Would Mario by any other name be as much fun? In the case of “Rayman Origins” it just might top the reigning platformer king.

                Platformers are some of the most classic games that can be played, they are just as popular today as they were when the original Super Mario World was released in the 1980s.  “Rayman Origins” is a platformer at heart, but manages to execute it to near perfection. On top of this, the game also gives players the option of playing the game co-operatively, working together or against one another to reach the end of each level.

                There are a few aspects of a platforming game that must be done well in order for the game to be fun.  The first is to have an accurate, consistent and fun physics engine.  If the on screen character doesn’t jump the same way every time or react as quickly as the player can, a fun game can quickly become frustrating and impossible.  While the game can be hard, the player needs to feel as if it was a mistake they made that led to falling off a ledge or jumping on a bad guy, not the game cheating them.  “Origins” does this extremely well.  While the levels can be extremely hard, I never once felt as though the game had cheated me or was unfair. 

                Another aspect that platforming games need to do well to succeed is to have intriguing and interesting level design.  “Origins” is done in a fun art style that is very bright and goofy looking.  The creatures and levels are just as much fun to look at as they are to jump, fly and run past.  From the obligatory underwater levels to lush jungles and slippery glaciers, each of the different levels in Origins offers a bit of flavor that makes the game that much more fun to play.

                What sets this game apart from other sin its genre is the multiplayer it offers.  While newer Mario games also offer multiplayer, they can be a bit tricky at times.  Players can get stuck behind one another or run into each other, preventing gamers from making perfectly timed jumps that become necessary as the game progresses.  “Origins” implements a perfect mix of player interaction without preventing gamers from having fun with even 4 players playing at one time.  Players can lift one another up if both enter the same movements into the joystick.  They can also smack one another which can send characters careening off course, usually resulting in hilarity.  But the characters do not bump into one another or get stuck on one another, a little change that makes this game immensely more enjoyable than any of the New Super Mario Brothers games.

                The only caveat when it comes to playing “Rayman Origins” is that the game can be extremely difficult.  Not for the faint of heart or the short tempered, even experienced gamers will get stuck on certain levels.  However, it is not so hard that the game becomes impossible or no fun to play.  While I am not normally a fan of these types of games, the multiplayer aspect makes this one a must have.  On top of the social aspect, the accurate physics engine works at developing gamers hand eye coordination, often requiring gamers to move their characters across the screen at high speeds from one narrow ledge to the next.  Even if it is played solo, “Rayman Origins” is not to be missed by gamers of any age.

Find some friends and work together to stop the evil Rudebelly and get your treasure back!

                This little known Wii game is definitely a blast from the past, calling to mind classic titles such as Battletoads and The Simpsons along with the more recent Castle Crashers.  All of these games are classified as brawlers, where players must team up to fight their way through levels of evil bad guys to achieve the ultimate goal, whether it be saving the princess or saving the world.  This title is a little different from the others that I have written about before in a couple of different ways, but the biggest reason I chose to take a closer look at Pirates Plundarrr is the nostalgia it evokes.

                 Brawlers were some of the first co-operative multiplayer games available to console players back during the first few console generations.  Players are required to pick a character, usually having 3-4 options and then work together to advance through levels by disposing of enemy after enemy in often ridiculous fashion.  Pirates Plundarr does little to stray from this concept, which is not a bad thing.  The gameplay is deepened slightly with a few add ons, the leveling up system and the extensive list of weapons to be found and used by your characters.  Each time a character earns enough experience points to level up, a player may add a skill point to one of around 10 skills.  Adding to health increases your characters health, adding to treasure find increases the amount of gold enemies drop when defeated and so forth. This adds a bit of an incentive to playing further, and helps players make their characters unique from one another.  The weapon system is also a fun addition to this style of game.  Weapons range from pirate swords to legs of ham and can be found scattered across each of the levels of play.  Collecting the best, or the goofiest, weapons is a fun side quest in this game that keeps it from growing stale.

                This is a perfect game for kids to have some fun with.  From the beginning it drops players right into the action and keeps going until the end. While I wouldn’t recommend this game to someone playing by themselves, this is perfect for a group of kids to be able to pick up and play together at any time.  And because of the gameplays old school roots, it is also a great one to play with older siblings or parents who have fond memories of gaming in their earlier years.  While this game doesn’t have the educational upside that a lot of the other games I have written about do, that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked.  Games of this type help create a lot of good bonding moments and memories, not of the game but with the people the game is played with.  Playing multiplayer video games with friends and family doesn’t get much better than this.

Hey everyone! Puzzle games are a huge part of the handheld market, and if you haven't played these games you are definitely missing out!

                                   

                  

This is the first handheld game I will have posted about, and because of that I made sure to pick a gem (or five of them!).  The professor Layton series currently has 4 titles that have been released in America “Professor Layton and the Curious Village”, “Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box”, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future”, Professor Layton and the Last Specter”, and the newest “Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask”.  The first four can be played on a Nintendo DS or DSi, but the fifth game is made for the Nintendo 3DS system.  Each of these games features Professor Layton, a college Professor who lives in England who is called upon by various people to solve some perplexing cases.  It is up to the player to solve a myriad of puzzles that will lead the story to its final climax.

The gameplay takes a very slow place, with players touching arrows on the DS screen to move from one area to another looking for clues and solving puzzles.  However, this slow pace takes nothing away from the game and actually helps the player search each screen meticulously for new puzzles and hint coins that help solve the many puzzles.  Speaking of puzzles, these games have some great ones! This is the meat of the game, and each successive version has more and more of them.  Puzzles range from math problems, to navigating mazes and word games.  Some of these can be quite hard, but with the help of the hint coins found in the game they can all be solved.  Solving puzzles progresses the story till its final climax, when Layton and his companions are able to piece together the final conclusion.

This series is an excellent teaching tool for many gamers, especially those 10 and up.  Any younger and some of the puzzles could be quite difficult to solve without some help.  But for those able, the puzzles force gamers to evaluate different situations and think outside the box.  Both math and literacy skills are developed by the puzzles, a great benefit to this fantastic game.  On top of this, about 90 percent of the story is presented through on screen script.  Gamers read a fantastic amount of print in order to understand and appreciate the story.  The game plays much like a book, with a puzzle break every 2-3 pages.

The only downside to this game is that there is no built in multiplayer, but this is one of the few games that I still recommend without it.  A multiplayer mode wouldn’t really make sense or have a purpose to this game and often enough players will need to ask those around them for a little help in solving the puzzles!  For gamers above the age of ten with a handheld Nintendo system I would highly recommend any one of these games.  Each has an excellent story and helps promote growth on many levels from reading comprehension to thinking outside the box and utilizing math skills. Pick any of these up and feel confident that you will love playing it as much any younger gamer.

If you've got some friends to play with let Mario start your party!

Mario Party 9

                For most people familiar with Nintendo, seeing any other Mario Party game does not come as a surprise.  Nintendo keeps churning out one after another, as evidenced by the 9 in the title.  While the series is playfully mocked in most older gaming circles, the fact that Nintendo has been able to successfully produce nine different versions of this game proves that they have done something right with the formula the concocted over a decade ago when the first one was released.

                The game puts players in the shoes (or feet) of classic Nintendo characters as they make their way around a game board displayed on screen.  For half the game play is much like a traditional table top board game.  Players roll dice on screen, move forward on spaces and reap the corresponding rewards of whatever space they land on.  Where the game takes a turn occurs between turns of the game.  After each player has had a chance to move around the board, every player participates in a “mini game”, side games each lasting a minute or two that pit players against one another or the computer for in-game rewards.  Reaching certain points on the board awards players with stars and after a set amount of turns the player with the most stars wins the game.  Different boards throw different twists into the gameplay that make each board a unique playing experience.

                This is an excellent multiplayer game for kids. Mini games are easy to learn and pick up, they don’t require lots of time to think about or learn the controls.  Often times players will be put on the same team to work against the computer or each other, requiring quick teamwork to be successful.  Like its tabletop counterparts, Mario Party 9 also functions as a great way for kids to learn good sportsmanship.  A lot of the game hinges on luck, even sometimes favoring the player currently in last place.  Combined with the fact that there can be immediate turn around between games, it helps kids realize that not winning isn’t the end of the world, but part of what makes ultimately winning so fun.

                If you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game for several kids Mario Party 9 is perfect.  For Nintendo fans or players new to the Nintendo universe it is a great way to spend some time interacting with other gamers.  That being said, this game is not one to pick up if the gamer will be playing single player most of the time.  Half the fun of the wacky mini games is the fun chaos that ensues while trying to learn a new game fast with other players. Another caveat is one that was alluded to earlier, that there are several different versions of this game, with the potential for more.  Often they are so close to another that if you own one, it is by no means necessary to purchase the latest version when it is released.  

                For teaching kids good sportsmanship, resource management and teamwork, you would be hard pressed to find a different game that is as successful for its target audience.  If you have groups of kids wanting to play together, this or any of the Mario Party games are not to be missed.

If you've played Pikmin or love little strategy games, "The Little King's Story" is a little known gem that deserves a place in every teen video game collection.

One of my favorite Wii games, The Little King’s Story is a perfect example of why librarians and parents need to pay attention to the rating of a video game.  Both the title and the cover seem to imply that this is a game for young kids, and often times it is catalogued in the children’s section.  For a few reasons, this game isn’t a good one for young gamers, but oddly enough it is those same reasons that make it excellent for more experienced players.

In the game a little boy finds a magic crown that suddenly makes him king, giving him the ability to issue orders to residents of his kingdom.  Unfortunately for the boy, his kingdom consists of one knight and a barn.  As the game progresses the player is tasked with helping the king take over more land, expanding the kingdom and as a result giving him more subjects.  This game is deceptively strategic, one of the reasons it wouldn’t work for younger gamers.  Different subjects are able to complete different tasks.  Knights fight, carpenters build bridges and chefs cook food for the troops, just a few examples.  Before setting out to explore the world players must plan ahead and think about what subjects they will need to be successful in the mission.  Strategically reacting to different enemies and situations can be tough, making this game fun and challenging for experienced gamers but frustrating for the younger ones.

In order to expand your kingdom, gamers work their way through the seven neighboring kingdoms and rescue the princesses being held captive there.  Each has a different theme working around the ruler for each area.  The fat king has a food themed kingdom etc.  Also, boss battles are different than normal sections of the game.  One involves racing up a large mountain to reach the king while his enormous beard attempts to trap you at every turn.  Yes, you read that right, the boss has a beard to large it drapes down a mountain and attacks you.  This quirky fun permeates the whole game, from the action to the illustrations.  There are also clues spread throughout the game that seem to imply the world isn’t all that it seems, but you’ll have to play the game yourself to find out for yourself!

Unfortunately this is another game without any multiplayer, but the other upsides negate this.  The strategic thought required not only during quests but before them make players plan ahead and manage their subjects in order to be successful.  Make sure to check the rating on the game before you buy, and that the kids playing the game are mature enough the responsibly handle the content, but if they are this is an under the radar game that should not be missed.

Personally one of my favorite games in recent memory, the first Disney game since the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo era that does our favorite cartoon mouse justice!

One of the first Mickey Mouse games released in a while, Epic Mickey came out around this time last year and has received a lot of good reviews since, enough that the second game in the series, Epic Mickey 2, is to be released on Nov. 19, 2012.

                Mickey Mouse fans will love this game, as it draws heavily from classic Disney cartoon and lore to make up its story line.  To travel between levels the player must complete mini platforming levels that are each a nod to Mickey Mouse cartoons of the past (Steamboat Willy, Clock Cleaners etc).  This was an excellent addition to the game and all of the history makes it nearly as much fun to watch as it is to play, a definite bonus for parents.  Mickey has been sucked into the Cartoon Wasteland, a place where old forgotten Disney cartoons live.  It is up to Mickey, with the help of his magic paintbrush, to save the wasteland from an evil ink blot running amok.  The gamer must use the contrasting powers of ink and paint thinner to construct or destroy the wasteland on Mickey’s way home.

                While fun, this game faces the stigma that comes with being a Disney game.  Most older kids, especially teens, will associate Disney as being childish.  This game is far from that, and would prove much too difficult for younger gamers.  On top of the difficulty of the game, most of the story is told through speech bubbles, requiring the gamer to read extensively to follow the plot and learn what the next objective is.  As is to be expected with a Disney production, the illustrations are excellent.  The idea of a slightly dark Disney world is perfectly evoked during each stage, bright and shady creating an inspiring backdrop.

At certain points of the game, namely boss battles, the player must decide whether to advance the story by using paint, the good way, or paint thinner, the bad way.  While these decisions do not directly affect the game in the long run, once the game has been completed Mickey can see how the choices he made ultimately affected the characters he met during his journey.  While the thinner is shown as destroying, the paint added, leading to different scenes being in stages of well being or disrepair.  While nothing drastic, this is another aspect of the game that leads me to steer it towards older players.  Unfortunately one of the downsides to the game is the camera, which can tend to make some of the platforming stages frustrating. This flaw can be glaring at times, but does not occur enough to ruin the experience.

While it doesn't have a multiplayer aspect, I still highly recommend this game to gamers 5^th grade and higher.  Not only is it an introduction to some of the most classic Mickey Mouse cartoons, the gameplay leads itself to decision making skill development and requires heavy reading without becoming tedious. Upon completion, I was inspired to set up a mini Walt Disney display in my children’s department, linking the game to non-fiction resources the kids were able to use to learn more about the creation of such an iconic cartoon character.  While the game will be tough for the usual Disney video game audiences, older gamers will be pleasantly surprised to discover it has a lot to offer.

This next game is going to introduce players to one of my favortie fantasy series through the magic of Lego, "Lego Lord of the Rings!"

                The latest version of the wildly popular Lego video games, Lego The Lord of the Rings is slated to be released next week. All of these games do an excellent job of keeping kids entertained and introducing them to a story they would not likely otherwise know, the reason I am excited about this game.  The Lord of the Rings is a piece of classic fantasy literature that can entertain people of all ages, and combined with the fun puzzle solving and building of the Lego games will make a great addition to a library’s video game collection.

                The game follows the book storyline, having players navigate through levels by completing puzzles and building different objects that let them move forward.  As the player move through the game they will meet new characters from the story that they can play with who bring different abilities to the table.  The hobbit characters are small and will be able to crawl through tunnels, while Gandalf the wizard could use his spells to move large objects.  Kids will learn to recognize that different areas require different skills to access and will have to plan ahead with what characters to bring along before the level begins.

                Teamwork is also well incorporated into the series, often requiring one player to turn a lever or fetch an object while the second player must do the same.  In order to finish the level and advance the story players must work together in unison, whether it be defending against evil Lego minions or assembling a bridge to cross a gap. On top of this players collect an enormous amount of gems throughout the entire game.  The game keeps track of the gems collected and players can then use the gems to purchase new upgrades, cheats or characters throughout the rest of the game.

                Whether or not you are a LOTR fanatic or this is the first time you have heard of a hobbit, this game offers equal amounts of fun to everyone.  For those who have seen the movie and read the books, there is an awesome charm to beholding the classic world brought to life by timeless Lego bricks.  The game heavily lends itself to playing multiplayer, an aspect I love in any game, and the Lord of the Rings content makes it fun for any Mom or Dad who become that second player.  This game is an excellent introduction to a prominent piece of western culture and remains fun while teaching kids to work together to achieve a common goal.

Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Welcome to todays post! Today I took a look at the Wii exclusive game "Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games."

                Following Nintendos tradition of mini-game themed franchises, London 2012 Olympic Games joins the Mario and Sonic crews together in another round of summer Olympic Games.  Much like the first version of this game released in 2008, the game has players pick their favorite character and compete in a variety of events, from 100m dash to rowing.  This includes team events as well, such as rowing and the 4x100 dash. 

                Each game requires a different set of motions and skills in order to be completed successfully, and the best part is that nearly all of them require the player to be up and on his or her feet.  Each of the motions somewhat portray the event that requires them, such as pumping your arms up and down for the sprinting events and spinning your arms around above your head as quickly as you can for the hammer throw. Played in shorts bursts of quick activity, this game is one that will get the kids up and off the couch without having them bounce off the walls. Getting kids competing against the computer is also a lot of fun, cheering each other on to try to win mini tournaments.  There are also a few games, namely archery and rifle shooting, that are excellent at working on a child’s hand eye coordination.  Using the Wii remote to aim past obstacles toward a standing target or to burst clay pigeons shooting across the screen requires both patience and quick reflexes.

                On top of all this, the game takes full advantage of the fact that it is the official video game of the London Olympics.  In cut scenes characters make their way through the city and country, at one point Bowser Jr and Yoshi meet up at Stonehenge.  The game is an excellent way to introduce kids to the varied Olympic sports that they may have never known existed, due to the 4 year gaps between games.  All of the London references may make them curious about a new country and want to learn more about the place where the games are being held. Overall this is an excellent game for youngsters and family members who want to join in the fun with them.  The game takes characters they already know and love and puts them into fun games that will get the players up and off their feet, moving to play instead of sitting on the couch.

HELLO EVERYONE!

Welcome to Librarian Level 99, a blog dedicate to helping librarians and parents evaluate what video games to purchase for their kids. A far cry from the games of yesteryear, many of today's games offer a lot more than just entertainment for children and teens. From promoting literacy skills, to physical activity and team building exercises, video games have a lot to offer growing gamers.  There are a lot of games available that can provide those benefits and more, but sometimes it can be hard to tell which ones will be played over and over and which ones will be collecting dust in a week. As a Children's librarian and a gamer I know how tough it can be to decide what games are right for your kids and worth your money.  I will attempt to review and recommend (or warn you of!) games coming out that kids are going to want to get their hands on.  Thanks for stopping by and read on!