Active Life Outdoor Challenge -

Active Life Outdoor Challenge
From Namco

Customer Reviews

I really liked this one!
I'm almost 30 years old without kids in my life and I purchased this game. My friends all teased me, but I'm really glad I did make this purchase. It's not the best workout game, but I do break a slight sweat and have a good time while playing. I am by far NOT a fitness guru and could use to tone up a bit. Regardless what your fitness level is though, it's a fun game that can burn a few calories (I don't see anybody dropping a dramatic number of lbs with just this game).

If you're considering this game or Jillian Micheals Fitness game - Outdoor Challenge is a much better (and less frustrating) game.

Great for adults to use along with WiiFit for variety
I'm a 46 year old mom and have been using the Wii Fit for over 6 months. As much as I love my Wii Fit, the Wii Outdoor Challenge is a great addition to give you some variety. It's a great way to exercise. This is like being in a video game where your body movements control the screen action. No confusing button combinations and you don't need to be a video game expert to use it. Everyone in my family from the kids (15-24), to mom and dad, and grandma all use and love it.

You can add the minutes you spend on the Wii Outdoor Challenge into your Wii Fit log if you're keeping track of your exercise time and you can use your favorite Mii for both games. Although each game is great on its own, I'd recommend both the WiiFit and Wii Outdoor Challenge for anyone trying to get into or stay in shape. It's cheaper than a gym membership and much more fun & convenient.

fun with family and friends
a good family game that definitely is going to get your heart pumping. some games take some practice but after a while you will get the hang of it.

Game Features:

• The Active Life Mat - A fun and easy way to get off the couch and get hearts pumping.
• Gameplay Variety - Play over a dozen fast-paced games, alone or with friends,in energetic events that gets players’ whole bodies into the action.
• Intuitive Gameplay - Simple controls allow for quick pick up and play. Great for parties.
• Play Together - With both competitive and co-operative challenges.
• Track Character’s Fitness Progress - See your character’s body change according to how you play.
• Tremendous Replay Value - Over a dozen games, each with multiple levels of play: river rafting, mine-cart adventure, log jumping, see-saw, jump rope, water trampoline, plus many more.
• Other Features - Includes training mode to work different body parts and synchronization gauge to check the level of team work in cooperative play.

Screenshots:

Enjoy challenges on the land. View larger.

And on the water. View larger.

Nerf-N-Strike Bundle - Best Christmas Toys

Nerf-N-Strike Bundle - Best Christmas Toys
From Electronic Arts

Customer Reviews

Prevent Destruction of Property
Thanks Nintendo and Nerf for this product!! It means no more children running around the house shooting Nerf guns and breaking stuff. ...you shoot at the TV instead, but don't worry it shouldn't crack your LCD or Plasma. I personally do not play this, but got it for my nephews, and they really enjoy it, although the game gets a bit repetitive. ...this makes a great gift too, it's like buying a Nerf gun and a video game at the same time.

Word to your moms
Bought this for my wife for her birthday. She loves it. Tons of fun multiplayer action. It only comes with three microdarts, too easy to lose them all. Good game, though.

nice gun
THE GAME:
The game is ok. There are many types of game to play, and many types of guns to use and unlock. The voices can get annoying after awhile. The comic book style in-game movies are done well and are neat as a style.

THE GUN:
The only retail store I've seen the gun by itself for sale is Toys R Us, for around $15. This is a nice gun accessory for the Wii. I use rechargable battery packs in my wii-motes which won't fit in other gun accessories-but they fit in the Nerf one just fine. The removable dart gun part is fairly easily modified to shoot further (if you have a small saw and an appropriate adhesive). I increased the range of mine about 30-50% by removing the air restrictors and sealing a couple of holes in the barrel.
WARNING: MODIFYING THIS TOY VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY AND IS NOT RECOMMENDED TO BE PERFORMED BY ANYONE. YOU MAY NOT HOLD ANYONE BUT YOURSELF RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR INJURY RESULTING FROM ANY NON-HASBRO APPROVED MODIFICATIONS YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE TO THIS TOY.

Product Description

The Search for the N-Strike Elite Begins... Through the din of a popular arcade, one player has emerged as the best N-Strike gamer his friends have ever seen. But even as Shane smashes through the game's record, something far more mysterious is happening: his success is being tracked and recorded. Shane is the perfect candidate for an ultra-exclusive invitation to become an N-Strike Elite. Later that night, he's awakened to find the Nomad C Series Recruitment bot hovering silently over his bed. "B.O.B." has a challenge for Shane. Join the quest to become an Elite Striker and he'll have access to Top Secret Blasters. It's all the incentive Shane needs, and as the one controlling Shane, it's your opportunity of a lifetime....

LeapFrog® Tag Reading System - Best Christmas Toys

LeapFrog® Tag Reading System
From LeapFrog

Customer Reviews

Favorite toy till broke
My two year old learned so much using this tag system. IT would keep him busy for hours. THen out of no where the pen doesnt "read" any of the pages. I tried uininstalling and reinstalling and still nothing. It will play the stories but the interaction with the book is shot. We have only had this three months and for the price it really should have lasted longer. Anyone else have this problem?

I also wish they had more basic learning books, like learning the alphabet and numbers.

We Love the Leap Frog Tag!
This product is awesome! I love it and so does my 4-year-old son. I really can't say enough good things about it.

My son enjoys using his "Magic Pen" every night to "read" his two books - Ozzie and Mack and Cars Tractor Tipping." Many nights, after I put him to bed, I will hear the pen talking to him and the characters of the book come alive. He reads these so much that he will tell me as soon as he turns the page "Oh, it's Frank!" ... or make the sound effects that the characters make before even placing the pen on the pictures. He also enjoys turning the pen on and just listening to the story without the book.

I really like having the ability to see his progress by going online and checking out his learning path. I can see which questions he answers correctly and how many he gets right. I can even see how long he uses the Tag books.

My son got this system for his birthday in July and the books and pen are still holding up wonderfully - with one exception of one ripped page.

We love this product so much I'm asking for more Tag books and the activity cards for Christmas! I'm super excited for him to get the "I Spy" book.

I would highly recommend this product.

Bakugan Starter Pack Red - Hottest Christmas Toys

Bakugan Starter Pack Red - Hottest Christmas Toys
From SpinMaster

Customer Reviews

My kids play with this for hours
Between you and me this is a piece of junk, but it occupies my sons (ages 8 and 6) for hours, so I'm not complaining.

bakugans
expensive for what you get but the kids LOVE them. Got them for my nephew, just 9... he loves them and plays with them for hours.

Bakugan-Mania
MODERN DAY GAME OF MARBLES

The Bakugan-Mania is here. I had no idea what my daughter was talking about since she spoke a mile-a-minute about what the latest craze in children's toys. These items are in extremely high demand and are similar in genre to Pokemon cards, Yu-Gi-Yo, and Digimon. The characters appear to be a spin off from Japanese anime, in my perception.

What are Bakugan?

They are action figures that are morphed from small plastic marbles, based upon a television show on the Cartoon Network. Each figure comes with a metallic card that has a point value. A point value is also imprinted on the figure.

A magnetic lock in the toy is triggered to open when the figure is placed onto a metallic game card.

How do you play the game?

Each player starts out with 3 Bakugan and 3 cards. Only one care can be a special ability card. The youngest player starts. Depending upon how many players are participating (2-4), determines where the cards are placed in the arena. When a Bakugan is rolled and lands on a card, it opens.

If the Bakugan does not open, the player loses a turn.

If 2 figures land on the same card, a point total is taken to count up the power value of the Bakugan + the value of the card. The higher sum wins the card and the figure. At the end of the round, the highest total of points wins the game.

My daughter's after-school care has an Bakugan Class where children play in the afternoon. She is 7 years old but her friends who have it range from 6 to 10 years old.

This game represents a unique and revolutionary spin on the game of playing marbles. It is quite creative and superficially complex to play. However, many children are compelled to play it all over the country.

Educational value

Strangely, enough, this toy has an ACTUAL educational value by requiring the players to add up or subtract the values of each figure/card.


Safety and Caveats

Since these are essentially small marbles, caution should be exercised if you child has small siblings who may try to swallow this toy. It is too big to fit into someone's ear or nose; however the danger is accidentally swallowing it or aspiration (going into the child's airway). You should also be aware if you have pets since it may lead to a dangerous bowel obstruction if ingested/eaten by your pet.

Durability

These are relatively fragile items that require users to be careful with the moving parts. Sometimes, the mechanisms are defected or through wear and tear may not allow the action figure to open or close.

Conclusion
This toy system is, for now, one of the hottest items in the toy world. If you are actually lucky enough to find it, or willing to pay the premium, then you should strongly consider getting it. Your child will be extremely happy.

More Bakugan Toys : Bakugan Starter Pack

Monopoly Here and Now World

Monopoly Here and Now World
From Hasbro

Customer Reviews

A world of difference from the original? Not really
Monopoly Here and Now World Edition has fun components. Tokens are six from 20 created to commemorate each city on the board; houses and hotels are fun little sculptures based on real buildings and abodes.

The infamous Internet vote for which cities to include means world-class places like Venice, Vienna, Moscow, Munich, San Francisco, Dubai and Buenos Aires missed out, while the positioning of others on the board is very much open to debate, but that's part of the fun.

Greasy piles of banknotes being replaced by a credit card may or may not be an improvement, depending on your world view. But it's certainly novel, if you have a head for numbers, because there's no way to check your balance without inserting the card in the bank machine -- which you will soon grow tired of doing, especially if you're the nominated banker.

Monopoly is always going to be Monopoly. I don't care for the over-colourful and crowded board design, but this is still the world's best property trading game at the end of the day.

Excellent!
The legendary Monopoly just got better.
the banking station is very smart and usefull.

Fun
just got it yesterday. played until 5 in the morning!!! with only 2 friends!!! just hope the banking system doesn't give us problems. it does take more time than the banking original one, but still much less than counting the money

Features

• Get ready to wheel and deal in the millions of dollars with your own monopoly credit card and a digital banking device that keeps track of your balance
• Each game includes six randomly selected movers based on items that are iconic to the continents
• Join in the biggest MONOPOLY game yet, where the deal button adds an extra element of excitement so, for a fast and frantic game, deal away
• As you play discover interesting facts about the world on the chance and community cards
• Contents: 1 game board, 1 banker unit, 6 randomly selected movers, 28 Title Deed Cards, 16 Chance cards, 16 Community Chess cards, 6 Monopoly Bank Cards, 32 houses, 12 hotels, 2 dice and instructions

Crayola Glow Station can create with Light!

Crayola Glow Station can create with Light!
From Binney & Smith

Customer Reviews

What a great gift for the artist in your child
I saw the Crayola Glow Station at my Godchilds house last week and was amazed.This 5 year old girl was having the time of her life creating figures,and was nevered bored.
I would have LOVED this gift when I was young.
This is a wonderfull toy for a child to create the artist inside of them, without the mess of Crayons.

Artistic Fun In The Dark
"Crayola" has been around since 1885 (then known as `Binney & Smith'), so you know they understand kid's toys. The `GlowStation' says it for ages 6 to 15, but I can easily see younger kids enjoying this cool gift. Like a glowing `canvas' kids can use the battery powered `wand' of light to create their own shapes, designs and drawings. The kit also contains stencils, tracer shapes and stencil sheets. Its fun in the dark, and as kids create glowing drawings, they can watch them as they slowly fade away over time - magically. Creativity is only limited by your child's imagination. This is a great start for kids who are artistically inclined. Not for everyone, but if your child likes to draw on the walls, this is a much better option.

Product Description

The Crayola Glow Station lets kids create cool, glowing masterpieces using a glow-in-the-dark, poster-sized canvas and one Light Wand with crystal-tip attachment for magical coloring effects. Supplies include 2 stencil sheets, 13 stencil "light-resist" shapes, 2 light texture sheets and one dry erase broadline marker.

Features

• Glow Station is an empowering way for kids to create in a way they never could before.
• Glow in the dark poster sized canvas with built in hanging features.
• Canvas rolls up for easy storage.
• Has a light wand with a crystal tip attachment for magic coloring effects.
• Includes stencil sheets and light texture sheets with a dry erase BL marker for image save on plain transparency sheet.

Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel

Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel
From Nintendo

Customer Reviews

MUST HAVE THIS CHRISTMAS! AWESOME GAME!!
i bought the wii for my nephews this christmas and had to buy this game for them. we opened it early and started playing mario kart.i love this game i play all the time, so much i unlocked all players,tracks,all except one!the formula 1 kart. i love racing people and my hands get really sweatie when i race!A MUST HAVE THIS CHRISTMAS!!!MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Great for Family and Friends
My mom got this for our family so we could play over Thanksgiving. My Dad hasn't let me on the Wii since (I'm 26 years old!) even though it's mine! I enjoy it, my brother enjoys it, and even my mom wants to get in and try!

This doesn't happen ALL the time, but you can be confident that when it does, you'll be restarting the race, or quitting altogether. Sometimes you can get out of this - the best (and really only way I've seen so far) is if you're carrying a Koopa shell yourself - you can launch it backwards to thwart off the first attack. However, with the POW block, the ink-squirting squid, and the homing "blue shell" that's been mentioned elsewhere, you're pretty much S.O.L. The only good thing is that with some of the attacks - like the POW block, the lightning bolt - it affects everyone around you. So unless the second place character launched it, you probably won't lose your position. But in general it becomes frustrating, and I don't think that randomly generated "frustration" equates to what some might consider a "challenge."

I think the game would be fun with a lot of people - when it's more of a free-for-all, and not the computer SEEMING like it gangs up on the human player. But I played it for maybe 2, 3 hours, and I'm done. I won't play it again, and I won't miss it. On a good note, it's presentation, control interface, and playability is better than most Wii games to date. My demerits are more against content and gameplay than anything else. It works very well - it just irritates you in the process!

I won't say skip it. It might be just your cup of tea. Just maybe rent it before you buy. These days, it's very easy to waste money on video games.

Driving Ms. Mario...

My wife was somewhat excited to finally check out this game. I'll admit - so was I.

I was impressed at how well the steering worked. Now, renting it, we didn't get a wheel, but I was glad to see that you can hold the wiimote flat - buttons up - and tilt it side to side just as well as you can hold it buttons-facing-you and tilt it. Once I learned this, it became more comfortable to play.

But it didn't become more fun. There seems to be some argument over the value of the game as a single-player. I can say first-hand that we had more fun playing together than either of us did on our own.

Mario Kart Wii just bombards you. You can be sitting in first place, minding your business, just driving along when a Koopa shell hits you. You fly into the air, land on your wheels, your character shakes his head, and WAM - some "POW" block goes off, sending you flying into the air again. You land, shake your head, and WHACK - another character smacks into you, forcing you to wait while the car spins in place - shake your head AGAIN - and finally drive off. You're now last place, and have sat there for probably 10 seconds while shouting "Come on!!!!"