Review: Disney's Interactive DVD Games

My three year old daughter, who happens to go by the name of Boo, has always been interested in gaming. Usually we hand her a controller without batteries as we play games and she believes that she is playing along as well. Well, no more pretending for little Boo! I ran across these really cool Disney DVDs that come with a special little remote in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head. The first one we tried out was called Mickey's Numbers Round-Up. You can choose to just watch the special episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or you can access the bonus features where you can select to play the interactive version using the Mickey Mote. The Mickey Mote is very simple and easy to set up. Ours was up and running in less than a minute. To my delight Boo was thoroughly entertained and with little direction able to play along on her own without much assistance. Mickey and his pals encouraged Boo to help them solve simple problems by choosing the correct button the Mickey Mote. After an hour and a half of watching Boo completely engrossed in this game I knew we had found a winner. We have since purchased the Minnie's Masquerade DVD, and this one too has proven to be very enjoyable for Boo. This one even came with a little masquerade mask that Boo wore the entire time that she was playing. I am so happy to have found a sort of "video game" that my daughter can easily play and get some educational value out of.

(I was not paid or given a free product for this review, I simply like the product and wanted to let people know!)

First New Console of E3

Well, rumor had it that Nintendo was announcing a new console this year at E3 and that rumor proved to be true. Scheduled to be released sometime next year Wii U looks very promising. I own a Wii, but was never really impressed with it. In fact all my Wii does at this point is collect dust. BUT I find myself pretty excited about the Wii U. Seems like Nintendo is recognizing that they alienated hardcore gamers in the past and is doing something about that. Wii U looks to output 1080p over HDMI, and talk of M-rated third party games is already underway. What seems iffy to me is the controller. They seem to be fusing almost like an iPad type device with a controller. It has a 6.2 inch touch screen that can used in place of a television if needed. It looks clunky to me, but intriguing.  I am eager to see how this all plays out for Nintendo.

Falling in love with television again....oh how I love Verizon Fios!

About a year and a half ago I was faced with the ultimate tease when  a neighbor informed me that Verizon was planning to install Fios in our neighborhood. At that point in time I was trapped into subscribing to cable, phone, and internet through Time Warner. I say trapped because that was literally my only option as satellite dishes are not allowed in my apartment complex. Upon hearing the exciting news I instantly began hounding Verizon's sales line for an ETA as to when I would be able to subscribe to Fios. Unfortunately it wound up taking longer than I expected, but the day that they started tearing up my street to install the fiber optic lines was a very exciting day for me. But...it was not near as exciting as the day that a customer service representive knocked on my door offering me an AMAZING deal on all three services.

The rep was prepared to to work his magic and show me the ways that Fios would change my media habits. My eagerness made his job very easy that day as I quickly signed up...contract free! About a week later the service men came and installed phone, internet, and fiber optic television throughout my apartment. It took a couple hours since the service was brand new in my building, but boy was it worth the wait. As soon as they had cleaned up and given me a little lesson on how to use my remotes I was good to go.

The first thing I noticed was that the picture quality was stunning. I have heard other cable and satellite companies claim they had the best picture, but Verizon had it in the bag! Next I moved on to tinkering with my multi-room DVR. The ability to record programs in the living room and watch them in other rooms is fantastic! As I flipped through my on screen program guide I began to notice a ton of channels that I had never been able to recieve through Time Warner. Much to my delight I now had some of my favorite channels in HD (Vh1, MTV, Bravo, just to name a few).

Later on I really began to explore all the wonderful Fios features and to my surprise I was even able to update my facebook feed right from my television (I used this feature to let all my friends know that I now had the best television service EVER). What really got my attention was the widgets. I had never experienced this function with other cable services. I found the WeatherBug widget to be my favorite from the get go, and I still consult it daily to get a heads up on the weather.

My surprise did not stop there because I soon discovered my favorite feature of Verizon Fios...the media manager! Ahhhhhh! I had been streaming videos in the past through my Xbox 360, and to be honest it was not always so successful. But I quickly downloaded the media manager on my desktop pc and within minutes I was transferring my video files to stream without a hitch straight to my Verizon set top box. I still use the media manager on a daily basis.

So, you see why I would be so excited to finally have the best television service in my home. Pair all these wonderful features with the unarguably lightning fast internet and I am in heaven! Did I mention that I also have an app on my iPhone that allows me to use it as a remote? Because I do! And when one of the kids manages to make the regular remote vanish, I resort to my app instead of tearing the house apart in a desperate rush to lower the volume on Yo Gabba Gabba.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Verizon FiOS blogging program for a gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Motorstorm Apocalypse

I've fallen into that bugged eyed trap of various racing games in the past. I always have felt frustrated, but at the same time entertained by high speed racing games. The frustration seemed to have been my predominant feeling and that led me to avoid this type of game for quite some time now. It's not like I am bad at gaming, but the precision required  to beat the challenges in racing games was just not there for me. So, I was reluctant to start up Motorstorm: Apocalypse for this very reason. But...I did decide to give it a spin since my 5 year old was very interested after watching a gameplay trailer. Boy am I glad that I gave it a shot! This is another game that makes me feel like my eyes are going to pop out of my head from a combination of high speeds and flashy graphics, but it sort of feels good. There are a number of different types of vehicles to race and as progress in the story mode you will unlock even more. The real fun I am finding is in the online gameplay. I have been overwhelmed by multiplayer racing for some time now, but the sheer fun of M:A quickly helped me get over this. I am still working on beating the story mode so I can utilize all the cool vehicles this game has to offer. I will beat this game, I will beat this game!

The Harlem Globetrotters Giveaway!

Generations of fun, the Harlem Globetrotters are coming to town to hoop it up with their awe-inspiring and amped up “4 Times the Fun” North American tour.  Celebrating their unbelievable 85th season, games get underway for young and old alike at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario Thursday, Feb. 24 (7:00pm), Honda Center in Anaheim Saturday, Feb. 26 (2:00pm/7:00pm), and STAPLES Center in Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 27 (12:00pm).

Innovators and entertainers admired the world over, the team will introduce the first-ever 4-point shot that has everyone talking (35 feet from the net). http://www.better.tv/videos/m/35859726/harlem-globetrotters.htm As a celebration for all ages, the Globetrotter experience blends tradition with non-stop hilarity, “how do they do that” basketball skills, and a heavy dose of audience participation and inspiration. It’s a winning formula the Magicians of Basketball just never seem to lose.

Bring it on! Tickets starting as low as $16 are on sale now at respective box offices or www.Ticketmaster.com, or 1-800-745-3000. Information on group and scout tickets can be found at www.harlemglobetrotters.com. Every game includes a 30-minute post game autograph session, or consider purchasing the pregame “Magic Pass” to enjoy a special pre-game experience.

If you would like the chance to win a 4 pack of tickets, comment on this post and make sure you enter your email address. If you are feeling nice, you can also subscribe to my blog. The winner will be drawn on 2/16/2011 using random.org! Good luck!

Daytrippin'

I had an itchin' to get outdoors a couple weekends ago. My mom had been telling us about this awesome park that had a little zoo and a small train. So we finally got around to checking out Irvine Regional Park in Orange, CA. Amazing! Great place to get away for the day. It is close enough that we could get there in about 30 minutes, yet we felt so far away. It is like a little pocket of beauty that I never even knew existed. The park also scores points with me for being relatively affordable. Entrance/parking was only $5.00 per car, Riley rode the train for $4.00, and Morgan rode the ponies for $4.00. They also have a small zoo with animals that are native to California. They have bears, various birds, mountain lions, and even an ocelot. We had such a great time. I recommend this to anyone needing to get away for the day.
For more information and directions....

Amazon Video Game Deal - thru 11/13

Amazon has a great deal on the latest games for all consoles. You can take advantage of this deal up until Sunday, November 13.
It is called the Amazon Double Dip and when you purchase two qualifying games, not only do you save $10 on each game, but you also receive a $30 credit that can applied towards future game purchases. I bought Fallout New Vegas as a Christmas gift and was surprised to receive an email telling me that I earned a $10 credit good towards my purchase of 12 months of Xbox Live. Take a look at the qualifying games here:
Amazon Double Dip