Just Dance 2014

Just in time for Christmas, here is the latest installment of the number one selling dance game brand, Just Dance 2014.  With 47 tracks featuring some of the hottest new hits alongside some classic golden oldies, there really is something for everyone.  With genres from pop to funk to R & B to hip hop, there is plenty of choice when it comes to picking a tune to bust your moves to.  It's great to see a game which gets the whole family getting up out of their chairs and being active together.

There are a host of new features on Just Dance 2014 to maximize the play experience.

World Dance Floor:  Dance with anyone anywhere in the world in Just Dance’s first-ever online multiplayer mode. Players join a virtual crew and compete against each other and track their standing on global leader boards.

On Stage Mode:  Own the spotlight in this new mode where one player takes centre stage leading two back-up dancers and singing along to the track! 

Evolved Sweat Mode:  Players can personalize their Just Sweat workouts by creating custom playlists and tracking calories. There’s also a new option that will allow the players, in all gameplay modes to track calories/time spent dancing/number of songs played.  Perfect to help us all keep fit!

More Dances Per Track:  Find alternate choreography across all modes including Just Sweat, Extreme, Battle and Mash-Up to keep it fresh and bring variety to the game.

Tracklist

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) – ABBA

The Way – Ariana Grande Ft. Mac Miller

Could You Be Loved – Bob Marley

Isidora – Bog Bog Orkestar

Fine China – Chris Brown

Limbo – Daddy Yankee

Get Lucky – Daft Punk Ft. Pharrell Williams

Moskau – Dancing Bros.

She Wolf (Falling To Pieces) – David Guetta Ft. Sia

Prince Ali – Disney’s Aladdin

It’s You – Duck Sauce

Turn Up The Love – Far East Movement Ft. Cover Drive

Alfonso Signorini (Eroe Nazionale) – Fedez

The Love Boat – Frankie Bostello

Careless Whisper – George Michael

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

Rich Girl – Gwen Stefani Ft. Eve

Feel So Right – Imposs Ft. Konshens

Wild – Jessie J Ft. Big Sean

I Kissed A Girl – Katy Perry

C’mon – Ke$ha

Applause – Lady Gaga

Just Dance – Lady Gaga Ft. Colby O’Donis

Just A Gigolo – Louis Prima

Blame It On The Boogie – Mick Jackson

In The Summertime – Mungo Jerry

Pound The Alarm – Nicki Minaj

Starships – Nicki Minaj

Troublemaker – Olly Murs Ft. Flo Rida

Kiss You – One Direction

Feel This Moment – Pitbull Ft. Christina Aguilera

Gentleman – PSY

Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.

Maria – Ricky Martin

Where Have You Been – Rihanna

Candy – Robbie Williams

Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke Ft. Pharrell

99 Luftballons – Rutschen Planeten

Miss Understood – Sammie

Nitro Bot – Sentai Express

Danse (Pop version) – TAL

Flashdance…What A Feeling – The Girly Team

Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In – The Sunlight Shakers

Y.M.C.A. – Village People

#thatPOWER – will.i.am Ft. Justin Bieber

Follow The Leader – Wisin & Yandel Ft. Jennifer Lopez

We were sent a Wii disc to try out and I set my Tiny Tester Team to work, putting the game through its paces.  Blurred Lines and PSY's Gentleman were quickly the front runners for favourite songs to dance to!  They were impressed with the sensitivity of the controllers and found that even during interactions with other players, the connection with the game was uninterrupted.

The dance routines are really good with lots of good moves and the songs are really varied.  The kids really love this game and agree it's the best one yet!

Available for Wii, PS3, XBox 360, Wii U, XBox One and PS4 priced from £23.99 to £34.99.

The Croods on Wii

The Croods: Prehistoric Party! features the lovable Croods family – Grug, Ugga, Eep, Thunk, Sandy, Gran and Guy – on an adventure through 30 unique party-style mini-games. Explore spectacular landscapes in an incredible new world filled with never-before-seen creatures as you battle your friends and family in this awesome adventure with up to four-player multiplayer for Nintendo Wii.

We were sent a copy to try out.  The game itself is played like a board game with mini games which can be chosen when a character lands on a certain square.  The games are  a lot of fun and are based on moments from the film such as feeding the Land Whales,  riding on corn, cave painting and exploring sea shells.  There are extra boards which can be unlocked providing additional content.

You can play as your favourite character - Gran was a favourite with us!  The game is fun to play and the characters are very true to the film.  Gameplay is simple and the mini games keeps the kids entertained in short doses.  I found it quite hard to win the games against the computer controlled characters, but I am a hopeless gamer.  It was still fun to play though, even though I constantly came last.  The graphics are typical for a Wii game and we enjoyed the party format, especially good when playing with mixed ages and abilities.

The Croods: Prehistoric Party! is available to buy now.  (It is just £16.99 on Amazon.)

Monster High Skultimate Roller Maze

On Your Mark, Get Set, SCREAM!

My daughter Kizzy loves Monster High and was very excited to find out that the cutest monsters are now the stars of their own video game:  Monster High Skultimate Roller Maze available for the Nintendo Wii or DS.

It’s time to lace up your skates and get ready to race! Pick your favorite Monster High character and assemble a team of friends and fiends as you skate your way through the crypts of Monster High. Collect power-ups, avoid monstrous obstacles in your path, scream past the competition and use each character’s special ability to win the race and bring home the victory! 

Kizzy took to the game (as soon as she worked out what buttons to press) and was soon winning races as her team of girls (or should that say ghouls) skated to victory using their special powers.  Each character has their own abilities such as the ability to grow wings and fly or ride a tidal wave.  They can also try to sabotage other racers' efforts by blasting them with flying books or leaving a man eating coffin in their path. Whilst racing round, players have to pick up coins and skate through bat filled coffins to fill their power bar. When filled, the character reaches full power and their special abilities can be unleashed.

The game controlled quite easily once Kizzy got the hang of it and stopped crashing into the walls!  She quickly got the hang of it and really enjoyed taking on the other monsters.  There was plenty of trash talking dialogue between competitors done using subtitles.  Kizzy soon found her favourite characters, Frankie Stein, Lagoona Blue and Draculaura and went on to victory!

The game play is simple and a little limited with just a few different tracks but you can mix things up by switching between the four play modes and using different characters to make up your team.  You can use strategy to use the best skaters as different situations arise.  There are also three difficulty settings and unlockable characters to get the most out of the game.  It is a great game for Monster High fans who want an enjoyable and entertaining game to play with their friends.

I love the message that being unique and being yourself is a good thing.  It is good teamwork, as you choose your team mates, that leads to victory.  It is a cute, girlie game for ages 7+ which is fun and simple to get to grips with.

It is available to buy now from stockists such as Amazon.

Everyone Sing Review

We love a good sing-a-long in our house.  So games that feature music always become firm favourites.  My girls enjoy grabbing the mics and singing their hearts out together, which is something that I really enjoy witnessing!

Their latest game is Everyone Sing on the XBox which we've been sent to try out.  Compatible with up to four microphones, it allows up to four players to sing together in this first multi-format singing game.  Every single one of the thirty-five hit songs in Everyone Sing has multiplayer options, which means that the more confident singers can sing as the “lead” and less confident singers can be their backing singers. Each song has a version for 2, 3 and 4 players, so you can adapt how you will sing it and no-one will be left out. With multiple party modes including Pass the Bomb, Group Mode, Know Your Song and more, you can truly have the perfect party night in with your friends and family. 

Featuring 35 hit tracks including:

• Nicki Minaj - Your Love
• The Wanted - All Time Low
• Nicole Scherzinger - Poison
• Jessie J - Nobody’s Perfect
• Michael Bublé - Haven’t Met You Yet
• The Noisettes - Don’t Upset the Rhythm
• Dusty Springfield - I Only Want to Be With You
• Taio Cruz - Come on Girl
• CeCe Peniston - Finally
• Rizzle Kicks - Down With the Trumpets
• The Saturdays - Ego
• Gina G - Ooh Ahh… Just a Little Bit
• Pussycat Dolls – Don’t Cha
• Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart
• A-Ha – Take on Me
• Girls Alound - The Promise
• Marina & the Diamonds - Hollywood
• Example - Kickstarts
• Lionel Richie - All Night Long (All Night)
• Boyzone - Picture of You
• Kate Nash - Do-Wah-Doo
• Black Kids - I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance

The selection of songs on the game are quite diverse with some golden oldies alongside some modern hits.  The kids really love the selection, most of which include the song's video to sing along to.  The scoring system is accurate with your notes recorded on screen.  The system for picking who is playing and what part they are singing was a bit complicated at first (as we didn't have any instruction booklet with the test disc) but  the girls worked out what to do and played away happily together, taking turns as the lead singer.  Once a song is completed you get a percentage score which lead to some healthy competition between the girls.

This game is a PEGI 12 due to some of the song lyrics being explicit (what do you expect from Nicki Minaj!)  But I had no problem with Kizzy playing it and didn't hear anything particularly inappropriate.

Everyone Sing is avaialble now from game stockists such as Amazon and Play for the Wii, XBox 360 and PS3.

Just Dance - Disney Party

My children love dance games and they also love Disney, so the release of Just Dance - Disney Party from Ubisoft on the Wii is the perfect combination for them.  Featuring songs from much beloved Disney movies and from favourite Disney Channel TV shows, the whole family can dance along together.  We were sent a copy to try out.

The kid-friendly gameplay is suitable for even the youngest child, and Freddy who is 3 absolutely loved dancing to the familiar songs.  The talented youngsters on screen lead the way, as players copy their moves to score points.  The choreography is fun and the backgrounds taken from the shows or films are colourful and appealing.

Key Features

• 25 songs including hits from Disney Channel’s hottest shows and songs from beloved Disney Movie Classics.
  • Enjoy songs from the most popular Disney Channel shows: Shake It Up, Hannah Montana, A.N.T. Farm, Jessie, Wizards of Waverly Place, Camp Rock, Phineas and Ferb, High School Musical and Good Luck Charlie.
  • And hits from the Disney Movie classics that the whole family know and love: Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Tangled, Aristocats, Mary Poppins, Lilo & Stitch, Tinker Bell, Enchanted, The Muppets and Bolt.
• Brand new choreographies including all new duets.
• Disney universe brought to life with immersive visual effects and environments from the TV shows and movies while you are dancing.
• Family Fun and Party Fun
• Parents Corner

We love the selection of songs as it features some theme tunes from current favourite shows like Good Luck Charlie, as well as some good old classics such as The Bear Necessities and Everybody Wants To Be A Cat.  Having the Disney backgrounds to the dances is a really nice feature, immersing my little dancers into the wonderful world of Disney! It's such a familiar and comforting theme making the children instantly drawn to the game.

The choreography is not too complicated and is always full of fun moves that the kids love doing.  I really like the lyrics appearing onscreen allowing a sing-a-long element to the game in addition to the dancing.  My only reservation is that I'm not sure if I particularly like the onscreen, dancing real life children as much as the computer generated avatars in the adult versions of Just Dance games, but they are very smiley and friendly looking, and Freddy liked them and could relate to them.

There is a parental section where you can custom playlists, monitor usage and even set up a non-stop shuffle mode to keep the kids dancing without having to keep manually picking tracks for them.  It's a very useful tool if you want your little ones kept occupied for a while to let you get on with something uninterrupted!  It's great to get the little ones up and active and having fun.

The game, which has a PEGI of 3, is available now on Wii and XBox 360 Kinect at stockists such as Amazon and Play.  It will be a great Christmas gift for the little ones and will allow the whole family to indulge in some after-dinner Disney dancing!  A perfect way to wear off the Christmas Pud!!

We Sing 80s

I was a teenager in the eighties and so this era holds a very special place in my heart.  So when I was sent a copy of We Sing 80s, the latest title in the UK's no 1 Wii singing franchise, I was pretty excited about belting out some of my favourite tracks!  With artists such as Spandau Ballet, The Human League and Simple Minds featured on the playlist, I was ready to get into the groove and recapture this fantastic decade of my youth!

Features of the game include:

• 30 unforgettable 80s hits!
• Four mics, four singers together!
• Iconic 80s tracks, including 21 worldwide No.1 hits!
• Solo, Party and Karaoke modes
• Eight Multiplayer modes
• Original artists and videos included
• Singing Lessons
• Replay your performance
• Rap Scoring / Star Notes
• Jukebox / In-game Awards
• Easy, Medium or Hard modes

As with all the We Sing games, I love how they get everyone up and singing, they really do create such a fun, party atmosphere.  Four people can sing at once, so there is no need to feel shy!  The scoring is clear on screen.  The range of songs on We Sing 80s means that everyone instantly knows a few of the songs.  Even my 10 year old was able to join in straight away with the chart topping hits and very quickly 3 year old Freddy began singing along to a few of the catchy choruses.  I love that the original videos play on the game which was a big dose of nostalgia for me!!  The karaoke mode allows you to sing without the original vocals so you can practice your party piece and feel like a real pro!

Tracklist:

Kylie Minogue - I Should Be So Lucky

Roxette - The Look

Spandau Ballet - True

Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie

DeBarge - Rhythm of the Night

Smokey Robinson - Being with You

Yazz and the Plastic Population - The Only Way Is Up

Cyndi Lauper - True Colors

Tears For Fears - Shout

Yazoo - Only You

Lisa Stansfield - All Around the World

Paula Abdul - Straight Up

Simple Minds - Alive and Kicking

Baltimora - Tarzan Boy

Toto - Africa

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power Of Love

Starship - Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now

The Human League - Don’t You Want Me

Sade - Smooth Operator

Lionel Richie - All Night Long (All Night)

Cameo - Word Up!

Queen - I Want to Break Free

Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen

Duran Duran - Rio

Tiffany - I Think We’re Alone Now

Blondie - The Tide Is High

Sabrina - Boys (Summertime Love)

Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me

The Bangles - Eternal Flame

T’Pau - China in Your Hand

I love the selection of songs and it includes some real favourites from the era.  We Sing 80s is perfect for parties or for families or for those moments when you fancy a solo sing-song.

We Sing 80s is out now to buy from retailers such as Amazon.  (Playing requires the use of compatible microphones.)

Disney Princess - My Fairytale Adventure

My children love Disney.  Disney toys, Disney DVDs, Disney board games, Disney clothing, Disney mugs...you name it, we have it.  So adding the new Nintendo 3DS Disney Princess - My Fairytale Adventure game to our Disney collection made my children incredibly happy.

The game, that was launched earlier this month, is available for the Wii, 3DS and Windows PC/Mac.  It is an interactive game that immerses players into the enchanted worlds of Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Tiana and gives them the power to wield a magic wand and save the day!  We were sent a copy to try out.

Players take the role of an apprentice to the fairy godmother.  The apprentice can be customized to look exactly how you want her, my children made one with long pink hair!  She has accidentally set off a series of events that have caused friendly sprites to transform into mischievous imps who need to be rounded up and transformed back into their original form.  The chaotic imps have made their way into the worlds of the Princesses and they need to be found before they can cause any harm.  The apprentice has to use her magic wand to cast her own brand of sparkly magic to return them back in their original form to the Magic Kingdom.

Each of the Princess's worlds include quests, mini-games, platforming and puzzles.  Freddy who is three was able to enjoy some of the challenges independently before passing the 3DS to his older siblings to take on the trickier bits!  Along the way you get to meet and interact with other Disney characters who help guide you through the missions.  We loved meeting Flounder in Ariel's underwater world which is our favourite level.

As well as the main game, players can collect gems to trade for items in the wishing well store.  The room in the Fairy Godmother's castle and the apprentice avatar can be personalised with items purchased.  There is also a secret garden which can be tended to make the flowers bloom using the special tools.  This kept Freddy occupied for some time as he fed and watered his flower.  These extra bits really added to the gameplay allowing young children to get creative and design things just how they want them to look.

The game is a real treat for Disney fans with its lovely locations based on each of the Princess's films.  The scenery and the characters are enchanting and it is great to immerse yourself in the world of Disney.  The gameplay is very intuitive and includes elements that are designed for younger players alongside more challenging aspects for older players.  This makes it ideal as an interactive game for all the family to enjoy together.

Rated PEGI 3+ Disney Princess - My Fairytale Adventure is now available to buy from good games  retailers such as Amazon, for the Wii, 3DS and PC/Mac.

Mario Party 9 Review

Mario Party 9 on the Nintendo Wii...Fun for all the Family!

The ninth instalment of the Mario Party gaming series for the Nintendo Wii is now available.  The colourful characters and lush Mushroom Kingdom landscapes provide the perfect setting for some fabulous family fun.

In a change from its predecessors, Mario Party 9 has opportunities for teamwork as the characters travel around the playing board together in a vehicle collecting mini-stars, each taking turns to captain the team.  You can compete in eighty Mini-Games, many of which are suitable for younger players allowing them to join in the fun and keeping the party atmosphere going for everyone.  Everyone unites against the bosses who are Bowser's minions who are trying to steal the stars.  This common goal makes for a much more relaxed gaming atmosphere which is more family friendly.  There is no cut-throat competitiveness which is something that I really liked. The characters' animations and antics really are quite adorable and kept the kids entertained.  

There is a solo mode on this game, but the real joy of it is the party mode which is for up to four players.  The mix of co-operation and competition is just right for keeping the atmosphere relaxed and fun for everyone.  And as many games are purely down to chance, the playing field is levelled for younger children to participate in.

We were sent the game to try out along with ideas to have a real 'Mario Party' Party!  The Super Mario hat was a big hit!  

Daddy, Ella and Kizzy joined forces in the whimsical adventures of Mario, Toad, Daisy, Peach, Koopa and friends as they journeyed across the boards, battled Bowser and competed in fun mini-games.  Freddy joined in too by cheering them on and wearing Mario's hat.  He loved the characters and the iconic Mario soundtrack to the game.

It really was a lot of fun.  Kizzy said "Some of the mini games are a bit tricky, but it is really fun and a lot of laughs!"

Ella did rather well in a lot of the games.  She enjoyed it better than Mario Party 8 and enjoyed playing with her younger siblings.  She is quite a gamer and had a solo game against the computer, which she enjoyed winning!

Ian enjoyed the family fun element of the game.  It made a nice change from his usual shoot 'em up genre of gaming and he said it was "a bit of fun, great to play with the kids!"

Mario Party 9 was definitely great fun for the family and good for mixed aged and ability players. Removing some of the more cut-throat elements and incorporating team work into the gameplay is definitely a step in the right direction for our family, but might make this game a bit too 'gentle' for more ardent gamers!

It is available to purchase for the Nintendo Wii now.

We Sing Pop!

Everyone loves to sing.  Whether you sing in the shower or use your hairbrush as a microphone, deep down inside us all, there is a Lady Gaga bursting to get out!

There is a brand new title available for the Nintendo Wii in the karaoke style gaming genre, We Sing Pop by Nordic Games.  Featuring a host of  top tunes accompanied by the official pop videos, the latest offering from the We Sing franchise will appeal to the MTV generation and wannabe X Factor finalists alike.

The track listing boasts classics from pop icons such as Hanson, Cher and Wham alongside modern greats by Adele, Lady Gaga and Jessie J.  With 23 UK number ones covering six decades of music, everyone will find a favourite to perform to. 

We Sing Pop is compatible with up to 4 Logitech USB microphones meaning the game can be enjoyed by both individuals or groups.  You can sing solos, duets or play in one of eight multi-player party modes. You can play together or competitively against your friends.  Expert and Blind modes add further difficulty levels to keep you challenged.  You can add effects to your voice, practice your skills and replay performances which adds to the entertainment!  The jukebox mode allows you to watch the videos themselves which is a nice feature of the game for music lovers to enjoy.

Points are scored by hitting the right notes in the right rhythm.  Bonus points can be won by hitting star notes.

We were really impressed that this game included the full pop videos of the songs which really added an extra dimension to our enjoyment.  The playlist was great.  There were no songs that we didn't know which is a real positive element.  We could (between us) sing our way through all thirty tracks.  The game puts you centre stage in your own pop party. The scoring is sensitive which created a good competitive atmosphere.  There are three difficulty settings so the whole family can tailor the game to suit their own level.  You can even play it in a pure and simple Real Karaoke mode for times when we feel like singing along without the pressure to perform!  The game is compatible with the mics from other singing Wii games such as Rock Band, so you don't need to buy new ones for each game you buy.

I felt like a diva belting out 'Bad Romance' and enjoyed duetting on Cher's 'I Got You Babe'.  The kids rapped to 'Ice, Ice Baby' and Ian crooned to 'Love Is All Around' .  This game has real family appeal and will keep everyone entertained and spending some quality fun time together!

We Sing Pop from Nordic Games is available as a stand alone game of in a bundle with microphones.  The game plus four mics has an RRP of £49.99.  The standard edition game is currently £24.32 at Amazon.

Just Dance Kids

Since we've got ourselves an XBox Kinect we have been far more active as a family, jumping around in front of our TV and having fun!  What I really love is how 2 year old Freddy can join in with us without us worrying about him flinging an expensive controller across the room...or worse still through the TV!  He has got the idea of what he needs to do to play the games and his favourite genre is definitely Dance games, but they can be quite tricky to follow.

It is good to see Ubisoft coming up with a Dance Game that is aimed specifically at young children and their love of dancing.  Some of the adult games have complicated choreography that a child may struggle to do (heck...I struggle to do some of the moves!!)  So Just Dance Kids is a game designed just for them!

Featuring fun and simple routines with colourful backgrounds, children can dance along to pop hits, tunes from their favourite TV shows and classic nursery songs.  The moves are safe and easy, designed with kids in mind.  The game itself is simple to navigate with easy to use icons.  Kids get to dance along with fellow children on screen which is a cute touch.  A parent's section allows grown ups to choose the playlist and keep check on their child's progress, if they want to keep tabs on what their child is doing.  (Personally I prefer to join in too!!)

Just Dance Kids is available for XBox Kinect, PS3 Move and Wii.  The XBox allows 2 players head to head or in co-op mode, Move and Wii allow up to 4 players if you have enough controllers!

The whole family can join in and boogie to 40 favourite tunes such as Whip My Hair by Willow Smith,  Accidentally in Love from The Shrek movie, Jingle Bells, Jump Up! from The Imagination Movers and Song 2 by Blur!  It's a mixed bag of music that will appeal to kids of all ages as they strut their funky stuff!  It is very current and relevant to youngsters' tastes.

Kids can have fun and get exercise while playing on their favourite games consoles.  No more couch potato kids!  I applaud Ubisoft for creating a game that will get this younger generation up and moving from a very young age, rather than playing on a sedentary game.  It also teaches them a few moves to impress their mates at the school disco!

Just Dance Kids is available to buy at Amazon currently for £22.49 on Wii and Kinect and £37.39 on PS3.  Perfect as a Christmas present for a little one which will provide hours of fun!