Shannon Eis and The Toy Guy race down one of the eight water slides at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas. Check it out to see who wins!
by Jeff McKinney (follow me on Twitter)
The traditional January drought of new games continues but things are looking up for February with a bevy of new games slated for release. Until then, I'm continuing to catch up with all the games from 2009 that I didn't get to spend enough time with and keeping an eye out for the occasional new game in the rough. Following is just such a game.
Our buddy, Jim Silver, has a new video over at TimetoPlayMag.com that tells you all about Lego's new game, Minotaurus.
Watch the video here.
For more videos like the one above, please visit the Video Center at www.TimetoPlayMag.com
by Jeff McKinney (follow me on Twitter)
Now that the holidays are over, the gaming industry takes a little breather and only releases a handful of new games each week. That's ok because it gives us a chance to spend some quality game time with the games we received for the holidays or never got around to finishing last year. This doesn't mean that there aren't any new games worth checking out. In fact, this week brings the release of a game that I have been very excited about since I first got a demo of it last year.
By Christopher Byrne (Follow me on twitter)
If you’ve got teens, or even pre-teens in the house, it’s hard not to ignore the reality show “Jersey Shore” now on MTV. Kathy Griffin mentioned it on CNN New Year’s Eve with Anderson Cooper, who claimed to know nothing about the show. Though typically late to the party, the New York Times has become aware of the show’s popularity and its potential impact on the culture.
I became aware of the show when a group of 12-year-old girls were talking about it at an extended family gathering in early December. I was a little taken aback about the language and lifestyle they were discussing, so of course I tuned in.
Yes, these characters are laughable, cartoons of reality. Like so much of the TV of this genre, we know that it is provoked and edited to be as sensational as possible. We’re supposed to loathe these people and look down on them, and the producers have no qualms about showing these young people in the worst possible light—trumpeting ignorance, narcissism and sexuality in about as degrading a way as possible. And it sells, or it wouldn’t be on.
Now I’m no prude, and I believe in freedom of the media. If MTV wants to put that on the air, then by all means they have a right to do so. We can’t stop them, and I wouldn’t want to.
However, it does point out one of the relatively recent challenges of parenting and raising kids in the rapidly evolving media marketplace—playing gatekeeper on a daily or even hourly basis. Because kids have so many different channels to watch, online destinations to surf and access 24/7, it can be a full time job just to monitor what kids are watching. Yet it’s an important one. As parents and caregivers, we can’t control what’s on TV, but we can control the context in which the kids in our lives perceive the material.
Limiting screen time is good. Parental controls on computers are good. Keeping TVs and computers in public areas of the home is good. But at the end of the day, simply banning or preventing potentially objectionable material will only work for so long. Shows and web sites you might ban will inevitably be part of the conversation in your kids’ peer groups. And don’t make the mistake one parent did, thinking that in forbidding her 12-year-old to watch “Gossip Girl,” she was being protected. This young lady knew every plot and designer name. She got if from her friends and saw it at their houses. She simply didn’t tell her mom.
While a steady diet of “Jersey Shore” or most reality shows could make you worry for the future of the human race if it doesn’t bore you to death with its sameness and predictability first, the best idea is not to ban it but discuss it. Watch it with your kids, if they’ll let you, or record it and watch it later. It can be a great teaching tool. It’s not just that you can let your kids know how ridiculous it is for someone to give themselves a nickname like “The Situation” or talk about themselves in the third person; it’s that you can listen to your kids and get their responses to this. In fact, listening, particularly with Tweens and young teens is a good habit to get into. This is one time when teaching can go both ways.
You may discover, as I did with my 12-year-old friends, that they think the kids of “Jersey Shore” are worse than I did. While adults look back and are saying, “How could anyone be like that?” Young people tend to look forward, and say, “I would never want to be like that.” It actually kind of scared them.
Good.
To read more blog posts and articles like this, please visit our sister site, ThePlayForum.com
We are slowly getting back into the groove after a wonderful holiday break. We hope you had the happiest and safest of holidays and we all look forward to another fun year of toys, games and good times!
Everyone at theToyGuy.com and TimetoPlayMag.com will be heading home over the next few days to visit family, friends and celebrate the holidays. Posting here on the blog and our websites will be a little light but we will check in with the occasional update.
It's just a few days until Christmas so you won't see too many new games in the stores this week. Of the handful arriving, one worth mentioning is Guitar Hero: Van Halen (PS2, PS3, Xbox360, Wii. Rated Teen), In Guitar Hero: Van Halen, you can live out the experience of performing as one of the biggest rock bands of all time. See if you have what it takes to keep up with Eddie Van Halen's revolutionary guitar playing or David Lee Roth's unique performance style as you savor all the hot licks and scissor kicks that have helped this band achieve legendary status.
Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy, was on Live With Regis & Kelly this morning, sharing some great toys that all cost $20 or less. You can check out the list below (in order of appearance) and all the toys should still be available in stores and online.
HOST CHAT- The item Kelly and Anderson were playing with:
Cadaco Boom Ball Sling Shot
12.99
6 and up
Cadaco
FIRST SEGMENT:
Fisher Price Chatter Phone
12.99
12 months and up
Basic Fun
Classic Mr. Potato Head
9.99
2 and up
Playskool
The Princess and the Frog Kissing Frog Dolls
19.99
3 and up
Disney Store
FurReal Friends Newborns
14.99
4 and up
Hasbro
Giant Pipe Cleaner Party
16.99
4 and up
Alex Toys
GloDoodle
19.99
4 and up
Spin Master
Etch-A-Sketch Freestyle
14.99
3 and up
Ohio Art
Connect 4X4
19.99
8 and up
Hasbro
Splashy The Whale
19.99
5 and up
Pressman Toys
SECOND SEGMENT
GX Racers Super Jump
19.99
6 and up
Jakks Pacific
Tracksters
14.99
6 and up
10 Vox Entertainment
Battle Strikers
14.99
6 and up
Mega Brands
Dolls
11.99- 19.99
EA Sports Sweet Spot Baseball
14.99
5 and up
Toy Island
Maui Holiday Balls
7.99-9.99
6 and up
Maui Toys
Nerf N-Force Marauder Long Swords
17.99
8 and up
Hasbro
Chris Byrne, aka The Toy Guy, is giving away his very own Zhu-Zhu Pet today on MomTV. Tune into Time To Play With Jim & Chris on MomTV at 1pm (EST) and join the chat for your chance to win Chris' Zhu-Zhu Pet and more!
To watch MomTV, just click here or visit Momtv.com/TimetoPlay.html
Chris Byrne, the Toy Guy, wrote a guest blog post on MamaCheaps.com, "a little something for everyone".
Here's an excerpt from Chris's post, titled "Only Got A Sawbuck? Go Shopping! Great Gift Ideas For $10 and Under":
"Okay, the $10 bill probably hasn’t been called a “sawbuck” for a long time, but that’s what my grandfather always used to call them when he’d slip me one. Seemed like a fortune at the time.You can read the entire post with a list of some great toys for $10 and less by visiting MamaCheaps.com or by clicking here!
When it comes to buying toys, $10 still goes a long way. In fact, the average toy in the U.S. is only about $10 still. When you factor in all the $0.99 Hot Wheels Cars, boxes of crayons and more, you’ll see that ten bucks can go a long way."
If American families were given the chance to create their own ’Wish List’ of toys and games for the holiday season, which playthings would make the cut? TimetoPlayMag.com answers that question by revealing the winners of the 2009 People’s Play Awards! Following is the list of toys and games that made ’America's Wish List’ for the 2009 holiday season.
The People's Play Awards gave the public a forum to select the toys and games they are hoping to receive this holiday season. Nominees in the fourteen categories were carefully reviewed and selected by the Time to Play editorial team headed by Jim Silver, editor in chief, and Chris Byrne, content director aka The Toy Guy®. Visitors to the website were encouraged to vote throughout October and November of this year.
And the winners are!
Activity Toys: Girl Gourmet Sweets Candy Jewelry Factory - Jakks Pacific
Boy's Action: Bakugan 7-in-1 Maxus Dragonoid - Spinmaster
Cars, Trucks, Trains: Hot Wheels Super Jump Raceway - Mattel
Construction Toys: LEGO Star Wars - LEGO
Dolls: Barbie Fashionistas - Mattel
Educational Toys: Tag Junior - LeapFrog
Electronics: Disney Netpal - Disney and ASUS
Games: Mindflex - Mattel
Girl's Toys: Zhu Zhu Pets - Cepia
Preschool/Infant Toys: Manny's Repair Shop - Fisher-Price
Radio Control: Air Hogs Laser Zero Gravity - Spin Master
Sports/Active Toys: Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 - Hasbro
Tech Toys: EyeClops Night Vision Goggles - Jakks Pacific
Video Games: Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo
To see the list with pictures as well as all the nominees, please visit the official People's Play Awards page at TimetoPlayMag.com/PeoplesPlayAwards.
Chris Byrne, the Toy Guy, wrote a guest blog post on Seattle Mom On The Go, a blog about being a "green" mom in Seattle.
Here's an excerpt from Chris's post, titled "Green Toys For Eco-Conscious Families"
"Green is one of the traditional Christmas colors, but“green” in the eco-sense is not something always instantly associated with the holiday. Parents and gift givers who have committed themselves to living green often approach the holiday with frustration. From plastic to packaging, they look at the amount of stuff that comes along with the holidays, and shudder."
Manufacturer: 10 Vox Entertainment
Brand: Tracksters
Age Recommendation: 6 and up
MSRP: $14.99
Intro Year: 2009
No question, web-enhanced toys are major players in the toy box. And while they're not, strictly speaking, new, these toys are becoming more sophisticated - and delivering better play - with each passing year.
That's one of the reasons we're so excited about Tracksters. In the package you get a very high quality 1:46 scale die-cast metal car. They have a substantial weight and well-deigned fast axles that make them superior for play and collecting.
But that's just the beginning. Each car also comes with a unique code that allows players to unlock the world of Tracksters.com. There, players can customize the online versions of their cars and race them.
The web site is truly remarkable. Excellent graphics, fast loading, exciting tracks and hours of interactive play, in a completely safe environment for kids. (COPA compliant) At the same time, they can race other cars through the online connection in a variety of environments.
There are also Track Packs that can be purchased separately. Each includes 7 cards that can add special features to the cars to improve performance or open up other parts of the world.
There are many things that are truly positive about this. First, kids are engaging in two complementary but distinct modes of play. There's the collection and play with die-cast cars that kids will really enjoy. That's classic play that no amount of technology is ever going to displace.
The online component is rich and engaging with many features that are designed for the kids (and older guys) who love cars and racing. The graphics are superior for this kind of play, and it truly reflects the investment of the developers.
More importantly, the universe of Tracksters is growing all the time, and nobody had done a better site for vehicle play that encompasses such diverse activities.
There are a couple of things to be aware of. You can buy a die-cast car for about a buck, and nearly every boy has a bucket of them. However, these cars (made for the Tracksters folks by Jada) are really high quality. Also, you're unlocking the entire world of the web, and when you compare the richness of the gameplay to any basic video game (PS 1 and handhelds, for example), you'll be impressed by the quality.
Secondly, though this site does work with Macs, you have to boot your Mac in Windows mode. It's a little clumsy the first time, but not terribly difficult. We got the best performance using it in a PC. The better your graphics card, the better you'll see all the action, too.
This company has been flying a little bit under the radar, but we're predicting that you're going to be hearing a lot about them in very short order, especially if you've got kids who love this kind of thing... or you do.
Manufacturer: Fisher-Price Brand: Sesame Street Age Recommendation: 2 and up MSRP: $29.99 Intro Year: 2009 Put Elmo's Tickle Power in your childs hands with Elmo Tickle Hands from Fisher-Price! These big, furry, red Elmo hands (featuring Elmo's friendly face on one side) allow your kids to tickle and dance just like Elmo does! The Tickle Hand gloves easily slide on to little hands and when Elmo's nose is pressed, the fun begins! When your child touches a surface to tickle, the Tickle Hands start to vibrate and move allowing your child to feel like he can tickle just like Elmo! But thats not all! Touch Elmo's nose again and its time to dance! Elmo will give instructions on how to do his brand new dance called, "The Tickle Hand Groove!" This new dance encourages kids to get moving and grooving! The hands also come with an instructional DVD that teaches kids how to do the new dance step by step! The DVD features Elmo and his mystery friend! Your child will be tickling, wiggling and giggling in no time at all!
compiled by Jeff McKinney (follow me on Twitter)Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Nintendo DS, Wii. rated Everyone)
In Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, players can play as Alvin and The Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon, Theodore) or The Chipettes (Brittany, Jeanette, Eleanor). Musical sparks ignite as they jet around the world, rock the house in 25 concert locations on Wii and 11 in the Nintendo DS version, and perform together in the ultimate concert finale. Featuring songs from the Grammy and American Music Award-winning Alvin and The Chipmunks library, the game lets players use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk or Nintendo DS stylus to keep the rhythm in the main game and in three mini-games.
Avatar: The Game (All game systems. rated Teen)
Step into a dazzling world from the imagination of James Cameron and take your stand in the battle to determine the fate of a civilization. James Cameron's Avatar: The Game allows you to step inside the world of the feature film and go deep into the heart of Pandora and its people. Choose to fight for either RDA or the Na'vi, arming yourself with any of dozens of customizable weapons and a variety of clan-specific skills. Acquire new skills as you advance through the game, giving your all in the epic battle for a planet and a people.
Space Station Tycoon (Nintendo Wii. rated Everyone 10+)
Follow the adventures of Shawn and Tam on an intergalactic journey through Pirate infested space, meteor fields, supernovas, and countless dangers as they seek out fame and fortune in the high-stakes world of Space Station management Station Tycoon is a fast paced, simulation game focusing on character interaction and humor, light puzzle solving, and customization in a free form, non-linear world.
Manufacturer: Fisher-Price
Brand: Trio
Age Recommendation: 3 and up
MSRP: $29.99
Intro Year: 2009
Manufacturer: Shred Sled Brand: Shred Sled Age Recommendation: 8 and up MSRP: $119.99 Intro Year: 2009 Are you ready to SHRED!? Start shredding in no time with the Shred Sled, the next generation caster board. The first 4-wheel, dual-deck inline caster board, the Shred Sled makes it smoother and easier to start carving up the streets. How it works: Shred Sled's two boards and flexible connector allow both boards to rotate around the vertical and horizontal axes so it's easy to maneuver the board. The best part is you don't even have to push off! For better control and traction, each deck has a grip surface to maximize traction and stability while the concave decks make for better foot control. The 4 x 80mm polyurethane wheels and ABEC-5 bearings are smoother and stronger than standard hardware and unlike other boards, rarely need to be replaced. Riding the Shred Sled feels like a combination of snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing and it's much easier to control than older 2-wheel generation boards. Great for strengthening the legs and waist muscles, Shred Sled encourages kids to get off the couch and get active outdoors. Available in black, blue or red. Weight: 8.7 lbs; Dimensions: 9.055"W x 32.87"L x 4.72". Be sure to wear a helmet and safety gear when using the Shred Sled.
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