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New to Wii: Donkey Kong Country Returns

November 29, 2010 By Whitney 1 Comment

Old school Nintendo fans will appreciate Nintendo’s November 21st Wii game release of Donkey Kong:  Country Returns.

This new game brings back some old features like a side-scrolling experience, and goes two player:  two people can play side by side as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.

This game is rated E for everyone so it’s truly fun for the whole family – parents can take a trip down memory lane and kids can just enjoy the adventure.  Donkey Kong: Country Returns retails for $49.99 but you can get it on Amazon right now for $43.54 with free shipping.

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of Donkey Kong Country Returns to facilitate this review.

Filed Under: Electronics, Games, Play Time Tagged With: ,

How-To Select the Right Video Games for your Child

November 23, 2010 By Whitney 3 Comments

As my kids get older, they get more into our Wii, DS and playing video games.  I’m a pretty laid back Mom – but I’m finding that with video games I actually do rely on the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) ratings more than I thought I would.

Like me, I bet you recognize this graphic I’ve placed up top here – these small black and white boxes cover of most games on the market these days.  But do you know much about the organization that does the rating, or what exactly these ratings mean?  And how they determine what game gets what ratings?

If you’re a Mom who has a child who plays video games, I think it’s important to  educate yourself on the definitions of each of these ratings mean and how the ESRB makes their decisions.

Mommies with Style had a chance to have a Q& W with Patricia Vance, President of the ESRB.   Check it out – she has some great tips on things to keep in mind when buying games for your kids this holiday seasons.  Be sure to scroll down towards the last few questions and not miss out on some great tips like the ESRB mobile app for your phone (for quick checks on a rating when you’re in-store!) and general guidelines on game selection for kids.

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Filed Under: Games, Misc Tagged With: , ,

12 Days of Giveaways: 12 Blogs, 12 Games – Win a Wii Game here #UbiChamps

November 22, 2010 By Whitney 83 Comments

This post is part of a sponsored series from Ubisoft, celebrating “12 Days of Giveaways.” See below for how you can enter up to 12 times to win fun and family-friendly video games.So here’s another fun giveaway we’re running.  This is not to be confused with yesterday’s post about winning Just Dance 2 for the Wii – have you entered that yet?  Head on over to enter if you haven’t!)  Today we’re launching another Wii game giveaway – this time for Battle of the Giants: Dinosaurs Strike.

Later this month I’ll be reviewing this game – I have yet to test it out but it looks like a lot of fun and like something my boys will love (“battle” and “dinosaurs” are in the top 100 of favorite words over here!)  It’s available for both the DS and the Wii and is supposedly what it sounds like – you’re a dinosaur and you battle various other dinosaurs throughout this game.

We have one copy to giveaway here on Mommies with Style.  You can enter to win by simply commenting below!

Want more ways to win great games for the whole family? Visit each of these blogs during our 12 Days of Giveaways from now through December 3!

Rookie Moms
motherbumper
DaDa Rocks
Crash Test Mommy
Scraps of My Geek Life
The Fairly Odd Mother
All Things Fadra
It’s Jessica’s Life
Mom to the Screaming Masses
Beccarama
Romy Raves

I was selected to participate in this sponsored series by Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective. I received a video game and compensation for my participation in this program. We believe in Blog With Integrity.

Filed Under: Games, Giveaways Tagged With: ,

Wii Party: The Wii Game for Everyone

November 19, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

So I have to start out this review by saying that this game is totally awesome.  WiiParty was released by Nintendo on October 3 and it’s sure to be a hit this holiday season.

This game is all about group play – playing up to 4 player you can interact and work together as a team on various games, or go head to head on various challenges.  There are party games like Bingo or you can set it to mini-game mode and play short challenges that last from only a few seconds to a few minutes.

Here’s a screenshot of a group collaboration where you have to balance Miis on a tipping boat.

Wii Party retails for $49.99; it’s currently on sale on Amazon for $44.99.  Don’t let the mixed reviews on Amazon fool you – I really don’t know what those people are talking about, this is a fabulous family game that is guaranteed to bring hours of family fun.  You can see for yourself – we had a Wii Party at our house with a couple of neighborhood kids and friends and everyone had a blast:

Disclaimer:  I was provided with a Wii Party Kit, which included the game, remote and a small gift card for pizza, to facilitate this review.

Filed Under: Electronics, Games, Play Time Tagged With: , ,

VTech’s V. Reader: Fun with Reading for the Preschool Crowd

November 18, 2010 By Whitney 2 Comments

If you’re looking for a product to help your aspiring young reader this holiday season, then check out VTech’s V. Reader Animated E-book Reader System.

What exactly is the V. Reader? Think Kindle but for the preschooler and in color and much more fun looking. This digital interactive toy allows kids to interact with stories – stories can be read aloud and children can engage in story reading by answering questions and playing games after the story is over. The suggested age on this toy is ages 3-7. At first I felt like this was a wide age range but then I realized that there are different modes and settings. In other words, my 4 year old would be doing the basic story-reading while my 6 year old can play phonics and word recognition games.

It retails for $59.99 – you can get it on Amazon for $54.00 with free shipping.

Disclaimer:  VTech provided me with a sample V. Reader to facilitate this review.

Filed Under: Electronics, Games, Play Time, Toys Tagged With: , ,

New for Wii: Bakugan – Defenders of the Core

November 17, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Have a Bakugan fan in the family?  Activision’s latest Bakugan release will make them happy this holiday season.

Released October 26th, Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Defenders of the Core is available in Wii, Nintendo DS, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Sony PSP.  What’s different about this game over the last is that players can actually control and play as their character Bakugan.

Get it for $39.99 on Amazon (Wii version) with free shipping.

Filed Under: Electronics, Games Tagged With: ,

Coolest Wii Add-on Ever: the uDraw Tablet

November 15, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

I’m definitely abnormally excited about this one.  Only yesterday (November 14th), THQ released the uDraw Studio Game and Tablet.

Using your Wii remote, you hook up to a drawing tablet and can use a stylus to free draw and fill in coloring pages – ON SCREEN!  Seriously, how fun is that.  Considering how much Nate (6 1/2) loves to free draw on paper with pretty much every spare moment he has, I’m thinking this one is going to be a great holiday gift for him.

When you purchase the Tablet, you’re getting the uDraw Studio Game, which allows users to free draw and fill in coloring pages right on screen.  But there will also be a whole band of games to be released that you can use along with the tablet like Pictionary and Dood’s Big Adventure.  (Both of those games also released yesterday)

So as this literally just hit the shelves yesterday, I’m not sure how many deals are to be found so keep an eye out.  Right now the uDraw Game Tablet is selling on Amazon for $69.96 (retail $69.99) and is sure to be a hot holiday pick this season.

Filed Under: Games, Play Time Tagged With: , ,

Wii Family Fun Night with the new Carnival Games

November 15, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

While I’m a sucker myself for some of the quest-type Wii games (Super Mario Brothers, Anything Lego), I do sometimes like to have a short family game play with something like New Carnival Games for the Wii.

The latest release from 2KPlay, this game is an updated version to the popular Carnival games.  There are over 30 new carnival-related games that you can play up to four players like Haunted House, Bumper Cars and Ring Toss.

It’s cute, it’s quick and it’s good for lots of laughs with family members of all ages.

Get the new Carnival Games for the Wii on Amazon for $37.99 with free shipping.

Filed Under: Games Tagged With: ,

Wii Game Review & Giveaway: Just Dance 2

November 10, 2010 By Whitney 183 Comments

This one’s all for Mommy:  recently released, we are having too much fun with Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2 for the Wii.  Mimick the figure on the screen as you dance to popular songs like When I Grow Up, by the Pussycat Dolls and Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go with this Wii game.

Seriously, I’m smiling as I type this one – it’s so much fun.  You can play up to 4 players (provided you have 4 remotes) and see who can dance the best.  I’ve been having lots of fun doing this with our 10 year old neighbor and Nate (almost 7), both of whom can whip my butt pretty easily at just about any song in this game.

But don’t take my word for it – get it on Amazon for $37.99 (retails for $39.99)

Lastly, I have one to giveaway to a lucky Mommies with Style reader!  Just comment below to enter to win.  One winner will be selected at random after Wednesday, November 17th.

You may receive one additional entry if you follow @mommieswstyle and tweet about this contest on Twitter (make sure to @mommieswstyle so I know you’ve done it!)   Here’s an example tweet: I just entered to win Just Dance 2 for the Wii on @mommieswstyle here: http://bit.ly/bxvIhv

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I was selected by Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective to be part of the Ubisoft Champions social media program. I am compensated for my participation in this program, but my reviews are solely my own and represent my honest opinions.Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective promote Blog With Integrity.

Filed Under: Electronics, Games, Giveaways Tagged With: ,

15% off and Free Shipping at GameStop

October 28, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

15% off and free shipping on all orders over $29.99 at GameStop.com when you use coupon code 15SHIP.  Stock up for the holidays on all the top games for your kids!

Filed Under: Coupon Codes & Sales, Games Tagged With: , ,

Plants Vs. Zombies Coming to the DS

October 27, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

So I was just tooling around Amazon and this came up as recommended for me:  Plants Vs. Zombies for the Nintendo DS.

I won’t go into how Amazon could possibly know that we’re completely obsessed with the PC-version of the game, but I’m sure we’ll get up getting this for the boys on the DS once it’s out.  My only disappointment: that it doesn’t release for the DS until January 2011.  Would have loved to have this in time for Christmas.

Xbox360 users can get the new game in time and the PC-version is of course already available.  I hear there’s an iPhone version but I haven’t checked it out. (Seen it on the iPad though and it’s great there.)  Check it Plants Vs. Zombies on Amazon – and be warned:  it’s completely mindless, no educational value whatsoever and totally addicting.

Filed Under: Electronics, Games Tagged With: ,

Top Holiday Pick: Leapster’s Explorer ($64.99 on Amazon)

October 14, 2010 By Whitney 1 Comment

We’re definitely a tech-friendly family.  I run a blog for a living and I think my kids are more computer and Wii savvy than I am some days.

But I’m sometimes reminded that my almost-4-year old is still just that, a young kid and aging a lot faster than I sometimes would like him to.  Being the younger brother and being the youngest in a tech-savvy house makes him advance technologically beyond the recommended age on many products.

I was recently reminded of that on a road trip when each boy brought a DS/DSi.  I was reminded that Cole’s hands just aren’t there coordination wise – not compared to his 6-year-old brother.  Not to mention that the DS is not always so educational.

Recently one of his little girlfriends received a Leapster Explorer - LeapFrog’s latest product release. (Fall 2010)  I was intrigued to check it out because I thought this might be a better handheld option for him given his age.  My wonderful contact at LeapFrog sent me over a sample product to test out and I’m impressed.  I’m saving this one for his birthday next month but here are the details about this product which is sure to be a hot pick this upcoming holiday season:

*Recommended age for this product:  Ages 4-9
* It’s educational but fun.   It comes with built in games (over 40) and you can download apps from the LeapFrog website – LeapWorld.
* Touch screen
*Additional cartridge games available for purchase with favorite characters like Dora, Ben10, SpongeBob, the Disney Princesses and more
*Parents can track what their children are doing on the Explorer with the LeapFrog Learning Path software
*It has a built in camera for the kids to take pictures – it can store up to 1000 photos

It retails for $69.99.  Get it on Amazon right now for $64.99 with free shipping.

Filed Under: Coupon Codes & Sales, Electronics, Family Travel, Games Tagged With: , ,

Young Learner Games Encourage Fun With Words

October 4, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

One of my favorite things about the fall are Sunday afternoons with my family.  We turn on NFL Football and hang out at home organizing, playing family games, watching football and just spending some quality time together.

Yesterday was one of my favorite kinds of these days.  It was a bit rainy on and off, plus the Eagles were playing so we holed away for the day.  In between watching football, we tested out a new game from Young Learners called Eat Your Words.

As my 1st Grader Nate continues to learn to read, I find we’re often challenged with finding fun and engaging ways to get him to read.  Seeing as he loves to play games, finding a game where he has to form words to play makes it fun.

We had a blast playing this game as a family over the weekend and I forsee playing this game a lot in the future.  You can get Eat Your Words at the Creative Toy Shop website along with several other Young Learners educational games. Be sure to check out the Calafant toys as well – made from all-recycled cardboard, these are great kits for encouraging imaginative play.

I received a sample game of Eat Your Words for review purposes.

Filed Under: Eco-friendly, Games Tagged With: ,

New to Wii: Gold’s Gym Dance Workout, plus one to Giveaway!

August 23, 2010 By Whitney 89 Comments

I just love the trend towards more and more active Wii games.  The latest that’s a ton of fun is Ubisoft’s Gold’s Gym Dance Workout, recently released on August 17th.  There are five different types of Latin Dance that you can exercise to on this game – Salsa, Samba, Cumbia, Reggaeton and Merengue.

But my favorite is the Cardio Boxing, which is so similar to some of the classes I take at the gym.  There’s over 30 songs (Lady Gaga, Gloria Gaynor & more familiars!) to dance and punch to and it’s not only exercise but it’s fun!    I workout regularly and this definitely gets my heart rate up.

My kids favorite are the mini-games – you can practice punching with a kangaroo in Australia or run with the bulls (and try and dodge the stray ones – I haven’t quite figured out how to master this one at all yet).  Everything on this game gets you moving, which is what it’s all about.

Get it on Amazon for $29.99 with free shipping.

Lastly, I have one to giveaway to a lucky Mommies with Style reader!  Just comment below to enter to win.  One winner will be selected at random after Monday, August 30th.

You may receive one additional entry if you follow @mommieswstyle and tweet about this contest on Twitter (make sure to @mommieswstyle so I know you’ve done it!)   Here’s an example tweet: I just entered to win Golds Gym Dance Workout for the Wii on @mommieswstyle here: http://bit.ly/945zjG

–

I was selected by Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective to be part of the Ubisoft Champions social media program. I am compensated for my participation in this program, but my reviews are solely my own and represent my honest opinions.Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective promote Blog With Integrity.

Filed Under: Coupon Codes & Sales, Coupons & Freebies, Games Tagged With: , ,

Powermat Wireless Charging: Get Rid of the Charger Clutter

July 16, 2010 By nancy 2 Comments

I seem to have a lot of mobile devices to keep charged in my home. Keeping all the chargers straight and neat is challenging – Powermat Wireless Charging is a much better way to charge and get rid of all those chargers!

We recently tested out several of their products. The Home and Office Mat ($99) is excellent – you can charge up to 3 devices simultaneously. All you do is plug in the mat and place Powermat receiver cases on your favorite gear and then place them on the mat to charge. Powermat offers receiver cases that work on iphone 3G ($69.99),  ipod touch ($39.99), as well as many more. If you have a device that isn’t supported by a Powermat Reciever case, use the included Powercube Universal Receiver, with comes with a 8 mini and micro USB tips included (other tips sold separately).

Adjustable sound and light indications give feedback that charging is occurring   – while a small magnetic pull ensures perfect alignment and optimal charging efficiency. I would recommend keeping this out of your bedroom if you plan to charge a device late at night (my husband hates the sound). We also liked the Powermat 2x ($59.99) that charges 2 devices at the same time.

If you are frequent traveler, you may prefer the Portable Mat ($99), which folds up and charges up to 3 devices simultaneously. Comes with  a travel case with magnetic closure and a Powercube Universal Receiver with 8 tips.

All Powermat devices come with a power adapter that comes will work with a wide range of voltages (100-240VAC). The adapter also meets Energy Star level 5 efficiency requirements.

Thank you to Powermat for providing product samples.

Filed Under: Dads, Electronics, Entertainment, Family Travel, For the Home, Games, Mommy Time, On The Go Tagged With: ,

MobiStories Playdate: Digital Books for Kids on iPhone, iPad & More

June 19, 2010 By Whitney 1 Comment

Watching Cole play with The Marvelous Toy on my iPhone

Last Monday morning, on our first official day of summer vacation, I packed the kids in the car and headed over to Classy Mommy’s house.  Colleen from Classy Mommy, Shannon & Sarah from Chester County Moms and I were helping to host a playdate and demo by a company called MobiStories that happens to be local to the Philadelphia area.

Kenzie & Cole play on their Mom's iPhones (The Marvelous Toy)

MobiStories makes apps for reading children’s books digitally – you can use them on your iPhone or iPad or on your desktop computer.  There’s something for any kid within the ages 2-10 range and my boys (6&3) loved playing with these applications.

As we’re pretty electronics savvy over here, my kids picked up playing with the iPhone app in no time.  I downloaded their book, “The Marvelous Toy” and both of my boys took to it.

What’s neat and different about this product is that it’s interactive – the story is not only read to them but they flip the pages with their fingers and they can click on the various pages to interact and have things move and dance.

The older boys, Carson & Nate (both 6) play with the app on my iPhone

The kids had a fabulous time!  MobiStories brought in a face painter and balloon twister.  We had Chick-Fil-A for lunch, which is everyone’s favorite!

Be sure to check out MobiStories both on the iTunes store and on their website!  If you don’t have an i-something, you can easily download their program right onto your website.  Right now you can sign up for their free book, “Ship” right on their website.

And for more photos of the event, check out the Flickr album or Whrrl picts.
Filed Under: Books, Electronics, Games, Misc, Toys
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