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Favorite Things 2010: Gamer

November 29, 2010 · 2 comments

Over the next couple weeks I’ll be sharing my favorite things from 2010. These items weren’t necessarily new in 2010 but they were either new to me, extra awesome this year, or on my own holiday shopping list or wish list. The lists will be grouped by different personality traits I would use to describe myself so that you can use them as holiday gift inspiration as well.

Wii

I got my Wii in January this year and I am just obsessed with it.

  • Wii
  • Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
  • EA Sports Active 2
  • Super Mario Galaxy 2
  • Zelda Twilight Princess
  • Guitar Hero III
  • extra remotes and nunchuks so you can play with your friends and family
  • Energizer Flat Panel Induction Charger

Nintendo DS

Last week, my awesome new boyfriend who I found via eHarmony (but how much I’m in love with eHarmony is another story) asked me if I ever played Pokemon when I was little. I was like do you mean do I ever still play Pokemon because I’ve had my neon green Gameboy Color and Pokemon Red cartridge out all year. He’s semi-permanently lent me his extra Nintendo DS and a bunch of Pokemon stuff.

  • Nintendo DS (If I got my own, I’d pick Metallic Rose Lite)
  • Pokemon Pearl is what I’m currently playing
  • he also brought over Pokemon Heart Gold
  • and strategy guides

Playstation 3

The boyfriend just put his Wii on loan to my little sister because he’s asking for a Playstation 3 for Christmas. His family will be getting that for him while I pick up a game for him.

  • Playstation 3 320gb with Playstation Move Bundle
  • Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2

Computer Games

If you know me you know I’m into two types of computer games: Blizzard games and Sims games.

  • Cataclysm is almost here
  • World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King are cheap to get people caught up to Cataclysm
  • Starcraft II also came out this year, my boyfriend, brother, and sister are really into it but it’s not quite my style. I do love the cross game chat with WoW though.
  • The Sims 3 World Adventures and Ambitions expansion packs give The Sims 3 a role playing game twist
  • I’m also looking into Sim City 4  with the Rush Hour expansion pack after hearing rave reviews from my brother and my boyfriend

Arcade

The new boyfriend has also gotten me hooked on weekends at Dave & Busters to play Sega’s Derby Owners Club World Edition horse racing and breeding game. To be able to tell my Dave & Busters card apart from his, I stuck on a Mabel’s Labels sticker and he instantly wanted labels of his own so I’m getting him a pack too (I have the Colorful Sticky Labels with owls and I got him space ships and my sister horses). I know Mabel’s Labels look like they’re for kids but they’ve got tons of applications for adults like keeping duplicate cards separate and labeling your electronics and accessories so you know which cords go with your stuff and which cords don’t.

Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links.

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How to Make the Most of Your Wii… for Adults [Guest Post]

August 2, 2010 · 0 comments

This is a guest post from Corrie who is a stay at home mom to 2 energetic boys and the owner of “Cents”able Momma. She loves to help her readers save money on everything from video games to groceries, as well as offering frugal living tips, great deals, and methods to earn some extra money.

Last year, I saved my Swagbucks and traded them in for Amazon gift cards. Why? So we could purchase a Wii as a family present for Christmas.

We have 2 young boys (now 7 and 4), so we thought it would be fun to have a game system that we could all play. Honestly, our boys don’t really give my husband and I much of an opportunity to play alone (unless we sneak it in when they’re asleep). But, we have managed to have fun on the Wii too.

Exercise Games

Sometimes it’s a challenge to fit exercise into the routine, so I purchased both the Wii Fit Plus and EA Sports Active.

I like how the Wii Fit balance board is versatile. You can use it for workout as well as other games, such as snowboarding, etc. However, I struggle with the exercise routines being a little too easy. The Wii Fit seems to focus more on balance, and I don’t feel like I’ve really worked out when I’m done.

The EA Sports Active game has worked better for me, since I’m able to use the resistance band to work out my arms. Plus, I find the games a little more challenging physically. For example, in one game you are rollerblading. You have to crouch down to go faster and then jump up to get over the obstacles. It makes star jumps a little more fun than doing them on your own.

Before you purchase a workout game (and there are many out there), read the reviews and do your research on which game will work for you.

tiger woods golf for wiiGolf

My husband loves to play golf, but can’t get out in the winter months in Michigan. So, we purchased the Tiger Woods Golf game (I know…). Not only is it fun for my husband, but it’s a fun family game too. You can set the levels to accommodate varying skill sets… although my husband tells me that I always win because I set my skill set too low.

mario kart wiiFun Games

We also have Mario Kart and recently my 7 year old received Super Mario Brothers for his birthday. Of course, my boys love both games, but I’ve had fun playing them too.

When you play Mario Kart individually, the game unlocks additional courses, characters, and vehicles to ride as you win races, which keeps it interesting. One of my favorites, too, is playing other opponents via the internet. It’s fun to think that you’re racing against people all over the world. Plus, you can set it up that you can play your own personal friends with the internet connection.

Super Mario Brothers looks like a fun game too, but we’ve only had it for a week, and I’ve been given no access to it by the little gatekeepers at my house.

Netflix

Starting in April, we have also been able to use our Wii to stream Netflix to our TV. It’s really easy and free to get the Netflix disk for the Wii. Plus, we actually save $5/month on Netflix, because we reduced our plan from the $13.99 plan with 2 disks to the $8.99 plan with only 1 disk and unlimited streaming movies.

Although the streaming movies do not include many of the new releases, there are still some good movies and TV shows to be found. It’s easy to browse by category for instantly available movies and add them to your queue.

How do you use the Wii?

Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links.

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Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review

June 16, 2010 · 0 comments

Super Mario Galaxy 2 has been out for a couple weeks now and I’ve been playing and loving it.

The game is really well designed to take advantage of the Wii controller and teaches you the controls and moves you need to know as the levels progress. When you first enter the game it’s a classic side scroller but as soon as you’ve got the most basic controls down, it changes to 3d.

It’s the easiest Mario game I’ve played so far. Some people may not like that but I do. (I’m a bit frustrated with New Super Mario Bros because I still can’t get past world 2.) The point of the game is to collect Power Stars to power your spaceship and progress through the galaxy. For the most part the Power Stars are guarded by bosses that you need to strike three times to kill in the classic Mario fashion. I didn’t die for the first time until I encounter the first boss and then I was able to kill it on my second try. I also have yet to encounter any indication that the levels are timed which means I can be as “slow and steady” as I like and really explore the worlds (in other Mario games, many levels have to be completed in just a couple minutes or you automatically die).

I also love that each save game can be played with either one or two players. After playing with a 2nd player for the first time, my immediate thought was “this is the perfect 1.5 player game”. Player 1 plays as Mario and would be the owner of the save game but a player two can jump in at any point as a “co-star”. The co-star is a little red star that follows behind Mario. Player 2 doesn’t have to worry about walking around and keeping up with Mario and not dying. Player 2 points their Wii remote at the screen to collect things like star bits (which distinctly remind me of Rainbow Brite), coins, and 1 ups. Player 2 can also shoot the star bits back at enemies or shock and paralyze them. Player 2 can’t progress the game but they can be very helpful. And Player 1 can continue on with their save game at anytime without having to have someone else there to play as their co-star.

If you’re looking for an easy and fun epic adventure through the galaxy, then Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the perfect game for you.

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Link Love: Super Mario Cake, Spying, and more

April 9, 2010 · 4 comments

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