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JumpStart Pet Rescue for the Wii

September 23, 2009 By

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I’ve been buying JumpStart learning games for my boys since they each were old enough to use a computer, so I was thrilled to be asked to review the new JumpStart Pet Rescue Game created just for the Wii. Aimed at preschoolers,   JumpStart Pet Rescue takes the fun of controlling characters on your computer and moves it to your Wii for a whole new kind of fun! The Entertainment Software Rating Board has rated Pet Rescue “Early Childhood”, and I can attest to the fact that it’s fun for grownups too :) JumpStart sent us a copy of the game to review, and I had as much fun playing with it as Kaitlyn did!

Product Description: Join the JumpStart friends in a rich world full of learning and creativity! JumpStart Pet Rescue contains 5 Discovery worlds where Preschoolers navigate through 5 stories in a search for lost pets. Each Discovery world contains a guided story told by one of the JumpStart friends, leading children on a learning adventure through more than 70 learning lessons and activities that teach kids over 75 essential skills they need to succeed.

JumpStart Pet Rescue

To play the game, you first create your main character, called your Jumpee. Then, in Story Mode, a JumpStart friend guides the player through the various virtual worlds. Kaitlyn’s favorite part of the game was getting to take care of a pet and decorate her own house. At 3.5 she’s still not great with the Wii controller, but she was more than happy to let me help her by telling me what to pick and where to go while I did the actual controlling. Kaitlyn liked that each time she rescued a pet, it followed her around.  The Pets have to be fed and played with, too.

At $39.99 this game is priced at the mid-range for Wii games, and for kids who like controlling their own virtual world, it would be a good choice. It’s available on Amazon, at Walmart, Toys R Us, Best Buy, GameStop, Sam’s Club, and other game retailers.

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Wii Birthday Party Bash

August 3, 2009 By

BirthdayPartyBashThe new Birthday Party Bash game from Wii puts a fun new twist on the traditional birthday party by combining everything from the invitations to the party games right on your Nintendo Wii!  Right from the Wii screen, you can choose a party invitation and email it to friends, or print out invitations to address and send by snail mail. Then choose from 10 party themes (Pirates or Princesses, maybe?) and check the Birthday Party Bash website for great recipes to serve to hungry guests that coordinate with the party games.  (Warning, that site has auto-play music).

Yes, you get party games! But with a modern twist-up to 12 players can take turns playing 20 games, including car racing, pinata bashing, cake layer stacking (brought to you by Duncan Hines), and more. Players can even name and customize their avatar.

The best part is, this isn’t just a game to be played only at birthday parties. The party games can be played in free play mode any time, or the player can create a new “birthday” game to play with friends any time. I think it’s a really fun twist on birthday party games and a fun option for younger Wii players.

disclosure:

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central on behalf of Nintendo Wii Birthday Party Bash. Mom Central sent me a copy of the Wii game to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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UltiMotion Swing Zone from Jakks Pacific

March 20, 2009 By

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So, you bought a Wii. Your older kids are playing tennis and golf and bowling while your preschooler looks on, wishing they could play too.  Now preschoolers can get in on the fun too with the  UltiMotion Swing Zone™ Sports  gaming system. Just like the big kids, little ones  can roll, swing, pass, backhand and putt their way through five fun sports games: bowling, baseball, football, tennis and golf.   No video game console or software needed – simply Plug It In & Play, using the cool snap-on attachments right over the controller.

Priced at $74.99, the UltiMotion system includes a console and a wireless motion controller, which senses a full range of motion and plugs directly into the A/V jacks of any standard TV.  Thanks to something called a wireless accelerometer, part of the motion controller, as kids jump, swing and move they’ll see their favorite characters replicate their movements on the TV screen.

Kaitlyn, at 3.5, is still a little young to make the connection between her motions and the game motions, but she sure has fun swinging the controller attachments! Even when they aren’t connected to the controller, she picks up the golf club or the baseball bat and uses them to roll any ball-shaped toy down the hallway of our house. I figure she’s working her motor skills and having fun which is great even if she isn’t using the UltiMotion exactly the way it’s intended!

UltiMotion gaming systems are sold at Toys “R” Us, Target, and on Amazon.com. Besides the sports, there is also a Disney Fairies and Playhouse Disney version. It’s a great way to get your preschooler moving and having fun!

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