droolicious : videogames

Tony Hawk: Ride Gets You Off the Couch and On the Board

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:00:00 GMT

If this exclusive skateboard controller isn't enough to get you amped for the upcoming videogame Tony Hawk: Ride, the video at the game's teaser site oughta seal the deal. Due later this year for Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360, Ride takes you off the couch and away from the push-button controller, giving you the full-motion freedom to execute grinds, flips, ollies, spins and other tricks using the board's built-in motion controls and accelerometers. Watch for another big announcement around the game at the annual E3 convention on June 2, and check out the controller in action at Gametrailers TV. [Uncrate]

Get DS-Style Gameplay for Your Dusty NES Cartridges

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:00:00 GMT

If you haven't kept up with video-game advances since the acronym NES stood for "cutting edge," you can relive your 8-bit favorites on a handheld system that's almost modern-looking enough to keep the kids from poking fun at you. OK, scratch that: With your gigantic 8-bit cartrdiges sticking out of this Retro Mini Handheld, you'll be a perfect target for the kids' guffaws -- but let's see who's laughing after a few rounds of Mega Man.

$49.99 from ThinkGeek.

Sneak Peek at LEGO Rock Band (Coming Holiday 2009)

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Jeanne's earlier post about an upcoming LEGO boombox feels like a great companion piece to this little preview of the first-ever LEGO Rock Band videogame, announced this week and due in stores this holiday season. Under development now by TT Games, the game will hit stores via Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, but in true brick-building fashion, LEGO Group, Harmonix and MTV Games are all adding pieces to the effort.

While Rock Band and Rock Band 2 certainly have their family-friendly potential, LEGO Rock Band is the first title in the series to focus exclusively on family friendliness: The overall gameplay looks to be pretty much the same as we're used to -- although in this case, when you build a band to rock the world, you literally build a band to rock the world. But the lovable minifig characters, trademark cheeky humor, and game-exclusive track listing (which includes Good Charlotte and Pink alongside novelty hits like Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting") all have their sights set on our kids and inner kids.

LEGO Rock Band will be compatible with all Rock Band instruments when it ships for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, and it'll also be interesting to see how the game translates to handhelds when TT Games and Harmonix team up with Backbone Entertainment to ready it for Nintendo DS. We don't have much else in the way of details for any of the upcoming versions, but watch this space -- and in the meantime, enjoy these early screen shots from the game:

Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves for Wii in Stores This Week

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:30:00 GMT

I'm all for getting kids moving with a fast-paced game of Dance Dance Revolution, but the game series' flashier titles don't always include the music or characters to keep littler gamers engaged. Enter Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves, which hit stores this week for Wii. Starring Mickey, Donald, Goofy and plenty more familiar faces, the game also features "Disney dance remixes" of 40 songs ranging from movie scores to classics like "Circle of Life" and "A Spoonful of Sugar." All of which means the game will drive you batty, but your 5-year-old will totally be into it.

Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves comes bundled with two dance mats, so suck it up, Mom and Dad: You're gonna be shaking your moneymaker right there alongside the kids all the way through the 150th play of "It's a Small World." The game also features three different play modes -- Workout, Training and Advanced -- so you can ratchet it up for more experienced players or scale it back for more freestyle play when the kids just need to get their ya-yas out. Little ones will also dig the Dressing Room mode, which lets you customize your own Miis with Disney costumes (see the Simba-style Mii above).

$67.99 (regularly $69.99) from Amazon.

'Sofa Boy' Creatively Nudges Kid Gamers off the Couch

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:30:00 GMT

It might seem a curious topic for a game-industry veteran's first book, but with Sofa Boy, Scott Langteau delivers an inspired motivator for getting kid gamers off the couch.

Equally retro-cute and Tim Burton-esque weird, thanks to Pin-Up Toons mastermind Rion Vernon's illustrations, Sofa Boy tells the tale of a game-obsessed kid who learned too late that he should've taken time to get out in the real world to play. We won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say Langteau's twisted sense of humor shines through the muck of Sofa Boy's universe.

One of the more timid images from Sofa Boy.

Admittedly, the visual story seemed a bit much even for a grizzled dad like me, but despite its seeming shock value, Sofa Boy has quickly turned into one of my boys' favorite books. At its core, it's a valuable lesson told in simple rhymes, and a great way to bond away from the game console before bedtime.

$10.17 (normally $14.95) at Amazon.

Giveaway: Win 2 New Nintendo DS Games from Ignition Entertainment

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

To celebrate the launch of its two new kid-friendly Nintendo DS titles, Ignition Entertainment has teamed with Babble to give away three copies of each game to six lucky Droolicious readers!

For the younger gamers, we've got Boing! Docomodake (screenshot above), which has been drawing rave reviews since its arrival on U.S. shores. Though based on a popular Japanese mobile-phone mascot, the game is anything but a typical "we licensed it, now you play it" affair. You play as the lovable mushroom-dude Papa Docomodake, weaving through a variety of challenges in a race to find your family of fungi and get them to the Docomodake Forest's annual festival on time.

The game (imagine a sort of bizarro-world Super Mario Bros. with double the cuteness) is clever enough when you're navigating it with button controllers, but the real fun comes when you break out the stylus. You can split Papa Docomodake into "Minis," tiny versions of the main man that let Papa get into smaller areas of the challenge. Drag the Minis with your stylus to slide into previously unreachable spaces, or use them to fill gaps so Papa can keep cruising toward his destination.

For older players, we've got the equally well-reviewed Blue Dragon Plus (screenshot above), whose name your kids may recognize from the Cartoon Network series Blue Dragon. If the grown-ups in your house are into role-playing games, they may find themselves lining up to tackle this one, too. The Blue Dragon saga centers on a boy named Shu and several of his friends, who have the ability to control phantom shadows that can mirror their masters' actions. Blue Dragon Plus finds Shu & Co. emerging from a world-shaking battle to face a sinister horde of new adversaries.

Though the action is mild and the gameplay easy to follow, this one's strictly for the more advanced DS navigator. Kids who haven't yet learned to read or have trouble grasping role-playing features such as item collection will just end up handing the game to their older siblings, anyway. For those kids, however, Blue Dragon Plus packs over 30 hours of thrilling, customizable gameplay, as well as more than an hour's worth of high-quality video content that'll further immerse them in the story.

OK, so how do you win 'em?

Easy: Just email us at babblecontest@gmail.com with your name, address and the game you're entering to win. (Only one per winning entry, and three winners per game.) On March 31, we'll draw six winners at random from the pool of entries.

Good luck, and happy gaming!

Get Your Mega-Tough Pokemon Regigigas This Sunday at Toys 'R' Us

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Who's got Level 100 status and is coming to Toys "R" Us stores this Sunday? This guy.

More specifically, this character, Regigigas, will be made available exclusively, and wirelessly, starting Sunday, March 8, at Toys "R" Us stores nationwide. All kiddoes need to do is to bring their Nintendo DS, along with their Pokémon Diamond Version or Pokémon Pearl Version Game Card, to any Toys "R" Us store in the U.S. or Puerto Rico for a chance to add the ultra-powerful Regigigas to their Pokédex.

We know this sounds like gibberish to you, but trust us: Drop any of these names, along with the words "free" and "Toys 'R' Us," to the kids, and you've got an instant Sunday-afternoon outing. If you can't make it this weekend, fear not: The promotion extends to March 21 -- which also happens to be the day before the much-anticipated Pokémon Platinum Version hits stores for Nintendo DS.

For all the latest, check out Pokemon.com.

Finally Beat the Kids at a Game: Retro Duo Video Game System

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Can't find (or afford) a Wii for the family room? Show your kids the fine art of old-school gaming with this Retro Duo Video Game System ($44.99 at Amazon), which plays all those dusty Nintendo and Super Nintendo titles you've had in storage since senior year. You may not get the bells, whistles and wireless action of the Wii, but you'll at least be able to beat the kids at a Mario game for once. [Uncrate]

Nintendo DSi Confirmed for April 5

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:30:00 GMT

If your household still doesn't have at least one Nintendo handheld, fear not: The much-speculated-about Nintendo DSi (which we previewed back in October) finally has a North American ship date.

The system -- which features two digital cameras (one pointing outward; another at you) as well as some welcome, WiiWare-style support for downloadable content -- will hit Western stores April 5 for an MSRP of $169.99. That's around $11 cheaper than the Japanese-exclusive price first reported, but considering all the currency fluctuation of late, who's keeping tabs? [Destructoid]

Coraline Videogame Hits Stores Today

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:00:00 GMT

We're still over a week away from seeing Neil Gaiman's Coraline come to life on the big screen, but the videogame version of Coraline -- which hit stores today for Wii, DS and PS2 -- promises to keep us occupied (or at least creeped out) before the ticket lines open.

Starting out as faithful to its subject, Coraline puts you in the role of the story's heroine (here, as in the movie, voiced by Dakota Fanning), who's just moved with her family to the Pink Palace apartments, a complex where nothing is as it seems. Unlike the movie, Coraline the game lets you embark on all sorts of unscripted adventures, including minigames, as you journey into the "other" world beyond the secret door of your new home.

Check out the trailer below for a closer look. True, the movie's 3D stop-motion animation doesn't quite pop when sized down for game consoles, but it's nice to see the eerie ambience at least didn't get lost (much) in translation.

Rated E10+ for mild cartoon violence and mild suggestive themes (read: spooky stuff), Coraline is available at Amazon.

Grow Your Hair, Mount Your WarBeast: It's Rock Band Time

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Bring your family room one fretboard closer to Rock Band Valhalla with DreamGear's WarBeast wireless PS2 ands PS3 guitar.

With a design straight out of the metalhead-exalted B.C. Rich catalog, the full-sized axe features a removable faceplate, an extended whammy bar, a dedicated "Star Power" button, and custom detailing on its neck and inlays. It's also compatible with Guitar Hero and Rock Revolution games, as well as with pretty much anything covered in skulls.

$99.99 from Amazon.

Peggle Coming to Nintendo DS in March

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:00:00 GMT

We've already geeked out at length over Peggle, Popcap Games' addictive, family-friendly puzzler for the PC (read the full review here), but if your kids prefer to do their gaming away from the home computer, be sure to highlight March 3 on your calendar: That's the day Popcap finally rolls out Peggle on a new platform.

Peggle Dual Shot will feature all the same pachinko-pong action we've come to love, but thanks to the game's new levels and duel modes, the fever should be more extreme than ever. (Sorry, terrible inside joke.)

Preorder for $29.99 at either GameStop or Amazon.

Turn Your Wii Remote Into a Crossbow (Without Killing Anyone)

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:00:00 GMT

As shooting games go, Link's Crossbow Training is as tame as they come -- essentially a 21st-century version of the old Duck Hunt so many of us used to geek out on as kids, with a Legend of Zelda theme thrown in for added nostalgia value. Anyway, the game already comes bundled with the Wii Zapper controller, but spend a few minutes with this crossbow-replica laser zapper, and you may be ready to make an upgrade.

Compatible with Link's Crossbow Training (which, again, is OK for kids) and other shooting games (which often aren't), the crossbow features an open slot for your Wii remote: Just plug it in, point and shoot -- and be the envy of every geek within firing distance.

$24.99 from SourcingMap.

First Look: Screenshots From Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

To tide us over until 2009 (the scheduled debut date on platforms still TBA), Telltale Games has released a handful of screenshots and concept designs from its upcoming interactive series, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures.

Based around the beloved animated duo, and from the looks of it doing a great job to replicate Aardman Animation's trademark stop-motion handiwork, the episodic game lets you play as both Wallace and Gromit, venturing into a series of overly ambitious business plans and then scrambling to clean up the mess when each idea goes haywire.

Check out the other screenshots and concept art here, and download this fun little teaser trailer while you're browsing. More news is expected in the new year, but there's plenty of speculation in Telltale's online forums for those of you who can't wait.

Game Review: Neopets Puzzle Adventure Hits Stores for Wii

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Remember that classic Othello slogan, "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master"? Apply that to videogames, add a slew of whimsical, well-drawn characters and the expansive online universe that spawned them, and you're pretty much talking Neopets Puzzle Adventure, which just hit stores for Wii after prior releases on PC and Nintendo DS.

The game's whimsical characters and comic-style art should be instantly familiar to Neopets.com visitors.

You start the game by personalizing one of 12 different Neopets and selecting your play mode: Instant Action, which throws you right into the game's titular puzzles, or Story Mode, which puts you into the three Lands of Neopia (whose landscapes should be instantly recognizable to kids familiar with Neopets.com) and lets you compete in a series of challenges against other Neopets. Minigames -- including a fun, easy memory game that will delight young players -- also abound and help to break up the story-based play.

The Neopets' main challenges revolve around deceptively simple, Othello-style puzzle gameplay.

The game's puzzle challenges may be called "battles," but there's nothing in the way of violence here: Instead, Neopets Puzzle Adventure finds players taking turns laying down tokens on a grid, with the winner being the one who can convert the most tokens to his or her color. If you're thinking it sounds a lot like Othello (or Reversi), good call: The similarities aren't just limited to a slogan, and if you're looking for a simple game that requires kids to put some strategic brainpower behind their onscreen actions, even grade-schoolers can rule in this conquest.

There's plenty of room to explore in the Lands of Neopia.

Also, while it may seem easy to breeze through, Neopets Puzzle Adventure has several features that'll keep kids engaged outside of the puzzle challenges. As your Neopet proceeds through the game, it can collect 150 different PetPet companions, each of which packs powers that can help you back on the game grid. The game also generates codes to unlock special items on Neopets.com, so if your kids haven't already set up camp there, they'll have plenty of incentive to do so now. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, by the way -- though the site has many immersive, community-oriented features and boards, all kids under age 13 must have a parental-consent form mailed or faxed to the company before they can use the interactive content.

Neopets Puzzle Adventure is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB. Get it at Amazon in any of the following formats:

Wii ($39.99)

DS ($29.99)

PC (from $19.99)

You're in the Movies Extends 15 Minutes of Fame for the Whole Family

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:30:00 GMT

You're in the Movies is technically a video game -- you slide a disc into your Xbox 360 and do stuff in front of the included Xbox LIVE camera -- but when you break open the box for the family this holiday season, expect to throw traditional notions of scorekeeping and competition out the window. There's no way to lose at this one -- rather, the goal is for you and up to three other players to work your magic in front of a pretend green screen and literally see yourself in the movies.

There's some basic setup involved to make your footage look its best -- for instance, you won't want to be filmed standing in front of a green wall sporting your new green Christmas sweater -- but that's about as technically involved as You're in the Movies gets. Follow the on-screen guidelines, make sure the camera's steady, and act your part in one of a number of cheesy, over-the-top B-movie trailers exclusive to the game.

You're ranked on the performance you give, but the real fun of You're in the Movies comes when you gather everyone together after filming to preview your reels. Once you've gotten comfortable with the gameplay, you may also enjoy the "director" mode, which lets you splice together clips from various films. And, thanks to an easy sharing feature, you can immediately start showcasing your trailers via MySpace, Facebook and (as in the clip below) YouTube:

You're in the Movies is rated "E" for Everyone, and though there's some mild action involving adventure scenarios (including some prehistoric fighting footage that grade-schoolers will love), the game is as clean as Xbox 360 titles come. Kids likely won't much care for the "romance" section, however, and it's your call whether to let them play with the "horror" footage.

$69.99 from Amazon.

Holiday Videogame Roundup: 5 Games for Girls

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:52:00 GMT

Off to adventure in Bella Sara for Nintendo DS.

First, a disclaimer: There are approximately 8 zillion kid-friendly video games currently available for boys and girls -- 4.2 zillion of which came out in the past month alone. But we're all about helping you narrow down your choices here at Droolicious, and in this guide, we've pulled together five of the better new titles for the girl gamer on your list.

All of these games have been kid-tested, and all of them scored big in a few select categories: ease of play, young-child-appropriateness of content, and intentional girl appeal. Don't worry, parents of little boys: Your list is coming soon enough.

Bella Sara (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
Systems: DS, PC
Based on the hit trading-card game and website of the same name, Bella Sara gives players their own virtual fantasy pony to care for and accessorize. As you move through the Bella Sara world, you seek out more than 200 different virtual horse and accessory cards to add to your stable, and thanks to the real trading card that comes packaged with each copy, you can unlock even more items separately through the Bella Sara site. The game's Wi-Fi element also allows you to trade virtual cards with other players, much as you would in a real-world card game, and beyond the cards, there's a whole world of minigames, show competitions, and other fun activities to explore. While boys are certainly welcome to play Bella Sara, this one in particular has girls in mind: each of the game's six playable avatars is female.

Littlest Pet Shop (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
Systems: Wii, DS
Though it features 32 of the adorable, bug-eyed pets so many of us are accustomed to stepping over in the playroom, Littlest Pet Shop keeps all of its critters confined to your screen. Players move through the Littlest Pet Shop world, exploring colorful new environments (each of which gets its own game in the different DS versions) and playing various minigames. Accessorizing and caring for your pets are also key features, and each completed minigame lets you unlock goodies ranging from accessories to playsets (many of which you'll recognize from real-world toy shelves) to new pets to love and play with. Little gamers should have no trouble figuring out the basic concepts here, even if Mom or Dad may have to guide them through reading some instructions. Plus, the game's adjustable difficulty levels also help to make Littlest Pet Shop appealing to older players.

Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
System: Wii
Sure, the Build-A-Bear Workshop in your local mall has a number of $10 animals on sale this season, but considering the $40 Wii version of said workshop nets you the ability to customize eight different animals and outfit them with some 80 different accessories before you even start the game, we're seeing a bit more bang for buck here. You're headed to a Build-A-Bear party, but first you need to work your way through 20 different easy minigames in order to collect the four map-unlocking puzzle pieces that lead you to the fun. The concept is simple enough that kindergarten-age players can grasp it, even if that also means older kids will tear through it in an afternoon.

My Baby Girl (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
System: DS
It seems a little crass to think of a baby as a virtual pet, but that's pretty much the experience My Baby Girl (and its baby-blue Boy version) offer -- although in each game, you have to do a lot more than simply feed and soothe your little one to keep it happy. My Baby makes you the caretaker of a kewpie-doll-like infant that comes complete with a daily routing of feeding, napping, playing and filling his or her diaper. As you nurture your baby -- playing with her, taking her for routine checkups and talking or singing to her (a particularly cool feature offered by the DS' mic), she grows into a healthy, happy older child. Of course, such constant levels of attention may be more than your littlest gamer can handle, so proceed with caution before handing this one to kids who aren't yet old enough to look after their real brothers or sisters for a spell.

Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
System: DS
Launched in tandem with the animated movie starring the newly made-over (and at-long-last vocal) Tinker Bell, Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell is much more than a licensed-character cash-in. For starters, the game links you to Disney’s free DGamer community and its chat, avatar and stat-sharing functions -- all of which, thankfully, feature major parental/content controls. The game itself puts you into Neverland’s fantastical Pixie Hollow, where you fly about the world collecting items, completing tasks and using your inherent tinkering powers to help other characters complete their own challenges. Action happens in (kinda) real time, with seasonal and time changes reflecting as you move throughout the game, and there’s a major fashion and customization element in the 100-plus different items you can collect to build Tinker Bell’s wardrobe.

Fairies, stuffed bears and magical horses not your thing? Check out another of our recent game guides, 5 Kid-Friendly Music Games That Aren't Rock Band or Guitar Hero.

Ion Drum Rocker Goes From Rock Band 2 to Real-World Drum Lessons

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:30:00 GMT

If your family takes its Rock Band 2 seriously, it's time to invest in some serious hardware. The Ion Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set (available now for Xbox 360, with a PS2 and PS3 version on the way) features customizable, reinforced hardware that can take whatever abuse you and your miniature Keith Moons can unleash on it.

Granted, it's a little expensive -- nearly twice as much as a complete Rock Band 2 bundle, in fact -- but if your kids are interested in learning drums somewhere other than in a video game, the Ion can actually save you money in that area (real kits, after all, don't come cheap): Just swap out the Xbox 360 controller for an Alesis drum-brain module, and you've got a real electronic drum kit.

$299.99 from Amazon.

5 Kid-Friendly Music Games That Aren't Rock Band or Guitar Hero

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Kicking out the kid-friendly jams with Wii Music.

I'd probably heard the Donnas' "New Kid In School" 500 times before my kids decided it was their new favorite track in Rock Band 2. It wasn't until my 5-year-old started belting out the song's lyrics, though, that I realized there was a naughty word in the second verse. Now, I'm hardly a prude when it comes to T-rated games, but there's something about hearing a kindergartener sing, "Better start kissing some ass!" that makes you understand why ESRB ratings exist.

While such moments are rare, they prove why edgier music games like Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour aren't always appropriate for family game night. So, for any parent looking for a safe-but-fun alternative this holiday season, here's a round-up of some of the more kid-friendly music titles out there -- at least one of which may surprise you.

Wii Music (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
System: Wii
Unlike most music games, which force you to hit notes (or just hit, period) at precise moments in order to get ahead, Wii Music is almost totally free-form: Using the Wii Remote, Nunchuk and Balance Board, you can tweak tempos, add flourishes or otherwise alter the arrangements of up to 50 different songs using a veritable orchestra's worth of instruments. And unlike, well, every other game featured in this post, there's no such thing as a mistake in Wii Music -- in fact, the more you can improvise to create happy accidents, the more enjoyable the game becomes. It's easy enough that a 3-year-old could start jamming, but the possibilities (you can create and share your own improvs over Wi-Fi, for instance) are big enough that Mom and Dad will never get bored.

Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band The Video Game (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
Systems: Wii, DS, PS2, PC
The Naked Brothers Band's first music-rhythm game was built on a good idea (join Nickelodeon's flagship kid rockers on a world tour) and a fan-enticing soundtrack, but for anyone used to Rock Band-style gameplay, the game can feel lacking: The Wii version has you gesturing in thin air to play the band's six different instruments, while the PS2 version requires various joystick combos. (Unlike the DS version, those two editions also include an external mic.) That said, my Naked Brothers-obsessed 5-year-old amazingly had less trouble adjusting to this game than he did figuring out Guitar Hero or any other title requiring "real" fake instruments. That may be because, given the target audience's age, the room for error on The Naked Brothers Band The Video Game is unusually wide.

Boogie SuperStar (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E10+
System: Wii
What teen pop sensation worth his or her weight in gold albums can't dance and sing at the same time? In Boogie SuperStar -- the follow-up to last year's Boogie -- kids can release their inner Fergie, Maroon 5, Fall Out Boy or Natasha Bedingfield (just some of the stars who've lent tracks to the game), singing into the included microphone while using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to bust their best dance moves. Though it's a great game to play solo, the competition gets a lot more fun as you add up to four friends to compete for pop-star bragging rights in the American Idol-style "Boogie Star Show." Oh, and budget-minded parents, take note: If you have a mic, you can save $10 on the bundle pictured here and just get the core game.

Disney Sing It (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
Systems: Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3
With a true karaoke-style experience that lets kids sing along to actual music videos from Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, Aly and AJ, and other Disney stars, Disney Sing It offers kids eye candy to match its ear candy. The game packs 35 songs in all -- including tunes from Camp Rock and High School Musical -- and kids can compete solo as well as in duet, head-to-head, and team modes. The game also stresses hitting the right notes, with High School Musical star Olesya Rulin popping up as a personal vocal coach. As with Boogie SuperStar, you can buy the bundle (which includes a Logitech mic) or save a few bucks and use your existing microphone with the core game.

Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E10+
System: DS
OK, I lied about not including Guitar Hero in this roundup, but it makes sense that handheld gaming's most kid-friendly console would get the most kid-friendly entry in the Guitar Hero series. Decades follows up last year's Guitar Hero On Tour, which reduced the axe-slinging experience to a pick stylus and a fist-sized "fretboard" that plugs into your DS Lite's Game Boy Advance slot. Although there are some cool features (you blow into the DS' mic to extinguish pyro blasts, for instance) and a welcome sharing mode that lets you stream tunes across both versions of On Tour, the game's core mechanics haven't changed much. The experience, however, has: You can customize your character based on its era and shred along to 28 songs from the '70s to today (hence the "Decades"), with artists ranging from Queen to R.E.M. to Paramore. The E10+ rating is for lyrical content, but there are no truly naughty words to be found.

Very Big Toys: Monster Lab to Keep Halloween Going Through November

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:04:00 GMT

In Monster Lab, you play an Igor-style apprentice who's tasked with creating a Frankenstein of your very own out of some 150 monster parts. Sounds like any kid's dream Halloween game right? Well, you'll have to wait until Nov. 4 (or Nov. 30 for the PS2 version) to get your ghoul on, but we've got some teaser video and screenshots to keep you and the little monsters sated till then. Plus, if you're like me, the year pretty much ends after Halloween, anyway, so having something gruesome to look forward to in November is like finding an extra treat at the bottom of your candy bag.

Shown above, Eidos' trailer for the game can provide more context than these admittedly out-of-context screen shots do, but considering Monster Lab's basic premise -- make your monster; explore the land; seek out other monsters to clobber in battle; and embark on a series of quests and mini-games -- we don't suspect the game will take long to figure out:

Rated E10+, Monster Lab hits stores Nov. 4 for Wii ($39.99 from Amazon) and DS ($29.99 from Amazon), and Nov. 30 for PS2 ($29.99 from Amazon).

Very Big Toys: A Working Lightsaber for Your Wii

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:43:00 GMT

OK, so it won't actually slash through and cauterize limbs (we assume that's a bonus for most of you), but if you and your mini Jedi knights have been seeking a more realistic way to fight your way through Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the Glow Saber Duo Pack ($34.99 from Amazon; coming Oct. 21) puts you that much closer to the action. Just slide your Wii remote into the saber's handle, and start choppin'.

While the Glow Saber's blue (if you're down with the light side) or red (for you dark-siders out there) plastic blades don't actually serve a purpose beyond looking really cool when they're lit, they certainly don't take away from the fantasy. Not allowing "T-rated games in your family's Wii, of course, could greatly affect your need to worry about that fantasy in the first place.

If you're still not sure whether Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has a place in your home, this primer from parent-friendly game site What They Play offers some of the best pro/con arguments you'll find on the game. (Full disclosure: My kids, 8 and 5, both play it with Dad's supervision.)

Very Big Toys: $180 Nintendo DSi Coming Nov. 1

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:10:00 GMT

...If you live in Japan, that is. The rest of us will have to wait until sometime next year, according to Nintendo's recent press announcement, to get our hands on the next-gen handheld gizmo.

For those asking the inevitable "Is this going to merit a DS Lite trade-in at GameStop?" there are definitely some nice improvements to consider: the slightly slimmer design, the slightly larger (17% bigger than those on the DS Lite) dual 3.25" screens, the built-in web browser, the music playback, and the 640x480 digital cameras -- one on the outer shell and another inside on the DSi's hinge -- as well as the SD memory-card slot and the ability to buy and download games via Wi-Fi at Nintendo's upcoming "DSi Shop."

The DSi (official Japanese website here) is only launching in white or black, but given the colorful precedents set by the DS Lite, we'd imagine that won't be the case once it's had some time to age. [Image via DS Fanboy]

When You Absolutely, Positively Have to Lay Down 'Rock Band' Drum Tracks Right Now

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:04:00 GMT

Packing everything you see here and absolutely nothing else, Mad Catz' Official Rock Band Portable Drum Kit for Xbox 360 gives new meaning to the term "going mobile." The kit's four heads, which you can position atop any hard, flat surface, have reportedly been designed to withstand over 1 million hits (not sure what that translates to in terms of songs, but we're guessing it gets you more Ramones tunes but Metallica ones), while the kick pedal and curiously Wii-ish navigation panel sit separately to give you added mobility.

It's still listed as "coming soon," but you can drop $59.99 at GameShark (or $10 less with free shipping here) to reserve your own today.

Unveiled Today: AirG Controller for Upcoming 'PopStar Guitar'

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:04:00 GMT

Guitar Hero and Rock Band purists may be sniggering, but thanks to a nearly 50-song set list that includes the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Maroon 5 and other pop groups that teens and tweens actually dig (no offense to Aerosmith and Blue Oyster Cult, of course), XS Games' upcoming PopStar Guitar for Wii and PS2 seizes on both games' inherent flaws.

Going a step further toward kid-friendliness, the Wii version of PopStar Guitar will bum out purists even more, as it doesn't even require a guitar controller to be played. Unveiled today, the AirG peripheral (pictured above) turns your Wii Remote into a veritable air guitar. Just slip it on, throw on the game and start fretting -- well, without needing to "fret," of course. (Sorry; couldn't resist.)

Hey now, you're a PopStar: Shredding off-screen (left, obviously) and on with the AirG.

Rated "T" for Teen (but presumably more "Tween" in reality), PopStar Guitar for Wii includes two AirG controllers and is currently set at $59.99. The $29.99 PS2 version doesn't included a proprietary controller, but it'll work with any PS2 licensed guitar peripheral. Both versions of the game are due to hit stores Nov. 11 in time for the holidays.

Weird Name, Great Game: Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge for DS

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:04:00 GMT

We reported not too long ago about the ways LeapFrog's been grabbing some of Nintendo DS' territory as a hand-held learning tool for the littlest gamers, but if we start seeing more DS titles like Natsume's new Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge (say that three times fast), the mighty 'frog could be kept at bay a little longer.

Aimed at those kiddoes for whom Brain Age is too advanced but big brother or sister's DS is just too alluring, the game does require some rudimentary reading skills, so don't expect to be able to slide it into Junior's DS Lite and just walk away. In fact, it seems Ham-Ham Challenge's developers already had that possibility in mind, as they've thrown in a bunch of features that enable Mom and Dad to monitor children's progress, adjust the game's difficulty level, control play time, and even grant rewards via special in-game goodies.

As for gameplay, nothing too taxing here, which is just the point: The characters, all pulled from our favorite hamster-starring Japanese cartoon, are there to entertain, while the 12 minigames are meant to give kids' brains a workout, specifically through focusing on memory, math, word-comprehension and fine-motor skills, among other kindergarten-age necessities.

Rated "E" for Everyone, Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge is $29.99 from Amazon.