Wappy Dog for Nintendo DS

Just when we thought we’ve seen everything a Nintendo DS could do, along comes Wappy Dog. Wappy Dog is a toy puppy that interacts with the player through the Nintendo DS system.

“Wappy Dog teaches young gamers to raise their very own puppy in both the real and virtual worlds and teach it cool tricks, play mini-games together and even converse! Each pet is a fully personalized experience, enabling players to customize both the in-game version and physical dog with different colors and accessories.”

The Wappy Dog toy runs on 3 AA batteries (included) and has an on/off switch under his chin. Just turn him on, insert the game cartridge into your Nintendo DS system and you’re ready to go. The interaction between toy and game performs better if they’re within 3 feet of each other but I found that it did work well even though I was about 10 feet away.

There are 2 different modes of play: Home Mode & Travel Mode.

Home Mode allows you to interact directly with your toy puppy. You can choose from a selection of commands/questions and see how Wappy responds. For example, you can ask, “Wappy are you hungry?” and he’ll respond by saying, “I couldn’t eat another bite” or “Give me a shortcake.” Although, I would have preferred something more along the lines of “Please may I have a shortcake.” He can also respond by barking, moving, and doing tricks. The more you play with your Wappy Dog the more things he’ll learn how to do as he grows from a puppy to an adult dog.

Travel Mode allows you to play the game without the physical toy puppy in front of you and will save and update your progress for the next time you’re in Home Mode. This is a great feature since it isn’t always feasible to bring Wappy along for the ride.

Travel Mode seems to have more games and activities available for the player. Here you can play with Wappy by blowing bubbles or throwing a ball and watch him run after them. You can also feed him by preparing different types of food like slicing a jelly roll, putting the filling into an eclair, or emptying cans of dog food onto a plate. There are also mini-games to play like catching falling fruit or a “whack-a-mole” type game. We really enjoyed that last one because we had to play against Wappy and he has some pretty fast paws.

In Travel Mode you can also change Wappy’s appearance, the room he’s in, and groom him to your heart’s content. Again, the more you interact with him the happier he’ll be which unlocks more games, appearance & room options, and play things.

After playing with Wappy for a few days he’s now 3 years old. The brochure says that eventually Wappy will learn how to dance and sing which we haven’t come to yet but that should be something cool to see! This game is perfect for any child who loves animals and taking care of them. The game is easy enough for Kiana (6) to play on her own yet cool enough for even Kacie (9) to be interested in it. Even I had a blast playing some of those mini-games.

I think Wappy Dog has made a breakthrough in taking the Nintendo DS a step further in interactive fun. I can see many more virtual pets making a physical appearance in our homes very soon.

Purchase your WAPPY DOG FOR NINTENDO DS at Amazon.com for $48.83.

This post was written for Activision who provided the complimentary product in exchange for our honest review.

Nanoblocks Eiffel Tower

If you have an older child who loves to build or even if you crave a little creative downtime for yourself, Nanoblock has the perfect solution.

Nanoblock is a mico-sized building block system with its smallest piece being a mere 4mm x 4mm x 5mm.  Challenging and fun for all the construction enthusiasts in the family, nanoblock lets you build in greater detail than ever before.

When we recently had the opportunity to review a set for ourselves I knew it would have to be something from their “Sites to See” Collection. Kacie (9) has dreams of traveling the world and any of these sets would be a great way to foster that love for exploration.

We eventually chose the Eiffel Tower which contained 200 pieces and kept her busy all afternoon long. She did say that some portions were challenging due to the tiny pieces. Too much pressure on the little blocks and it would fall apart. However, if you take it slowly rather than rushing through the process you’ll find that building these sets can actually be very relaxing. And when you’re done you’ll have a work of art (measured 3.125w x 4.75h x 3.125d) suitable for displaying.

What we really liked about the Nanoblock Effle Tower is all the intricate details . . . down to the tiny trees. Kacie loves the way it tured out and she has her tower proudly sitting on her bookshelf high out of the reach of her little sisters’ hands. Even I have to say I’m amazed at the way it turned out. Who knew that a set of blocks could create something so pretty!

This post was written for Nanoblocks who provided the complimentary product in exchange for our honest review.

National Geographic Challenge Wii

Most of the Wii games that my family owns are your typical action/adventure games. So when I got the opportunity to review National Geographic Challenge! for Wii, I was really excited for something new and different.  Here’s a bit about this game:

“Satisfy your curiosity and uncover the secrets of the most mysterious places on the planet. Play around the world, conquer regions through fast-paced quizzes. Watch out for enemies, defend your territories and foil your opponents! National Geographic Challenge! will lead you on an amazing exploration of videos and images from the National Geographic archive.”

This is a game that really is meant to be played with multiple players. If you’re on your own, you can only play the quiz mode. The quiz mode challenges you to answer questions about a region in the world, either North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa or Australia-Asia, or in Mega Quiz mode, questions about any of the regions. You can choose for the questions in your quiz level to be easy or hard, and you can also choose the number of questions that are presented to you.  The Quiz Mode has quiz questions, picture identification, puzzles and more.   I thought Quiz Mode was actually really educational, and I enjoyed brushing off the history/geography part of my brain and challenging myself with the questions. It was nice change from the usual games I play on the Wii.  Quiz Mode can also be played with multiple players.

The main part of the game, the Explorer Mode, requires at least two players. Up to four people can play, either sharing one remote or each with his/her own remote.  Explorer Mode is an electronic board game, where players answer questions and travel around the world in an attempt to capture territories and ultimately gain enough points to win.  Explorer Mode contains quiz questions, puzzles, mini-games, anagrams and more.

My husband and I attempted to play the Explorer Mode together, but while my husband is highly intelligent, our knowledge of history/geography is pretty lopsided, so we didn’t keep playing too long.  I do think the game has a lot to offer and would be a really fun game to play if players have a balanced knowledge.  I look forward to playing with others in the future- the next time my brother comes to visit, I’m definitely going to challenge him to a game!

Overall, I think National Geographic Challenge! is a nicely designed game with great graphics and video.  It’s rated E, for alcohol and tobacco reference (which I never did see in the game).  It’s not really a game that little ones can play, since you do need to be able to read the questions and also have a decent knowledge of history and geography. I’d say that for most families, it would probably best fit those around 10 years of age and above. It’s fun while also being highly educational, so it would be a great way to help your family learn while they play.

Purchase your copy of National Geographic Challenge at Amazon.com for $19.96.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this game to review for myself. All opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.

Carrie is a mom to two small kids (ages 4 and 2), who spends her days trying to keep her kids out of trouble, enjoying life in Seattle, and blogging at Growing My Kids Reviews.

BrainString Advance

Are you looking for a present that will keep your loved one entertained for hours at a time?  Then you should check out Brainstring Advanced.

What is Brainstring Advanced?  It is similar to a Rubik’s Cube.  You have to match up colored strings with little rubber tips on the end.  The point of the game is to get the colors all on one side without the strings touching.  It seems like an easy thing to do but really it is challenging.  You can see in the picture below that the strings are all mixed up.  (Thanks to my kids.)

The age recommendation for this is ages 8 and up.  My 8 year old and 5 year old both enjoyed playing this game.  Neither one of them has completed the game yet but they are very determined to finish it. I have yet to complete it myself.   It took my husband a good half hour to an hour to complete it.  We all love that this game is a challenge.  In the picture below it shows the game completed by my husband.

So if you are looking for a fun game that challenges your mind then you should check out Brainstring Advance.  It retails for $16.99 and can be purchased from many stores that can be found here.

*Note I was not paid for my review.  This my honest opinion of the product above.

 

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