Last week you heard me on SiriusXM; this week I'll be on radio shows across the nation. Here are some of the products I'll be talking about:
Creativity Software for All Platforms
uDraw ($49.99), for instance, is an incredible digital drawing pad for the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360. It comes with a powerful, yet easy-to-use, artistic toolbox that lets kids create digital masterpieces. There are even interactive tutorials that give art lessons and games. Add-in games give extended play value for the whole family. In Disney's Princess ($29.99) classic stories of are told in a unique and interactive way that will have little girls using their uDraw GameTablet stylus like a magic brush to color and bring their favorite Disney Princess storybook to life. Boys can use the stylus and tilt mechanism of the control in Marvel Super Hero Squad comic-inspired game. Finally, everyone in the family will enjoy playing Pictionary.
Anime Studio Debut On the PC side, Anime Studio Debut ($49.99), is a PC and Mac program that enables tweens, teens, and adults to produce professional looking animations that they can post on-line. It has drawing tools, but also comes with an powerful character creation wizard, so you don't have to be an artist to create. There is even a lip-syncing tool, clip art, and backgrounds included. I love the idea of empowering teens to become content creator, rather than passive YouTube watchers. Who knows maybe your son or daughter has the next South Park or Family Guy just waiting for the right tools to entertain us all.
Fitness
Deepak Chopra's Leela for Wii and Kinect enabled Xbox 360 can do something no other program I've ever seen can do: It can help you relax, meditate, and find balance. The program gently guides you as you learn to take control of your breathing using seven meditations and movements. The program uses art, music, and sound to help you explore natural rhythms and thoughts to cultivate a harmonious and balanced life through play.
Hybrid Toys
Games that blend conventional toys and on-line play are really big this year.
Skylanders is a new series of games that use 30 different collectable figures to power up action game play on the Wii, PS3, Xbox, and Nintendo 3DS. It is really amazing. Each figure has special powers, so you put them on the "portal of power" and they magically appear in the game world. As you play they grow in power and skills, and here is the incredible part. If you take your characters over to a friends house to play, all their attributes go with them! Characters from other video games make appearances, including Spyro the Dragon.
What I love about Skylanders is that although it was designed for kids, it has the kind of polish that will remind you of a grown-up game. The universe is rich, expandable, and rewards strategic thinking. Kids will enjoy playing with the action figures in the real-world, developing their characters in the game, and most-of-all getting a kick out of the magic that happens when their character transports into the game world via the "portal of power".
Mechatars ($39.99) is a hot new line of remote controlled robotic toys that combine physical and online play. Out of the box you get a fast-moving, wirelessly controlled robot that you learn to control through solo missions around the living room. Its fun and challenging to control by itself, and even more fun if your friend has one because you can battle it out together - the robots interact.
The adventure continues online at Mechatars.com where kids can play with a virtual version of their robot, delving into the story and strategy of the Mechatars universe. The more you play online or in the real world the stronger and more powerful your Mechatar grows; you see, your experience in the real world carries over to online and vice versa. This rich integration of real world and cyber-play extends the value of the toy: New mission, new powers, a rich background story make Mechatars something that kids will continue to play with long after the holiday season is over.
The AR Drone ($299) continues the trend of computer/toy hybrids. It is a helecopter with four rotors that you control with an iPhone or Android device. It has cameras built into it, so you can see from the helicopters aerial point of view. Even cooler, if a friend has one you can play tag in the air.
Finally, the new piece of technology my wife is most enthusiastic about this year is the Mint Floor Cleaner ($249). It is a robot that cleans hard floors, including wood and tile. It works with swifters, or you can put soapy water into it and it will gently wet mop the room.
[Editor's note: JamesGames radio and tv appearances are sponsored by the manufacturers, but the decision of what product to include rest solely with the editors. Products for review are supplied by the manufacturer.]
