SimAnimals Africa Wii Game Review

SimAnimals Africa is a new simulation game available for the Wii and Nintendo DS. Players are given the ability to help take care of the animals of Africa, make friends with them, and maintain their lands.

My Thoughts...

SimAnimals Africa is a game that I think kids will really love. It's quick and easy to master the controls and objectives, and players are given new abilities and goals as they play. The graphics are whimsical and engaging, and there are many ways to interact with everything around you, from the animals to the landscape.

An interesting and fun feature is that you can play as the animal as well as yourself. For instance, I was given a challenge to fill a dry watering hole. First, I had to make friends with an elephant (each animal has its own name and personality) by petting it and feeding it, and then I could play as that animal and control it. I had him go to the larger watering hole, drink water, and then spray it into the smaller watering hole. Elephants can also water dying trees this way.

You start out in a valley full of zebras, and as you move throughout the expansive African plains and deserts, you come upon more species of animals. I like that it gradually exposes you to new animals and different types of challenges as you play. There are also new things to do with the animals and more ways to interact.

Conclusion...

I think SimAnimals Africa will especially appeal to children and young teens. I found that it didn't hold my interest enough for me personally to keep playing, but I know I would have enjoyed it as a kid. My nieces and nephews (11, 9, 4) do love it. I would recommend it for any child who loves animals and enjoys playing with their Wii.

Now you have to check out this Wii gameplay video!



Ready to buy?

You can purchase SimAnimals Africa for the Wii for only $36.99 at Amazon.com.

Disclosure: The review product was sent to me free of charge by the company or manufacturer in exchange for an honest review. This review is 100% my own content, my own true experiences with the product(s), and my own opinion. :-)


I ♥ comments!

MySims Agents Wii Game Review

I've been on the fence about Sims games since they came out and I first played The Sims on my PC. I quickly was drawn in and played it way too much for about a week or two, but eventually life (real life, lol) distracted me from the game. I don't have the game anymore (it was actually my sister's). Fast forward to now. I haven't played much in the way of simulation games in awhile, and wouldn't have thought I had time. But when EA Games asked me if I wanted to review MySims Agents, I agreed wholeheartedly. I'm a gamer mom through and through, and writing game reviews is so much fun for me... almost as fun as playing them!

The Experience
It took me about five minutes to become completely immersed. I. Love. This. Game! It's nothing like what I expected - it takes a lot of brain work as you solve puzzles, search for clues, and and take in your surroundings in a whole new way. The characters are engaging and there is so much around you to explore - this game is right up my alley. I really think the people who wrote and developed MySims Agents are extremely talented. The dialogue between characters is witty and humorous - at times I would find myself laughing out loud at something a character said. Though they don't speak English. There are subtitles. Some of the things they do (like the ability to lie down and sunbathe on the beach, splash in the water, or take a break and dance between cases) and their babbling voices are about the only things reminiscent of The Sims.

Here's the Deal:

You start out by creating your sim - there are a lot of fun appearance, clothing, and accessory customization options , and you "earn" more options as you play the game by solving cases and finding treasure chests along the way. This keeps things interesting and fun. After making your sim uber cool-looking, you are tossed into a quaint little neighborhood as an amateur sleuth. Soon you're picked up by a secret agent who is impressed with your skills and gives you a job as another agent. You start out solving little nothing cases like finding a girl named Poppy's dog, or finding out who sent the flamboyant hairstylist (with poofy pink hair, yikes) flowers, then work your way into more dangerous cases. The bad guy behind a lot of the town problems is a guy named Morcubus. As you're playing the game, you know he's a guy that needs to be dealt with and you'll probably be facing him in the end. I haven't finished it myself yet, but I hear this game has a cliffhanger ending that gives you hope that there will be another. I'm excited about that.

Controls:
Using both the Wii remote and the Nunchuk, I found it very easy to navigate my sim through the game. There were really no overly frustrating challenges (jumping from box to box, etc) that would make me want to throw the remotes, which is nice. The controls are quickly mastered. You use the nunchuk joystick button to move your sim around, and point and click with your Wii remote.


Difficulty:
The actual running around and searching for clues, talking to people, etc, is simple and will be fun and easy for young people, too. I would say that kids who can read will enjoy this more because all of the communication and clues are found in subtitles. I appreciate this because there's no way I would want to sit through all of that talking. I can click through non-relevant parts and move on to solving the case.

I think this is ideal for young people 10 and up because there are some really challenging puzzles requiring math and critical thinking to solve throughout the game. Four types, actually: The first type involves fixing various broken items by putting gears and screws in the right places; in the second, you move levers up and down and side to side to pick a lock; in the third, you are given a number of molecules that must be linked with a certain number of other molecules (math, ugh); and in the fourth, you must move the pointer through a maze. I loved them all, though I had to get my husband to help with the molecule game at one point. If you're buying this game for a child, I would be prepared to assist now and again as they need it. There's no way to move on in the game without beating each of the puzzles.

Multiplayer? This is a one-player game.

Replayability:
This would be fun to play again, after some time has passed and you don't remember all of the details. You are given the opportunity to recruit people to be your fellow agents, and there is a lot of strategy involved in helping them grow in smarts, athleticism, etc. That's something that could keep you playing until you had it all the way you want.

Follow the leads!

Pros:

• Entertaining storyline, engaging characters, and laugh-out-loud moments
• It's easy to learn the controls and what you need to do to move on in the game
• Challenging brain puzzles (mini-games) throughout
• Fully customizable sims with opportunity to earn more options as you play
• You move around a lot, so there are always new surroundings and things to explore.
• The graphics are great, especially the background graphics.

Cons/Suggestions:

• Although nothing is torturously long and you can skip through scenes you don't want to watch, when you're customizing your sim it takes a minute to load your options. It seems a bit unnecessary, especially since the agent clothes, street clothes, and costumes are all on different screens and there is a loading time between each category. It would be nice if they were all in the same place.
• I love being able to click around my surroundings and explore - I would really like it if the game had been longer or there had been more places to solve cases in.
  
  Other than that, there was nothing that made me think, "Oh, I don't like that."

One of my favorite characters, Yuki (black spikey hair). She's rather obsessed with biting people. Yikes.

Conclusion:
A very entertaining interactive game that I think children, teens, and adults should all play! My husband and I watch Monk all the time and love detective stories, so I think this game especially appealed to me because of that. I really enjoyed the challenge of finding clues, solving problems, and trying to figure out "whodunit". :-) This is one of my top Wii game recommendations!

Find out more about MySims Agents and view screenshots and trailers at EA Games.

Buy it!
You can buy MySims Agents for only $40.00 with free shipping at Amazon.com right now!

MySims Agents is also available on DS (I have not played that version).

Thank you to EA Games for sending me a copy of MySims Agents for the Wii free of charge for review and testing purposes!

{Holiday Gift Giveaway #21} FIFA Soccer 10 Wii Game

FIFA Soccer 10 for the Wii is now available! This release has some great enhancements and additions like 360-degree dribbling and online multi-player mode, and is being heralded as a great game for children and adults alike.

FIFA Soccer 10 was made so that those who play it have a realistic soccer gameplay experience. Here are some of the specifics according to the EA website:

"On the pitch, critical gameplay fundamentals have been enhanced to ensure that FIFA Soccer 10 mirrors real-world soccer, providing more sophisticated ball control, and physical interaction. On attack, players now analyze space more effectively, curve their runs in an attempt to stay onside, create passing lanes naturally, and drive for more variety in attacking options. On defense, new concepts like position priority enable defenders to multitask so dangerous spaces left open by teammates out of position are covered. Plus, slide tackle targeting, press marking, and better urgency clearance logic provide new options that make defending a tactical skill in FIFA Soccer 10."

I'm not so much into these types of sports games myself, so I asked my husband, a die-hard gamer, to give his thoughts on the game. He usually plays games on the Playstation 3, so this was a new experience for him, and a very positive one! Let's find out what he thought of FIFA Soccer 10:

I started up FIFA Soccer 10 with a slightly skeptical mind-set. I normally do all my gaming on the Playstation 3 - mainly Call of Duty. But I'm always up for a sports game, so I gave it a try. Here are my opinions on the specifics of FIFA Soccer 10...

Controls: The controls were easy, yet effective. Getting used to them took only about 10 minutes. I used the standard setup with a nunchuk attachment and had no trouble with moving or handling the ball.

Graphics: The graphics were simple and good. We do have a rather large 48" LCD TV and the game looked great.

Age recommendation: 3 and up. Fine for children of any age as long as the child has the motor skills to handle the control.

What I Like: Simple and fun. Jumping in and playing was easy and enjoyable. Also, the game is great to play with friend because of the easy controls.

What I Don't Like: Being that this version is on the Wii, some of the content I would be used to seeing on the PS3 is lacking. However, the lack of some content, like creating a custom player, did not hamper my enjoyment.

Conclusion:
If you like sport games and soccer, FIFA Soccer 10 for the Wii is a great game that is fun to play - both solo and with friends.

View trailers, reviews, tips and tricks, and more at the EA website.

Buy it!
You can buy FIFA Soccer 10 for the Wii from Amazon.com for only $46.99 right now! It ships free with Super Saver Shipping. :-)

Giveaway Closed

Prize info: One lucky commenter will win a copy of the FIFA Soccer 10 Wii game! Open to anyone in North America!

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Disclosure: The review product(s) were sent to me free of charge by the company or manufacturer in exchange for an honest review. This review is 100% my own content, my own true experiences with the product(s), and my own opinion. :-)

See full review, giveaway, and disclosure policy here.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Wii Game ♥ Review and Giveaway!

{Holiday Extravaganza Giveaway #6}

Are you or your children Harry Potter fans? I certainly am! Though it wasn't until I read the books that I became a die-hard fan. Now I own all the movies on DVD and the books in hardcover - and I'm hooked!

What I hadn't tried - until now - was a Harry Potter Wii game! But that has been remedied, and I'm here now to share my thoughts on the new Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince game for the Wii.

First of all, I want to note that I have never played any of the other Harry Potter games, either on the Wii or any other gaming platform. So this won't be a comparison review. This is a review by a young mom who loves her Wii and the Harry Potter series. My experience with gaming platforms is pretty much limited to Nintendo: The Wii, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, and regular Nintendo. I've played some games with my husband on his Playstation 3, but I'm not really in love with that system. I'm a Nintendo girl at heart, I guess. ;-)

I may as well tell you right now that I'm really enjoying the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince game. It's been a week now and I go back to it every day - it's fun! I now believe that anyone who has a child who wants to get an idea of what it would be like to go to school at Hogwarts and really get an "interactive Harry Potter experience" should think about buying this game.

The Plot Thickens

This particular game is, obviously, based on the sixth book and movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. You play as Harry Potter and are given "quests" to complete as you make your way through the game. For example, Harry finds the Half-Blood Prince's potion book and, as in the movie, finds himself being taken in by the genius therein. Though the movie play parts of the game that you have to sit through can be a bit tedious, there is some humorous dialogue that made me laugh out loud - Hermione and Ron's verbal sparring especially.

To add extra interest and fun, there are school clubs that you can join to try to beat your scores in Dueling, Potions, and Quidditch (flying around on your broom trying to catch the Snitch).

Okay, now let's get down to details.

Controls: You need the Wii Remote (Wand) and the Nunchuk for this game. I think the Wii must be the best platform for Harry Potter games because the Wii Remote is already like a magic wand. It makes role-playing that much easier! Figuring out the different controls for activities like dueling, playing Quidditch, and making potions is very simple, which was a relief to me. I hate playing games that take you forever to figure out the controls! And to move Harry around the castle, you use the little directional stick on the top of the Nunchuk - that's super easy as well. Oh, and I should mention that you use your arms a lot when dueling and making potions, and this actually made my arms sore! I guess I'm a bit out of shape, huh? And how embarrassing is it to have to tell people that my arms are sore from dueling??? ;-)

Graphics: I think the graphics are great! Of course. the characters seem a bit like lifeless dolls at times, but it doesn't bother me at all. The castle is very detailed with hundreds of paintings and tapestries that I actually want to stop and look at sometimes. I know, I'm a nerd.

Difficulty Level: I think most children over the age of 8 would be able to enjoy this game. The younger kids can give the dueling a go, that's one of the most challenging and exciting mini-missions. Different hand motions are taught for each spell such as Expelliarmus, Stupefy, and Levicorpus. You can choose to practice your dueling and potion-making anytime, too. Potion-making is challenging because you're timed and have to make sure you're adding the right ingredients, the right amount, and you stir and heat the ingredients yourself. If you make a mistake, smoke pours out of the cauldron and you have to wave it away quickly. It probably sounds more complicated than it is - I don't think the activities are too difficult for children at all, and different age groups will enjoy different aspects of the game more.

Missions: There is the main mission that follows along with the movie and book, but there are also mini-missions as well. As you explore the castle (usually on your way somewhere with Nearly Headless Nick's directional help), you can collect Hogwarts Crests and unlock bonuses and mini-games, do "good deeds" for fellow students and get rewards, and earn badges. You also learn new spells as you go.

Two-Player: There is a two-player dueling mode that is unlocked at some point early in the game. I played this with my husband. I beat him. ;-) I'm not sure yet whether there are more opportunities for two players to interact together. I'll update this review when I get further into the game.


What I didn't like: There is a LOT of dialogue as they try to fill in the plot so you know where you're at in the story. Not enough to make me want to turn it off, but I have been known to walk away for a moment until it's over. I've seen the movie and read the book, so I know what happens. And there's no way to skip past it.

The only other thing is that you're running around the castle from one place to the other an awful lot. The size of the castle is very life-like, which is cool and tedious at the same time. The cool aspects are the moving staircases, the portrait shortcuts (as long as you know the password), and the mini-quests as you go.

Conclusion:

I find this game to be worth buying. I think that fans of Harry Potter will enjoy it and kids will have a blast experiencing life in Harry Potter's world! The cons I listed are not near enough to cause me to dislike the game or put me off from buying future Harry Potter releases. I recommend it!

Note: This game is rated E for Everyone and is available for X-Box, Wii, PSP, PS3, PS2, Nintendo DS, and PC/Mac. My review is on the Wii version only.

View trailers, interviews, and more at the EA website.

Buy it!

You can buy this game on Amazon.com for only $46.99, and it ships free with Super Saver Shipping!

Giveaway!

We're giving away a copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for the Wii to one lucky winner!
Open to US and Canada.

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