Tech Talk for FamiliesHelping parents and families have fun with technology, toys, and video games |
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Tech Talk for FamiliesHelping parents and families have fun with technology, toys, and video games |
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Archive - 2009I never knew of Dragon Ball the anime series but was intrigued by the game Dragon Ball Revenge of the King Piccolo by Bandai Namco Games. My sons are fans of a lot of the anime series and games and this title seemed to have a different approach over the standard Pokemon, Bakugan and Chaotic types. This one seemed to be more of an adventure type game rather than just dueling. Rating: 6 of 10
Making learning fun is a magical combination. Mentor Interactive pulls it off with My Virtual Tutor Reading for the DS, in a big way. The demo we received was for K to 1st Grade but my 3rd grader had a lot of fun with the game. The game was fun, informative, challenging at times and will hopefully add to his reading comprehension, even at his level of reading. Rating: 9 of 10
Pencil Sketches read more »
Sketch Pencil read more »  Are you an alien who lost your tail in battle a long time ago? What
about an insect-like android? If you know what I'm talking about, you
probably own this game already. If you don't, go buy it. You'll like
it. It's good.read more »
If you’re looking for a last minute stocking stuffer for a DS-owning friend (or just a pleasant little diversion so you can relax after you’ve done all of your shopping) you could do far worse than to pick up a copy of Storm City Games’ Hands On! Tangrams. read more »
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In the world of Tech Talk for Families’ Reviews, I’m the only one with a Sony PSP. So when a video game for that particular console comes down the line, I’m the one who gets to put it through its paces and serve up a review. Such was the case when fellow TTfF Reviewer PD Love emailed me to ask if I wouldn’t mind that he’s sending me a copy of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tag Force 4 for the Sony PSP from Konami. Yu-Gi-Oh!?!?!?! 
In the past, I’ve been rather critical of video games based on movies or books because, for the most part, the game is just a rehashing of the original’s storyline. The only difference is this time you, as the player, get to step into the shoes of the main character, saying their lines and going through their motions in a story plot that you are most likely already familiar with. 
I recently reviewed THQ’s Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter video game for the Nintendo DS and I was left less than unimpressed. So in this review, my son Nikolai (age 8) got his hands on Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for the Nintendo Wii. Based on the fact that he still cracked a smile after playing the game for the better part of a day, I’ll assume that he made out a lot better in his review than did I.
So there’s 12 months in a year, ~30 days in a month, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, and 60 seconds in a minute. And in Half-Minute Hero for the Sony PSP from XSeed Games, you’ve only got 30 of those seconds to complete a level. I’ve got to admit that the idea of a video game where you only had 30 seconds to complete the level sounded rather intriguing, I mean how tough can a game be if it only takes half a minute to complete a mission? Yeah right. 
Many, many moons ago, I tried adopting a virtual pet in the form of a fish in an aquarium on a PC. My fish, which I named Sushi, lasted about a day--not because it died on me mind you, but because I was afraid it was going to die on me. So I practiced a touch of virtual preemptive euthanasia and saved everyone involved a bit of depressing aggravation. 
Sequels are an interesting breed of creature, in that you pretty much know what to expect, but you can never really guarantee what you’re gonna get. Take Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for the Nintendo DS from THQ as an example. About a year ago, I wrote a review for Drawn to Life: SpongeBob Squarepants Edition (which was a spin-off of the original Drawn to Life) and found its game play to be very unique and interesting… Too bad the novelty has worn off.
