Tag: Fgtv - Page 2
News Doctor Who Confirmed For Lego Dimensions On Wii U
With the Tardis and K-9 in tow, naturally
Keeping up with all the news about Lego Dimensions is no easy task. Having announced the game with Batman, The Lego Movie, Lord of the Rings, Oz and Back to the Future, it was inevitable that there would be more. Just how much more is still kind of mind-blowing. Perhaps not as mind-blowing as the gameplay...
News Disney Infinity 3.0 is Announced With Star Wars, Marvel and Inside Out, Confirmed for Wii U
We break down the major details
Disney Infinity 3.0 has been announced and features play-sets and characters from every Star Wars movie, alongside improved cross-franchise compatibility and play-sets for Inside Out and Marvel. With a strong announcement from Lego Dimensions and expected news on the next Skylanders game, this is an impressive...
News Portal, The Simpsons and Scooby Sneak Into Lego Dimensions
Adios, bank balance
After much internet rumour and speculation, a listing on Walmart for some Lego Dimensions packs (that was hastily removed) has confirmed a Portal and The Simpsons level pack for Lego Dimensions. It also included listings for character packs on Scooby Doo, Jurassic World and Chima. The news comes after many Lego fan sites have...
Parent Trap Why Affordable Multiplayer Adventures Matter
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson tackles a space odyssey with his kids
Players in young families are all different, but they are also all in the same place. That's why local multiplayer games with different roles of varying difficulty work so well. However, get the balance wrong and young players will soon los
Parent Trap Lego Dimensions Could Be A Game-Changer In The Toys To Life Sector
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson reveals why Lego fever is gripping his home
With each year of parenting comes new challenges and, it seems, a new video game craze to spend money on. After Skylanders, Disney Infinity and amiibo, this year we also have to contend with Lego Dimensions. As you've likely seen, this offers a Toys to Life experience with...
Parent Trap What My Kids Want From Lego's Toys To Life Concept, Lego Dimensions
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson on the future of Lego video games
Recent rumours of a new Toys to Life product from Lego has the internet buzzing and has made my kids put on their inventor hats. If you missed it, this is the news that Warner will team up with Lego for a new title called Lego Dimensions to compete with Skylanders, Disney Infinity and...
Parent Trap Mario Party amiibo Toys Get Both Genders Battling
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson talks Toys to Life
While my family have well and truly been bitten by the deadly amiibo collecting bug, until now this had been the territory of my two boys rather than my daughter. Although we all play Super Smash Bros. she rarely gets the game out herself. However, the arrival of Mario Party 10 and the related Super...
Video Here's How Long Mugen Power's New Nintendo 3DS Extended Batteries Last
Power to the people
We recently reviewed Mugen Power's New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL extended batteries, and gave them a thumbs up to anyone who is willing to sacrifice form for longevity. Thanks to their massive capacity the batteries dramatically increase the stamina of your New Nintendo 3DS system, but you don't need to just take our...
Parent Trap Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Is Beast-Slaying Brilliance For The Whole Family
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson goes hunting with the youngsters
Keeping gaming healthy in the family isn't an easy task. Children always are inevitably attracted by the allure of more mature experiences. Playground chatter and children
News Star Wars Landspeeder Breaks Cover In Disney Infinity 2.0
The Force is strong in this one
While many are assuming it's a foregone conclusion that this year's Disney Infinity update will introduce the Star Wars franchise, there are actually many other directions Disney could take. However, for the time being at least it looks as if Disney is going to take the predicted - and perhaps desired - route. More...
Video New Nintendo 3DS and XL Batteries Put to the Test in a Family Showdown
Charging times and features also explored
Earlier this week our colleagues at Family Gamer TV put the New Nintendo 3DS battery to the test against some of its predecessors. It was a pretty handy indication of where it stands, but there's now an updated video that throws in the New XL and shakes up the settings to satisfy our curiosity. In addition...
Video Family Gamer TV Puts the New Nintendo 3DS Battery to the Test
Smaller New model compares favourably to the old XL
A topic that's been posed to us with regards to the New Nintendo 3DS is how well the battery actually performs. Nintendo's official specifications show each model - standard and XL - as out-performing their predecessors by around 30-60 minutes, depending on activity. In practice we find that there...
Parent Trap The Eyes Have It, Why amiibo Detail Matters
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson on why amiibo is such a hit in his house
Spending an afternoon unboxing Wave 2 amiibo figures got my boys more than a little excited, but along with the frenzied Christmas joy they quickly latched on to just how detailed these toys are. We first caught up with Wave 1 amiibos Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Peach before getting...
Parent Trap amiibo Packs a Hidden Family Payload
More than meets the eye
Toys and video games used to compete for family spending power at supermarket check-outs. The recent trend in toy-video-game crossovers does away with this rivalry, but for families makes purchasing decisions all the more confusing. With amiibo joining the likes Skylanders and Disney Infinity (not to mention more niche...
Parent Trap Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Is Shaping Up To Be Another Family-Friendly Classic
Family Gamer TV checks out Toad's latest adventure
If you’ve played through Super Mario 3D World you’ll already know the intricate puzzle treat of the Captain Toad levels. Looking initially simple, these fixed isometric worlds presented a substantial and layered challenge to those wanting to find every last coin. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker...
Parent Trap Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Demo Is Perfect For Pocket Monster Newcomers
Both young and old alike
Parents can lag behind their children in their video-game consumption. A combination of a sentimental connection to games of yore and a dwindling amount of free time for their hobby often results in the kids playing new games first. Even for a series as long standing as Pokémon, many parents simply don’t get what all the...
Parent Trap Can Biff, Chip And Kipper On 3DS Really Help Kids To Read?
Family Gamer finds out
The best-selling Phonics Fun with Biff, Chip and Kipper book series offers a unique learning experience tailored to UK schools not only in the style of teaching but the characters and books used to help children learn to read. The global nature of video-games warrants the investment that brings us some of the best...
Video Wii U Skylanders Trap Team Gets First Full Showing At EGX 2014
Gotta trap 'em all
At EGX this week there was one booth on the Nintendo stand with a constant crowd of kids. Unlike the other games on offer though, young players at the expo each contributed to a team effort to beat Skylanders Trap Team — a kind of communal “EGX Plays”. A lot of the excitement was around this being the first full public...
News Disney Infinity Guardians Of The Galaxy Playset Wii U Visuals "Closer To Xbox 360"
Studio Gobo spills the beans
With today’s Guardians of the Galaxy play-set announcement for Disney Infinity 2.0, Family Gamer TV had the opportunity to visit Studio Gobo and ask them about where the Wii U version of the game would sit in comparison to the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. When asked whether Studio Gobo were covering all the platforms...
Video Mario Kart 8 Final Reveals The Top UK Family Racer
Speed demons
After weeks of heats and numerous family competitors, Family Gamer TV whittled the field down to the final four racers in their Mario Kart 8 competition. In a head-to-head final race the families each cheered on their children to complete Toad Harbour ahead of the field. Ben (racing as Mario, top left), Jarvis (racing as Larry, bottom...
Talking Point Nintendo Rewrote the E3 Rulebook With a Focus on Children
Sharing the experience
With their online press conferences and fan events Nintendo has been doing E3 differently for a couple of years now. This year, though, it broke one of the golden rules of show business — never work with children. A Kid’s Corner initiative brought some hand-picked children into E3 to try out the new games and experience...
Parent Trap Rewriting The Family Gaming Script With Pokémon Art Academy
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson gets his crayons out
What most parents think when you say the words “video game” and what gaming families enjoy are two very different things. Far from the shooting and high impact action many mums and dads assume are the driving force behind the hobby, video games actually offer experiences as creative, imaginative...
Parent Trap Amiibo Charts A Fresh Course In The Toys To Life Sector
Wallets are going to suffer this Christmas
Seen one toy-video-game craze and you’ve seen them all, right? Counter to first impressions Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Angry Birds Telepods each offer a distinct experience. Nintendo’s amiibo characters offer another new way to combine toys and video-games, but how different is it to these other...
E3 2014 Getting To Grips With Amiibo, Nintendo's Revolutionary Take On NFC Toys
Make some space on your shelves
We all knew that Nintendo's "figurine platform" would be shown off at E3, but now it has a shiny new name: Amiibo. Taking inspiration from the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity, Amiibo is based around character toys blessed with NFC tech which can be read by the Wii U GamePad (and an optional 3DS accessory which...
News Here's A First Look At Skylanders Trap Team Villain Buzzer Beak
Pecking order
If you're interested in all things Skylanders, then you'll be pleased to know that our friends over at Family Gamer TV have an exclusive reveal of a new Skylanders Trap Team villain Buzzer Beak and his related Air Trap. As you can see, he appears to be inspired from a variety of different animals, with the beak of a toucan and the...
Video Family Gamer TV's Mario Kart 8 Championship Plays The Motorsport Card
The search for the UK's best Mario Kart 8 family is under way
As we reported previously, the search for the UK’s top Mario Kart 8 family is now under way. The first two round results have just gone live today, with the top member of the Hunt and the Sharp family going forward to the finals. This is the first time these families have played the...
Video Check Out This Mario Kart 8 And Mario Kart Wii Moo Moo Meadows Comparison
Ahead of the pack?
With Mario Kart 8 getting rave reviews all over the interwebs, Family Gamer TV has dialled in for some close up comparison of the Moo Moo Meadows level on both the Wii and Wii U. While it is of course expected that the Wii U version looks better, quite how much better is kind of mind-blowing. Certainly this night and day...
First Impressions Does Mugen's 2DS XL Battery Make Or Break The Handheld?
With great power comes increased girth
Whether you love or hate the Fisher Price-style design of the robust 2DS, we can all agree on the need for longer battery life in our handheld devices. With that in mind, Mugen is just about to release a battery upgrade for the 2DS that doubles the capacity of the internal power cell and costs a princely $89.99...
Coming to the new game, too?
As we all know, Disney Infinity 2.0 will feature a large helping of Marvel characters. However, families with children who aren't as excited by the idea of a game based all around superheroes can take solace in the glimpses of a few non-Marvel characters we see in the trailer, along with the promise made from the...
News Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes Comes To Wii U But Not Wii
All the details inside
Disney Infinity has done impressively this year. From a standing start it sliced a sizeable portion of the toy-meets-video-game market for itself. While some would suggest this was predictable with such a rich array of household favourite characters to draw on, Avalanche Software still needed to execute an enjoyable game that...
Video Behold The Difference Between Skylanders Trap Team On Wii And Wii U
Compare and contrast
With Skylanders Trap Team being developed by lead developer Toys for Bob on the Wii and Beenox on the Wii U, choosing the best platform to play it on just got a little harder. Stepping into the breach with more Skylanders Trap Team videos are Family Gamer TV. Here, they compare the visual fidelity of different generations of...
News Disney Infinity Executive Producer Discusses Wii Version's Limitations
Won't be drawn on future Wii support
Disney Infinity arrived late last year with a big task on its hands to take on the all conquering Skylanders franchise from Activision, yet it's had a solid start — it was one of the top 10 selling games in the U.S. in 2013, and has enjoyed spells of out-selling its major rival. With its Toy Box mode and...
Apple shames unethical mineral suppliers, but will Nintendo do the same?
Progress isn't always a good thing. New consoles, gadgets and services can hold a hidden price which goes way beyond what we pay at retail. The minerals that are used to create much of our technology are often obtained from conflict-ridden parts of the world — such as the...
Parent Trap Wii Fit U Accepts Our Varied Bodies
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson has another look at Nintendo's fitness title
Video games reflect wider society’s desire for the perfect body. Having children only presses this issue home and means I’m pickier about the shape of our video-game protagonists. However, I have been happily surprised then to see how Wii Fit U handles this. Rather than...
Rumour Disney Infinity 2 Coming To Wii U, But Not Wii
Job listing appears to confirm sequel is on the way
Last year, we saw Disney Infinity hit multiple formats and impress with both its toy-based gameplay and commercial performance. Unsurprisingly for such a high-profile, family-friendly franchise, it would appear that Disney is keen to turn the series into a yearly event; a new job listing seems to...
Video Nyamyam's Jennifer Schneidereit Talks Tengami On Wii U
Folding is fun
We personally can't wait to get our hands on Tengami, and with the launch looming ever closer it's the perfect time to remind ourselves of how amazing this Wii U eShop adventure is looking. Created by UK studio Nyamyam, Tengami is described as a "relaxing" and "reflective" experience, and the hands-on time we got with the game when...
Parent Trap StreetPass Makes Social Networks Social Again
StreetPass is social networking without the junk, says Andy Robertson
We all have peculiar reasons to like particular videogame hardware. Whether it’s the diminutive form factor of the Game Boy Micro, the wonderful ergonomics of the GameCube controller or the ingenious speaker on the Wii Remote, these designs trigger something inside us that...