Wizarding With Harry Potter

The Interactive Harry Potter Game for the XBox 360 Kinect

The all-new Harry Potter for Kinect video game exclusively on KINECT™ for Xbox 360® from Warner Bros allows players to experience Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the wizarding world like never before!  Through the innovative KINECT capability, each player can scan their face to create a wizard avatar in their likeness – and then play as their avatar in the game. Using controller-free and voice recognition technology available only on KINECT, players will attend Hogwarts, interact with professors, students and friends, call out spells to cast against opponents, brew potions, and even fly as they race on broomsticks to be the first to catch the Golden Snitch in a Quidditch match.

GAME FEATURES:

• For the first time, create a witch or wizard character in your likeness that will become part of the gameplay through KINECT’s scanning technology.
• Experience unforgettable moments from all eight films -- from having your wand choose you at Ollivanders and being Sorted as a first-year student at Hogwarts, to battling You-Know-Who in a climactic wizard battle.
• Cast spells at your opponents by performing the proper casting manoeuvres and calling out spell names using KINECT’s controller-free and voice recognition capabilities.
• Hone your casting, brewing and duelling skills (among others) in class to unlock even more lessons and challenge
• Challenge a friend in competitive mini-games, or join forces against a mutual opponent in co-op games.
• Jump, duck and dodge the wild branches of the Whomping Willow, swipe at annoying and sometimes dangerous pixies, repel terrifying Dementors, swim among Grindylows in the lake, and shove opponents out of the way as you soar above the Quidditch Pitch.

We were sent a copy to play and the children have been transforming themselves into wizards waving their wands and shouting out spells as they immerse themselves into the magical world of Hogwarts.  The animation is quite realistic (even a little bit scary in parts which justifies it being a PEGI 12) and is very true to the imagery of the films.

The game incorporates all eight of the films, so you can recreate your favourite magical moment from the entire Harry Potter series.  There are competitive mini-games to play and you can join forces in the co-op multiplay mode to help each other out of tricky moments.  The game includes all the main characters including the terrifying Voldemort a.k.a. He Who Must Not Be Named, who you meet in a climactic showdown.  Scary stuff!

The real fun of this game is the fact you can create your avatar in your own (similar) likeness which heralds the beginning of an exciting technological breakthrough in gaming.  The use of voice recognition is also a great addition with huge potential for the future.  I look forward to seeing where this technology takes us next!

This is a must have for Potter fans who will enjoy immersing themselves in the magical world of wizardry.  It is not designed for younger children, which is a shame as little ones would love to see themselves on screen with Harry Potter.  But older kids will thoroughly enjoy this innovative game.  The Quidditch game is proving very popular with my children, bringing Hogwart's favourite sport straight to our living room.

Available now at Amazon.co.uk and other good stockists.

Just Dance 4 Review

Here it is!  The latest installment of the hit dancing franchise, Just Dance 4! Featuring over 40 top hits from some of the coolest artists (Elvis Presley anyone??), it takes the party to a whole new level of fun!

We were sent a copy, along with my very own personalised Just Dance 4 T-shirt, so we could get up and moving to this much anticipated game.

The play list is excellent with hits spanning the decades:

Artist Name                                Song Name

2 Unlimited                                   Tribal Dance

A.K.A                                          Hot For Me

Alexandra Stan                             Mr. Saxobeat

Anja                                             Crazy Little Thing

Army Of Lovers                           Crucified

Barry White                                 You're The First, The Last, My Everything

Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes     (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life

Blu Cantrell                                  Hit' Em Up Style (Oops!)

Boys Town Gang                         Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Bunny Beatz                                 Make The Party (Don't Stop)

Carly Rae Jepsen                         Call Me Maybe

Dancing Bros.                              Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

Elvis Presley                                Jailhouse Rock

Emma   Cercavo                          Amore

Europe                                        The Final Countdown

Flo Rida                                      Good Feeling

Halloween Thrills                         Time Warp

Hit The Electro Beat                    We No Speak Americano

Jennifer Lopez ft Pitbull                On The Floor

Justin Bieber ft Nicki Minaj          Beauty and a Beat

Kat DeLuna ft Busta Rhymes       Run The Show

Las Ketchup                                Asereje (The Ketchup Song)

Marina and The Diamonds           Oh No!

Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera    Moves Like Jagger

Nelly Furtado                              Maneater

Nicki Minaj                                 Super Bass

One Direction                             What Makes You Beautiful

P!nk                                           So What

Panjabi MC                                Beware Of The Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke)

Rick Astley                                Never Gonna Give You Up

Ricky Martin                              Livin' La Vida Loca

Rihanna                                      Disturbia

Rihanna Ft. JAY-Z                     Umbrella

Sammy                                       Some Catchin' Up To Do

Selena Gomez and the Scene      Love You Like A Love Song

The Black Eyed Peas                  Mas Que Nada

Skrillex                                       Rock N' Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain)

Stefanie Heinzmann                     Diggin' In The Dirt

Stevie Wonder                            Superstition

The B-52's                                  Rock Lobster

The Blackout Allstars                  I Like It

The Girly Team                           Oops!... I Did It Again

They Might Be Giants                 Istanbul

Will Smith                                  Wild Wild West

There really is something for everyone and extra hits can be added from the in-game shop.  Gangnam Style is available to buy which is very tempting!  Shame it isn't on the original playlist though.

There is a host of innovative modes to choose from, so you can play in the way that works best for you:

•  Just Dance-Off! Challenge your friends in 6 rounds of dance battles with the all-new Battle mode! Go head to head dancing to unique choreographies and music so you can be crowned the dance battle champion!
• Bring Your Crew: With songs that feature 4 player dance routines, it’s your time to shine! Each player can get their own moment of fame with unique choreographies and moves for each member of your dance crew.
• Just Sweat It Out: The popular Just Sweat mode gets a major upgrade with brand new workout sessions, personalised programs, and an actual calorie counter. Stay fit, and have fun playing Just Dance!  Perfect for wearing off all those mince pies on Christmas Day!
• Alternative Choreographies: Unlock alternative choreographies for your favourite tracks including ultra-challenging and outlandish routines.
• Dance Quests: Find and win up to 6 challenges per song and unlock more rewards.
• Dancer Card: Create and personalise your own dancer card to check out all your awesome dance stats (e.g., favourite tracks, best scores, and challenges).
• Just Can’t Get Enough: Just Dance 4 still has everyone’s favourite modes like Duet Mode and Dance Mash-up Mode with 45+ mash-up choreographies, and more!

The game itself is colourful and entertaining, as you dance along with the avatar on screen, being scored on your dance moves.  

As with the other Just Dance games, my girls love it.  They really approve of many of the songs such as Maroon Five's 'Moves Like Jagger' which is their favourite.  I love watching them get up and dance together. It really can be quite a vigorous work out with some fancy moves to challenge players.  It's a really fun way to get fit!  They enjoy the mode where they dance together with their own moves, allowing them both a chance to take centre stage and shine.

The only negative with this game is that it is difficult to control.  Selecting songs using the Kinect leads to some frustration as it is very hard to scroll to the one you want.  Once picked it is fine, but the navigation is a bit tricky.

Just Dance 4 is available for Wii, XBox and PS3 now. You can buy it from all good game stockists.  The XBox version is currently £27.99 at Amazon.  It's a great idea for Christmas that will definitely get the family up and dancing.

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!

Once Upon a Monster

We have just invested in a new XBox 360 with Kinect.  We have a Wii and a PS3 with Move but the fact that you need a controller to play the interactive games spells disaster.  When wielded in the hands of a toddler, we live in fear of our TV getting a remote thrust through it!  Having a Kinect means our toddler Freddy can play by using his body, which is much easier for him...and safer for our TV!

We were sent Once Upon A Monster to try out.  Playing a Sesame Street game means you are instantly familiar with the characters.  Freddy loves Elmo and the Cookie Monster so we were onto a winner from the start in that respect.  He was transfixed from the introductory film!

The game is like jumping into a storybook adventure.  You play with Sesame Street characters along with friendly new monsters as you embark on an exciting journey of discovery, learning and fun.  You get to jump, dance, fly, sing and move with controller free action which makes the game accessible to even the youngest of players.  There are six enchanting chapters to explore teaching important life lessons along the way.

As you befriend and help out other characters, children learn about co-operation, empathy, friendship, sharing and teamwork.  It's all very subtle but young children respond to the intuitive prompts and thoroughly enjoy helping out their new on screen friends.  It is nice to see a game that encourages social and emotional development in such a fun way.  It also gets the kids up and moving as they engage in activities such as Monkey See Monkey Do, playing musical instruments, flying or negotiating obstacle courses.

The game can be played with one or two players and has a co-op drop in/out feature allowing a parent to step in to help at any time, if the child gets stuck on a game.  This is great to avoid frustration and keeps the gameplay flowing.

The disco dancing was my favourite level and it got us up and bopping with the monsters at their party.  It really is a hugely entertaining game for all the family.  You literally become part of a whimsical, living storybook where you interact with zany monsters and take part in a broad spectrum of fun activities.  What is not to love!!

9 year old Kizzy said it was really fun. It was challenging enough to keep her engaged.  She loved the animation, the humour and the laid back vibe of the game.  Freddy was happy to let Daddy help him out and was literally riveted to the screen as he watched Elmo and the other monsters.

Catching garbage with the Grouch!

Daddy helps Freddy.

I think this game has been really well designed to have mass appeal.  Children love it, parents do too. The mix of physical, social and emotional development is quite unique and definitely a good use of the technology available.  I hope more games like this will be developed that are so positive and educational for little ones.  I can't praise this enough as a game for the children, where parents can join in and share the adventure.

For more information check out the official website at http://www.onceuponamonstergame.com/