Posts Tagged Nintendo

My 8-year-old son really, really likes playing video games on his Nintendo DS. While I limit its use when we’re traveling, I also embrace his bringing it along on car and plane trips to help keep him occupied. Yes, I always pack non-electronic activities, too, but when I just want to chill out and read a book in peace for an hour, I know the Nintendo DS can grant me that quiet time.

Me? I have only used a Nintendo DS once about two years ago, to review a grown-up game called Zenses: Ocean. I liked the brain-teasing games (accompanied by meditative music and soothing visuals), but after I fiddled around with it in order to write about it firsthand, I never played it again. I actually haven’t picked up a hand-held video game player since then.

When I was offered the chance to review two video games I thought my son would like, Backyard Sports Sandlot Sluggers and Bakugan Battle Trainers, I figured my son could help me explain how to play the games and share what he liked (and disliked) about them.

What I learned? Don’t expect an 8-year-old boy to do your work for you.

My son has played the two above games on our frequent trips and family vacations this summer. Given the shouts of “Home run!” and “Take that!” he’s emitted from the back seat of our minivan, I know he’s had fun playing them. He’ll even tell me he likes them… but getting him to articulate exactly how the games are played and why he likes them is another matter.

I watched over his shoulder as he maneuvered his quick-moving thumbs over the X, Y, A, B and arrow buttons on his Nintendo DS a bit recently, and came up with these observations:

In Backyard Sports Sandlot Sluggers, you play baseball games in various places in the neighborhood. Your fellow players are tween-age multi-ethnic cartoon characters. There are multiple game modes, including seasonal play (with or without playoffs), post-season games (with brackets and all) or a quick pick-up game. From my 8-year-old son: “I like the story mode, where you get to make a player, create a team and play other teams for points, and advance.” He also said he likes the Power-Ups, which are special moves you can temporarily activate — like the flaming bat or booger ball — that can give you a competitive edge.

Regarding Bakugan Battle Trainer for the Nintendo DS, it’s based on the very popular game (among elementary-school-age boys anyway) played with magnetized, plastic, balled-up monsters that pop open to reveal G-power when they land on a magnetized card. (Trust me, I don’t fully understand the board game either.) In original Bakugan Battle Brawlers, you get to create your own character and attributes, and then battle against other players to boost G-power and collect gate cards. With Battle Trainers, you acquire and hone the skills of up to 30 different monsters — essentially training them for better battle. From my 8-year-old son: “I like that it’s very similar to Bakugan, but it’s virtual.”

Though I’d never in a million years sit down and play these games the way my son does, I can recommend them for other kids his age. They are rated E for Everyone, and except for some mild fantasy violence in the Battle Trainer game, I think the scenarios are quite mild and, I believe, appropriate for eight-year-olds.  That is, if you’re the type of parent who allows vide0-game play at all. For me, I’m happy to have my son enjoy his “electronic time” — in moderation — on vacation.

Buy Sandlot Sluggers on Amazon.com for $19.99 and Bakugan Battle Trainer on Amazon.com for $14.99.