With school and karate lessons, my little gamer boy Michael has not had a lot of time to play video games the last few months. He happily made up for the lost time this last week while he has been sick during school break. Besides the LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 game which he received for Christmas from an aunt, he has also been playing a few Wii games from Disney Interactive Studios that I was sent to review after a Disney Holiday event. Of course, Michael’s adoring little brother Sean is right at his side. Overall, Epic Mickey is the current favorite in our home.
Using past and present iconic Mickeys, this game is a hit. At the Disney event, I literally had to pull Michael away from the game. Although the game is rated “E”, my initial concern (from the media images) was that the game would be too “dark” for young kids. Fortunately, it is not. The kids and my husband all enjoyed it. Michael’s summary: “I like it because Epic Mickey goes to all of these places. He goes through portals to get there and he meets bad guys and fights them with his brush. He erases the bad guys or makes them his friend by using blue paint and then they will fight on Mickey’s team. Also, Oswald is Mickey’s half brother.” Sean: “I like it because the brush takes paint out.” Oh well, that’s what impressed a 6 and 3 year old…
While Epic Mickey was Michael’s favorite, Mater’s Tall Tales was Sean’s top pick. This game is probably better for the very youngest gamers. (It wasn’t challenging enough for Michael who had “no comment” regarding this game.) Sean’s input:”I like Mater’s Tall Tales because I like doing his adventures.” Okay… In any event, this car game is based on Disney/Pixar’s “Car Toons”. It is an easy, fun family game (up to four players can compete to be the family daredevil).
Around Thanksgiving, Reggie treated the boys to see Tangled in the movie theater while I spent time with my mom. They all loved it. (I still need to go and see it!) So, it is no small wonder that they really like this video game that is inspired by the movie. Michael’s take: “It’s good. They have all of these superpowers. Flynn Rider has a sword. Rapunzel has magic hair. People should get it because it’s a cool game.” I played the game with Michael once. It was funny to me that he wanted to be the girl, because she was leading the way. Michael was being a bit impatient as he was telling me how to follow his lead while we were playing. “You’re a bossy girl!” Sean exclaimed. I giggled as I agreed…he was! In any event, this was another fun, family pick.
Did your kids get any video games during the holiday season? If so, what were their favorites?
