Company: Nintendo
Item Reviewed: Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir

A visceral 3D horror tale unfolds before your eyes

The Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir game invites players to experience supernatural thrills they won’t soon forget, using the built-in camera functions and augmented-reality features of the Nintendo 3DS system. The game’s mysterious storyline involves a girl named Maya who has been hiding in the darkness of an old house, cursed by a malevolent woman in black. To free Maya from the curse, players must use the “diary of faces” – a 16-page AR notebook included with the game – to view ghostly images and interact with the world Maya is trapped in. The Nintendo 3DS system becomes the Camera Obscura in players’ hands and is capable of revealing the supernatural and dispelling evil spirits. The lines between reality and fiction blur in this chilling horror adventure.

Features:

• The included “diary of faces” is a gateway into the game’s absorbing Story Mode. When viewed through the lenses of the Nintendo 3DS camera, each page of the book displays a variety of augmented-reality experiences.
• Some pages of the book come to life in the form of video segments that reveal past events and shed light on the game’s central mysterious storyline. Others appear to send spirits floating into players’ real-world surroundings. Some page even summons players to virtually enter a haunted house where Maya is hiding.
• Additional modes let players use the system’s camera in spooky ways. In Spirit Photography, they can take photos at their leisure and watch as haunting visions appear within the pictures. Spirit Check, lets them snap pictures of themselves and their friends to uncover the eerie spirits that surround them. In Spirit Challenge, they can put their own face or a friend’s face on a spirit and then battle it.
• Players can also use the notebook with their Nintendo 3DS system to face other challenges involving a mix of memory, hide-and-seek and other game play elements all with a supernatural twist.

My Husband’s Thoughts

You see that these thoughts are my husbands, and that is because I am a big wimp when it comes to scary stuff! He played for two days without telling me any details (the game is short so he broke up the days). Finally got him to spill the beans, and he likes it! His favorite part of the game is the use of the gyroscope to look around, said that he even got a little spooked with the background sound effects. He even flashed me a picture of where he was at the moment and even that image freaked me out. I think that if you like to be spooked then this is definitely a game for you! Although the atmosphere is amazing he said it was more like watching a scary movie but it enjoyed it all the same. He wishes there was more to do and felt slightly short-changed when it was all over, Spirit Camera could have been so much more. While that is how he feels he still recommends you pick it up especially if you are one that likes to be scared.

Company: Nintendo
Item Reviewed: Kid Icarus: Uprising

Take Aim at a Timeless Adventure

Some 25 years after the original Kid Icarus™ game for NES™ captured the hearts and imaginations of gamers worldwide, Kid Icarus: Uprising brings the action and adventure of this beloved series to new heights – and new visual dimensions – on the Nintendo 3DS™ system. The dark goddess Medusa and her Underworld Army have returned, and they’ve got their sights set on the heroic angel Pit. With the aid of Palutena, goddess of light and guardian of the human race, Pit must fend off this malevolent threat. The richly immersive graphics of the Nintendo 3DS system offer incredible depth as Pit battles enemies by air and by land.

FEATURES:

• Designed by Masashiro Sakurai – creator of Kirby and Super Smash Bros. – Kid Icarus: Uprising is an epic, action-packed odyssey that unfolds with stunning 3D visuals. The game also includes fully-voiced levels and an amazing soundtrack.
• Each Chapter delivers nonstop action and is broken up into two sections: Air Battle and Land Battle. In Air Battle the action unfolds like a dynamic guided shooter. When Pit is facing enemies in Land Battle, the game play handles more like a third-person shooter.
• Collect different weapons and learn the unique characteristics of each weapon type as you determine which weapon is best suited for each battle.
• Experience an innovative take on multiplayer battles in Light vs. Dark, as two teams battle on land whittling away at the other team’s health meter each time a team member is defeated. The team battle then changes to a man-hunt once one team’s meter is emptied. The opposing team must target the other team’s lone angel to win the match.
• The game includes AR Card compatibility. Using the built-in 3D camera on the Nintendo 3DS system, the game recognizes countless specially designed AR Cards, with animated game characters popping up in 3D on the game screen and even battling each other when two cards face off.
• The game’s simple, intuitive play control has players hold the system in their left hand, while the right hand uses the stylus on the touch screen for targeting. The controls are simple enough to be grasped quickly, but offer layers of depth and strategy for advanced maneuvers.

My Thoughts

I have been waiting for this game since the announcement of the 3DS and the wait is finally over and for me, Kid Icarus: Uprising was worth every second of the wait! The game play is different, the graphics are crisp and the story line is great and offers a laugh every once in awhile. There are four things for me that stand out about this game.

• I love the addition of the AR Cards. With the built in 3D camera you can get animated characters on the cards, and when you put two side by side they will actually battle each other. Both of my daughters love these cards and my oldest says she is going to collect as many of them as she can.
• The stand that comes with the game definitely comes in hand, especially when I am playing two hours straight, super convenient!
• Love, love, love the difficulty adjustment system, it allows me to try something on a more difficult setting and if I fail, which I have done, I can lower the setting to one that allows me to succeed. Great addition!
• The graphics, I know I mentioned those above but the graphics in 3D are amazing! I have actually played with the 3D on longer with Kid Icarus: Uprising than I have any other 3D game so far. I was worried about that a little as my glasses are progressive and with the flying and action on the screen I was afraid my vision would be bad but it wasn’t and I couldn’t be happier about that!

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a different, quirky and fun game, one that three of my family members have tried out and have instantly fallen in love. My oldest daughter and I even had a heated Rock, Paper, Scissors game to see who got to play the other day, sadly she won, but I pulled the homework card and got to play

Kid Icarus: Uprising should definitely be in your game library, it is a lot of fun and an all around great game! Look for it on store shelves on March 23, 2012…one more day!

The new Leapster® Learning Game is Digging for Dinosaurs and boy is it fun!

Discover the world of dinosaurs in six amazing adventures that explore how they looked, where they lived, what they ate and more! Features expanded play for Leapster2 system, so Leapster2 players can connect online for extra games, activities and rewards, and parents can get detailed learning progress reports through the online LeapFrog® Learning Path.

Teaches:

• Dinosaur facts
• Fossil facts
• Scientific process
• Map skills
• Logic and reasoning skills
• Spatial relationships
• Matching skills

I will have to say that this game was tested out by three different aged children and they all liked it! My 16 year old (I know way past the age range) played it with my toddler and they both enjoyed digging up dinosaur bones and I enjoyed watching him read the facts about dinosaurs to her. And she actually sat there and listened, which is a feat in itself. Then my tween played it and actually liked learning a few things about dinosaurs. Right now my nephew has it and with the help of my sister he is playing with it and making roaring sounds every time he sees a dinosaur on the screen.

We are fans of Leap Frog products and love that they have educational toys and games for children of all ages. I recommend this game to everyone with children in the 5-8 year age ranges (and 16 too) your children will have a lot of fun with this game and will learn some new dinosaur facts too!

For the next entry in the Christmas Giveaway we are going to have fun spelling with Franklin’s Spelling Bee.

Do you want to become a spelling bee champ? You could with this product. This handy little game is packed with over 70,000 words, with three additional built-in learning games like Hangman, Sudoku and World Train you will have hours of educational fun!

The SSB-210 Speaking Spelling Bee is a virtual spelling bee tutor designed to improve spelling skills for students’ ages 8 and up and all aspiring spelling bee participants. The unit is designed for handheld play but can also be played on a larger screen using the TV Out feature. The moderator announces a word from the almost 7,000 word spelling bee list, offers example sentences, definitions and word origins; players use the sliding keyboard to spell the answer. The spelled word appears on the screen with a confirmation if it is correct. Play with friends and family in the Competition mode, or sharpen your skills in Practice or Game Show modes to become a spelling ace! Enjoy audio through the speaker or earphone jack. Includes a Merriam-Webster Intermediate Dictionary and Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster Rhyming Dictionary, phonetic spell correction, reading timer, word bank and additional games to enhance both educational and play value. Just look at the features this handheld offers:

• 2″ Color Liquid Crystal Display (320×240)
• Play with up to 6 competitors
• Great companion for schoolwork
• Mini-USB connection and SD card slot to add more games(Mini-USB cable and SD card not included)
• Sliding QWERTY Keyboard
• Speaker
• Earphone Jack
• TV Out, NTSC Standard (with 3 meter A/V cable)
• 3 AAA batteries (not included)
• Accessories include: Small Case and headphones

My daughter loves this device. It offers her so many way for her to learn and even offers more games that you can download like Color Match, Jumble, and Word Buzz. With many different modes of play you are sure to find one that you love to play. Options of the game are :

• Game Show – enables you to play a game show version of a Spelling Bee.
• Competition – enables you to compete against up to 5 other players in a Spelling Bee.
• Practice – enables you to choose an avatar to represent you while you practice your spelling skills.
• Games – allows you to access the three games included on the device.
• Word Bank – gives you access to My Word Bank a personal list you want to study or memorize. (This is my favorite because she can study her spelling words from school)
• and many more

So you see this product is not only educational but it is alot of fun. I even got into the Hangman game, it brought me back to my childhood when I use to play, but better than playing on paper. The great people at Franklin want one of my readers to be able to experinence the fun of this system, so they have donated one for me to give away. Rules are below:

• MAIN RULE – Go to Franklin’s website and tell me in comments what other product beside the Spelling Bee is one that you would like to have. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Place my Christmas Giveaway button on your side bar and leave a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Stumble this post and leave your Stumble name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Favorite The Dirty Shirt in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button on the top left sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog and the Franklin’s website.

This Christmas Giveaway will run through the month of November ending at midnight on November 30th. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and submitted to PRIZEYWinners as well as notified via email the first week of December. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.