Family Fun Football for Wii

I will be the first to admit that I know nothing about football. Other than the fact that the objective of the game is to score a touchdown by getting the ball into the other team’s end zone, that is. Sometimes I’ll sit down and watch with my husband, and take cues from him, but I’ve never really bothered to understand it. This is why I looked forward to playing Family Fun Football on the Wii. After playing it for a few hours, I still don’t get football, but I know all the terminology, at least!

As Tecmo’s newest video game for Nintendo Wii, Family Fun Football features:

• A Simple Playbook – Makes it easy for everyone to learn and understand the game of football.
• Colorful Stadiums – A total of five stadiums that include a fun mix of realistic and fantasy worlds such as a space themed stadium.
• Power-ups – Earn power-ups during gameplay to enhance certain attributes including speed, strength, passing, and interception for a limited amount of time.
• Teams – Ten unique teams with their own attributes that players can choose to compete with.
• Mii Compatibility: Load in your own Mii and play against your friends’ and family’s Miis for a more personal experience.

GAME PLAY
I popped the game into my Wii, and was first asked to create a profile. The game let me choose from our Miis. All very simple. I quickly learned that this is not the kind of game that you can just start playing right away, though. As casual as “Family Fun” sounds, you really must know a little bit about football to play. I was lost when I took a look at the playbook. What’s a blitz?

There are several different play modes to choose from:

• Quickplay – Select two teams and the stadium you want
• 
• to play in to get started right away. Up to four players can play.
• Season – Play through a nine game season, each game against a different opponent. Defeat every team to be the best.
• Tournament – Play your way through a double-elimination tournament and be the last team standing to win it all.
• Mascot Mode – Play as your team’s mascot, or as one of 10 unlockable mascots.
• Mini-Games – Ten fun and simple mini-games can be unlocked and played with up to four players.

I had to read through the instructions a couple of times before figuring out how to use the controls. For most plays, you have to hold the nunchuk and press a combination of buttons which was hard for this momma’s brain to remember. I would have liked to see different skill levels as an option. You can unlock up to ten mini-games during half-time that can be played later, as well as new stadiums and mascots.

GRAPHICS
I wasn’t terribly impressed by the graphics. The Miis look awkward. Much of everything was blurry during gameplay, but the stadiums are unique and impressive – Moonrock Field, Tecmodome, one with a pyramid theme, just to name a few. The mascots are cute and feature animals, luchadors, ninjas, pirates, aliens and robots.

BUY IT!
Family Fun Football for Wii is available now for $29.99 and is rated E – for Everyone. Too simple perhaps for hardcore video-gamers, this would probably be fun for football-crazy kids! Additional information, including a trailer and downloadable coloring book pages, can be found at www.familyfunfootball.com.

Other than a product sample, not compensation was received for this post.

Check out other great gift ideas in the 2009 Holiday Gift Guide!

Blogger of the Week: The Well Connected Mom

This week’s featured blogger is Lori from The Well Connected Mom.

Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.

I am a SAHM mom of a six year old girl and a 3 year old boy.  They are my pride and joy and remind me to slow down and take a child moment – that’s a moment when you forget about yourself and your schedule, and you live in the moment with your child.  Wow, how often I forget to live in the moment.  After my son started part-time preschool, I decided it was time to dust off one of my old favorite passions – technology. I started The Well Connected Mom to share my passion of technology with other moms.  I noticed a lot of my friends have media enabled phones, but they are not using them as effectively as they could.  The same is true for valuable free websites on the Internet.  So I started my new “jobby” in August of this year to help other moms to understand and use technology more effectively.  I coined the word, “jobby,” because it’s my hope that one day my hobby will be my job.

How did you decide that technology was the right niche for you?

I’ve always heard that you should follow your passion.  So I began to ponder what my passions were.  I remembered way back in sixth grade, I was one of the few who frequently checked out the Popular Science magazine from the school library.  I have always been intrigued by new technology and what the future holds.  Through the years I have enjoyed trying out new gadgets and software.

As a fairly new blogger, what do you find to be the toughest challenge when it comes to blogging?

There are several things that challenge me.  First, although I love technology, I am a consumer of technology — not a developer of it.  So,  it’s been tough working with templates and plug-ins and getting them to respond how I would like on my website.  Certainly having more knowledge about HTML and php would help.  Second, there is more involved than just writing and researching your blog.  There’s templates, plug-ins, affiliate advertising, embedding videos or documents into your site, improving your site for SEO – improved searching, setting up and monitoring statistics, promoting your site, joining and adding comments to community sites (Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, Twittermoms, Sheblogs.org, etc.).  Then of course, I love keeping up with the latest social media techniques and my favorite mommy blogs like An Island Life, MummyDeals.org, etc.

What’s your favorite product that you’ve reviewed and why? What would your kids’ picks be?

The favorite product I reviewed was Windows 7.  In fact, I am in the process of writing a series of articles on Windows 7 and why it’s worth the upgrade.  It has greatly enhanced my ability to upload my pictures and videos, store them and tag them easily, and view them in great slide shows with just a few clicks.  My daughter’s favorite product would be the V-Tech Bugsby Reading System.  It’s less bulky than a Leap Frog and she loves reading along with her Bugsby pen.

What do you like to do in your free time, when you’re not trying out the newest gadgets or chasing after your two kids?

Hmmm, if you take those two loves out of the picture, there’s little time for much else.  I love spending time with my husband.  We enjoy doing things together and we seldom get time to ourselves.  Our latest hobby?  Rockband 2!

Thank you to Lori for sharing her story with us! Please visit The Well Connected Mom to read all about her thoughts on the new Windows 7 and more interesting technology.

If you have a blog and would like to possibly be featured here, please let us know by filling out the contact form above. We look forward to hearing from you!

Blogger of the Week: The Foster Family

This week’s featured blogger is Jennifer from The Foster Family.

Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.

I am almost 28 years old, going on my 6th year of teaching, and mother to one year old twins.

I started my blog in April 2008, shortly after my husband and I were expecting twins. Originally, it was meant to keep close friends and family members up to date with our pregnancy. Unfortunately, we had a huge scare when my water broke at 21 weeks around one baby. I spent over a month in the hospital, and a total of 5 months on bed rest. Thankfully, my girls were delivered safety (albeit very small) at almost 37 weeks. During those dangerous months, I had many people spread my story and my blog readership now is around 4,000.

What do you find to be the hardest thing about blogging? And the most rewarding?

Content, by far, is my hardest thing! You would think that with two babies and 130 middle school students, I’d find something to write about.

Definitely the most rewarding thing about blogging are the relationships I’ve formed over the years. In fact, I will be heading to Charleston soon to meet up with a few blogging friends.

What are some blogs that you like to read?

I have over 200 blogs on my blogroll, and most are of moms of multiples. I have a few crafty and baking blogs, but no where near enough time to be creative myself.

Any advice to those who are thinking about starting their own blog?

Be honest and open. Many bloggers out there have been criticized for telling lies, hiding important information or trying to scam readers. Remember, the people out there reading your blog are real people. Spend some time to get to know them and they’ll want to get to know you, too.

What do you like to do in your free time, when you’re not chasing after your twins?

I love photography, reading and history. I’m also a bit of a Star Wars nerd.

Thank you to Jennifer for sharing her story with us! She’s participating in National Blog Posting Month, so head on over to The Foster Family to see what she has to say everyday this month!

If you have a blog and would like to possibly be featured here, please let us know by filling out the contact form above. We look forward to hearing from you!

Blogger of the Week – My Wee View

This week’s featured blogger is Lynette from My Wee View.

Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.

My name is Lynette, I am married to my high school sweetheart. We have been together for 12 years, and married 6.  We have a 1 year old daughter.  My blog, My Wee View, is a review and giveaway blog, which was started in January.  I started posting only 1 review or 2 a week, then went to 5 a week, and daily reviews in May.  In my other life, I am a desk jockey.

What’s your favorite product that you’ve reviewed and why?

My favourite product is probably the Dyson Vacuum.  I had no idea what a good vacuum was like.  I assumed that all vacuums were the same, but have since learned that they are not.  I knew there was a reason people raved about them.  I will never buy another cheapy vacuum.

A close second is Dilly Dally Bibbies, the bibs are just amazing, and very sweet too.

You have a huge number of subscribers to your blog!  Any advice to those who are looking to increase their readership?

I write a weekly column on my blog about blogging.  I was getting daily questions about how to start a review blog, and answered each one separate – very time consuming.  Now, I invite people to ask questions, and I answer them on my blog for everyone to read. My best advice, is to keep at it!  Things may seem slow at first, but soon enough, there won’t be enough time in the day to keep up.

What do you find to be the hardest thing about blogging? And the most rewarding?

The hardest thing I find about blogging is the technical side.  I do not know anything about programming, so I always have to rely on my husband to help me out.  He will be away for 5 weeks in the new year, so I hope I have no hiccups while he is away.

The most rewarding thing about blogging is all the wonderful people I have met along the way.  I love getting to know new people.  It’s also nice to see all the personal comments people write on my blog, or who take the time to write a personal email to me.  I get so many wonderful emails from my readers, and sponsors.

What do you like to do in your free time?

HAHA – Free time? I have a 1 year old, a job and a product review and giveaway site. I only blog at night when the baby is asleep, so during the weekends, my husband, the baby and I like to run around and shop, go for walks and spend time outside. If I do get a few minutes to myself, I like to read and take tub baths – especially in the wintertime.

Thank you to Lynette for sharing her story with us! Be sure to visit My Wee View to read about her view on lots of fun products.

If you have a blog and would like to possibly be featured here, please let us know by filling out the contact form above. We look forward to hearing from you!

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