Disney Infinity 2.0

I can’t wait to be able to play Disney Infinity 2.0. The reason I haven’t as of yet is a lack of funds. And that is the inherent problem. I enjoyed playing through the story levels and toy box mode of the first iteration, and I enjoyed the idea of fighting to collect all the unique figures to play, but my wallet didn’t – nor did my wife.

I think that, for the most part, the wives and mothers, or the husbands, and fathers, as the case may be, have put a tighter grip on the purse-string this time around, I know my wife has. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since it gives me more time to think through my purchases. It’s a neat game to play, but it can be seen as a money pit and until I can find a compelling argument to convince myself and my wife that sinking a small fortune into one game is worth it, I won’t be able to play as the Marvel heroes and villains this version has added.

-          Whalicoco

Minecraft : Mutliverse

The ever-changing landscape of what is Minecraft is, in and of itself a model of the theory of the multiverse. The PC version has a seemingly unending supply of mods and skins to change the world in any number of ways from a minor change to tweak the inventory screen, to a vast overhaul enabling totally new crafting and gameplay.

It is fun looking for changes that allow the addition of your favorite things into your Minecraft world. Want Pokémon? They’re there. Looking for Super Mario? He’s there, too. Just want to simply change your avatar to look like Link from Zelda? You can do it . . . in fact I did.

The greatest thing, in my opinion, is that this has been pulled over – to a limited extent- to the console versions. I can get on my Xbox 360 and, for a nominal fee; I can combine my Minecraft world with Mass Effect, or Skyrim. The “Mashups” as they’re called, change the textures of the blocks to simulate the esthetics of the other games. Also, included are prebuilt images from them. This allows for an immersion into mashed up “alternate reality crafts” that you can let your imagination run wild in. Included with the mashups are sets of skins to make the experience more complete. Why build a Mass Effect world without the ability to run around as Shepard? These skins extend to simple sets that are released periodically, including: Marvel properties like The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Spiderman; simple villagers, cooks, kings; and various random games from the Xbox Arcade and more.

The excitement of squishing together your favorite things with your favorite game is difficult to beat, especially when Dr. Who skins were released late in September, and if it can be beaten, hey – all the more fun for me.

                                                                                                - Whalicoco

Go outside/inside and play!

It's summer time and parents everywhere are directing their kids to turn off their consoles, drop the controllers, and head outside to get some fresh air, sunshine, sunburns, cuts/scrapes, and bug bites.

But what if you kid wants to stay indoors and play video games*? 

There's a lot of pressure on parents to treat video games a unhealthy pastimes that rot the brain and the body. As a viral post went around social media recently said "Kids need less Xboxes and more tackle boxes!". Public Service Announcements blame too much screen time for a host of social ills and medical journals now say  and sitting too long is almost as bad a smoking.

So what's a parent to do?

Simple- Get the kids up an moving! Help them learn that while the fantastical worlds that games transport us to are nice, we have to live in this one which can also be filled with wonder and excitement. Exercise and movement are essential for healthy development.

BUT... (there's always a but)

Don't forget that an healthy imagination, problem solving, and abstract thinking can all be improved when kids spend time with quality games. A healthy body needs a healthy brain too, and good quality video games that challenge the mind (puzzles, mysteries, stories, adventure) can promote that.

*I hear there's a new on coming for the Wii U that's quite fun

 

~Mutz