year-old told my husband and I that she wished our family played board games "like all the other families." I tried to explain to her that she had probably just seen that on TV or read about it in a book because in reality most families sat in front of their computers and ignored each other, just like we did.

So imagine my surprise when a few days later a huge box arrived in the mail from EA Games containing the following board games: Sorry, Boggle, Battleship and Connect 4. Also in our surprise package was EA's Family Game Night, which contained Wii versions of all the games. But of course, the Wii game could wait awhile - we were going to sit down and play some board games first, like all those other normal families.

We started with Sorry, which I remembered playing when I was a kid. This game can get pretty heated when you knock someone back to 'start' (hence the name, 'Sorry') and my husband asked us to keep the noise down because he was napping - just like what my dad said when I played the game way back when! Next we moved on to Connect 4, which is like a 3-D, vertical version of tic-tac-toe which I loved because it was simple and went very quickly, which was important - I was really itching to get back to my computer. We skipped playing Battleship since I figured the girls could play it with their dad - I thought it was the least he could do after taking a nap right in the middle of the day.

Lastly we played the word game Boggle, and I'm not shy to say that this is where I really shined. My 'hasten' and 'pliant' beat their 'car' and 'bed' handily, although my 12-year-old did come up with 'fez' during one game which I thought was brilliant. Then the two of them challenged me to the Wii version of Boggle - I guess they got tired of me doing my victory dance around the living room every time I won a game.

Well, this is where the generational difference was really apparent. I was still trying to figure out how to use my Wii controller to select a letter and my girls had already spelled out 'rake' and 'heart' and 'tree.' I finally did get the hang of the controller, but then didn't realize I had to double click when I was done spelling a word and ended up with a 35-letter monstrosity. Score: 0

We all loved Sorry Sliders, the Wii version of the game where you actually use your pieces in a game of shuffleboard to knock your opponents out of the way, and Battleship, Connect 4 and Yahtzee play very much like their board game counterparts. (There is also the traditional version of Sorry, but my girls prefer the board game version of this. Or as they like to call it, the Old Fashioned One.) There are also mini-games that my girls love - these are small competitions that use the same pieces and some of the other elements of the main games, but move at a quicker pace. If you're feeling adventurous you can play other amped-up versions of these games, games with crazy names like Connect 4 Power Chips, Reverse Yahtzee, Boggle Portal Cubes and Battleship Salvo. Think of it as all the games you love, but on steroids.

I would really recommend Family Game Night as a way for parents to get in on the gaming action with their kids - besides the Wii Fit, it's one of the few games that I enjoy playing (and don't completely embarrass myself doing so.) But I would also recommend picking up the board game versions - we have continued to play these together, and the girls have even introduced their friends to these strange, 3-dimensional cardboard and plastic relics. They spent 2 hours recently playing a very loud and rowdy session of Sorry - although it was very disorienting to see them having fun and not lit up by the glow of the TV screen and without a controller in their hands.

Best of all, I'm starting to think that maybe we'll get around to having that family game night after all.

*Barrel of Monkeys isn't a Wii game yet, but I'm sure there's a developer somewhere working on it this very second.
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tags: ea games | hasbro | family game night for wii | nintendo wii

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Boom Blox: It's Incredibly Satisfying to Blow Stuff Up

My girls and I were recently invited to EA Games to try out some new video games. As you can imagine, my two tweens thought they had died and gone to heaven - a darkened room with big plasma screens, comfy couches and an afternoon playing Wii? It was like the proverbial kid in a candy store, or me in a Starbucks with a loaded gift card and a 20-oz mug.

One of their featured products was a new game called Boom Blox that was created in collaboration with Steven Spielberg. My girls dove right in, but when they wandered away after a few minutes I took that as a sign they weren't interested. They later told me they were just stepping aside to let the younger kids play, but I wasn't convinced and when our own copy of Boom Blox arrived in the mail I wasn't expecting them to be too enthusiastic. I was waiting to discover it stuffed into the dreaded basket of unwanted toys, right next to the Rubiks Cube and that Slinky I bought them. (Yes, a Slinky. Hey, the commercial said it walked down stairs, and I believed them.)

But I was wrong. They tore into the game, and didn't stop playing for at least two hours. I know that's un-PC, that we're supposed to limit our kids' video game playing to one hour at a time because of childhood obesity, blah blah blah - but if it makes you feel any better I hadn't fed them for three days and they were moving pretty much the entire time they were playing the game, even if it was just to jump up, scream and give each other a high five. And I'm sure you've heard fifteen high-fives are equal to seventeen minutes on an elliptical trainer.

I have to admit that beyond watching them play and wielding the Wii controller for a few minutes, I didn't play the game too extensively, but I got that the main object of the game is this: to destroy and knock down block structures or characters using a variety of methods. There is an interesting block-shaped cast of characters in the game, everything from a crazy Tiki-looking thing to a chicken that lays bombs instead of eggs. You can aim a target and throw items, use a hand tool to grab an item and swing it around, or use a laser to blast and explode things.

Remember when you used to stand up all those dominoes in a line, and how good it felt to give the first one a little push and watch all of them fall over? This is about twenty times more satisfying, and you don't have to pay your little brother to set it back up.

I'm not sure why, but there's something really cathartic about toppling towers, or taking aim at a bunch of blocks and watching them explode. For me, maybe it's getting out that aggression I felt when that other mom made a snide remark about my hair earlier, or imagining that block I'm taking aim at is actually that blue Ford Explorer that cut me off in traffic that day . (Lic#345ZWE. North on the 101, 10:32am, guy with dark shirt and mullet.)

Where was I? Oh yeah, exploding stuff!

Whatever it is, my girls love it, and have the same reaction; when I asked them what they liked best about the game they said, "Blowing stuff up! And knocking things down! Oh, and destroying everything!" And this coming from my tree-hugging, passive 12-year-old who won't even let me kill an ant without first telling it to "go to the light."

But the true test was when they took the game to their friends' house, two sisters ages 12 and 13. It's difficult to find anything the four of them like to do for any length of time, Wii game or not. But Boom Blox was a hit, apparently because of the variety of games and levels they were able to navigate through, and while being exciting and fast-paced, it's not overly-aggressive or violent. And the fact that it seemed to appeal to my 10-year old as well as the 13-year old was a big advantage. Also, they liked the fact that they didn't always have to play against each other, but could play together as a team. They are girls after all, and still warm and fuzzy even when they're causing maximum annihilation.

I'd say Boom Blox would be a good addition to your Wii game collection, and especially if you have a wide age range of kids who want to play at the same time. They've been playing it for a couple of weeks now and have yet to explore all of the areas of gameplay, which is more than I can say for some games which seem to have an incredibly short shelf life. I could even see it being a welcome stress-relieving activity for that weary group of moms you're hosting at your house. Especially if one of them got cut off in traffic that day...

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Another game we tried while we were there but hasn't been released is Hasbro Family Game Night. This was my hands-down favorite, since it was all about the old-school games: Boggle, Sorry! Connect Four, Battleship and Yahtzee, all adapted for the Wii. If you're like me and have had trouble introducing some of the older board games to the jaded younger set (what good is it if it doesn't light up and whistle?) then you'll appreciate being able to play these on the Wii with your kids. (And one added bonus - have you noticed how much less room a video game takes up than a board game?)

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tags: Boom Blox | EA games | boom blox reviews | video game reviews | steven spielberg | wii

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