Category Archives: Toys

Game Review: Kinect Sesame Street TV

My daughter is just starting to get into more advanced video games. She is a few months beyond two-years. Up until now she mostly played around with smart phone and tablet games aimed at toddlers, like interactive books or musical games.

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She finally seems to get how to use the Microsoft Xbox’s Kinect now.

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Besides a few games she has interacted with mostly on accident, there was nothing designed with her in mind.

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Then, along with Sesame Street, Microsoft released what they called an “interactive TV show,” Kinect Sesame Street TV. There are 8 shows per season, and Season 1 is out now. The shows play almost exactly like a normal episode of Sesame Street except that there are interactive moments throughout the show. These aren’t just quick interactive gimmicks either.

Each episode is sort of hosted by a new monster named Cooper. He has a friend named “Mirror” that really is a mirror, but with the Kinect it actually shows the person who is playing. Cooper interacts with the player in multiple ways, like the way he changes into a matching shirt (at least by color.)

In one episode, my daughter got to play catch with Elmo and in another she got to help Grover shake some items out of a tree.

There are also your standard Sesame Street skits in the middle of the episode dealing with the episode’s theme. The interactive part in this is to point out the special item of the day and try to find them all. My daughter usually got bored during these parts, but she already does that with normal Sesame Street due to her two-year-old attention span.

I think almost any child that understand the interactivity of the Kinect would enjoy these TV shows. Though, the older kids would probably get more out of it.

The volumes are $29.99 and you can buy them at your local game store or online at the Microsoft Store or Amazon. If you have older kids, Microsoft also has an interactive season of National Geographic episodes. Eight more episodes of Sesame Street in Season 2 were released on January 7th, 2013.

» Kinect Sesame Street at the Microsoft Xbox Marketplace

‘LEGO Batman 2’ Might As Well Call Itself ‘LEGO Justice League’

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LEGO Batman 2 won’t be out until next month, but thanks to the good folks at Kotaku, you can get a feel for the gameplay today — and for those of you who enjoy what Bell Biv DeVoe might have referred to as “superhero action on the LEGO tip,” it looks like the latest installment in the franchise not only adds a few wrinkles in terms of controls and capabilities, but adds a passel of other DC heroes to the mix, including (but possibly not limited to) Superman, Wonder Woman, The Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, and Green Lantern. As Kotaku puts it in their preview:

Lego Batman 2, as we’ve covered before, is a new, original, linear Lego adventure that allows one or two players to punch through a gallery of rogues as Batman and/or Robin, changing into many super-powered gadget suits along the way. It is also a massive open-world game, connecting its levels together through an immense and fully explorable Gotham City, the first open environment in a Lego game and one that will let players romp through it as Batman, Robin, members of the Justice League or even some villains. Superman is a show-stealer in the game, introducing free-form flight in the open Gotham City, a switch from the generally land-bound gameplay of the long-running Lego series.

LEGO Batman 2 is currently available for pre-order at Amazon. Take a look at some screenshots from the game (and watch the trailer) below.

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