In Part 1 of my Kids Computer Game Recommendations for 2008 I listed non violent computer game recommendations for the PC/Mac and related to online gaming sites. In Part 2 I will highlight my recommendations for Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS games for the season. As my regular readers know I am a HUGE Nintendo fan and they never cease to amaze me with the quality products they put out. Last year I also did a post where I highlighted my favorite Nintendo DS and Wii Games and those recommendations still stick as AMAZING games to check out. It is harder to break down Wii/DS Games by specific ages since so many are good for the entire family. So I will list my favorite Wii Games and my favorite DS Games separately and list age restrictions if there are any.
Nintendo Wii GAMES
Wii Fit
I gave a full review along with a video of Wii Fit here. I do LOVE this game. When it first came out I religiously played it 4-6 times a week for a month and I did get in better shape and lost weight. From yoga, to slalom skiing to hula hooping and step class… this has lots of training games to help get you in shape. It can keep track of stats for up to 8 household members and is full with information on health and wellness. My daughter who is 5 can do the majority of the exercises and games without getting frustrated — I think this is fun for everyone but you have to play one at a time. Visit my review for a lot more information and see others reviews on amazon to see JUST how much fun you can have while getting in shape playing Wii Fit.
Pet Pals (Animal Doctor)
Recommended for ages 10+ due to mild blood. If your child (or you) has ever had any interest in being an animal vet or learning more about animals THIS is the game for you. You start in a waiting room with pet owners waiting to bring in their animals for you to look at and treat. In the waiting room you have the computer screen where you can go and play jigsaw puzzles, a memory match game, an animal trivia game or learn more about animals. You can hover over the patients in the waiting room to see the symptoms of each animal before you choose one to work on. The animals are all pets; dogs, cats, parrots, frogs, rabbits, and canaries are some of the animals you will see. When you choose one you are brought into the treatment room and have a certain amount of time to figure out what is wrong with and treat the animal. You get points for doing things right and you lose points for giving the wrong treatment. They have various tools you can use such as magnifying glass, syringe to take blood, stethoscope for vitals, etc. Each requires you knowing how to use the wii remote to control the tool. The more animals you treat successfully the more tools you will unlock and eventually you will be doing surgery on animals! There is also the recovery room which has activities such as feeding the animals and caring for them while they recover. Again, you will unlock more activities as you play. Pet Pals (Animal Doctor) is a very educational experience. You can play on easy or normal level. The easy level walks you through and even lets you ask for hints if you are not sure WHAT to do with the animal next. The games on the computer in the waiting room as appropriate for younger kids as well but there is a lot of reading and some mild blood while you work on the animals so I would say ages 9 and up for the real vet work. If you have an animal lover in your home that wants to learn more about animals, their bodies and the kinds of illnesses they get – Pet Pals (Animal Doctor) is the game for you!
Mario Kart
We are a Mario & Luigi family. I remember playing the first Mario Bros when I was a teenager in NYC and now it is awesome to play these games with my kids. Mario Kart is a very fun racing game that you can play with 4 people. It comes with one steering wheel you can snap the Wii remote into but it is just as fun playing without it. Choose various characters and different vehicles to race with. As in usual Mario fashion — the more you play and solve the more you unlock. This was one of the best rated games of the year and is still one of my kid’s favorites. From the amazon description:
The worldwide race is on with a whole new set of tricks, tracks, and ways to play! Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions. Mario Kart Wii draws on courses and battle arenas from every game in the series – not to mention tons of new ones – the true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuits will finally be crowned.
Mario Kart Wii does not disappoint and is one the whole family can enjoy playing.
Wii Music
On our second visit to Nintendo World in NYC we got to sample Wii Music a few days before it was released. Wow is it cool! My mom was with us and at the time declared it would be under our tree because this is one the whole family will DEFINITELY get into! The Product Description from amazon kind of says it all:
- Wii Music for Nintendo Wii lets you play musical instruments and make music using the Wii Remote and the Wii Balance Board
- Start a band with up to six different band members
- Pick a background stage, and shake, move, and press buttons to play up to 60 different instruments for a ton of melodic fun
- No need to press a specific button at a certain time; instead you just need to mimic the actions of playing that instrument
- Save up to 30 music videos and create playlists among your favorites
We tried the trumpet, drums, flute and a few other instruments and can’t wait to try the others. Wii Music is appropriate and FUN for all ages.
Wii Guinness Book of World Records
This is #1 on my son’s wishlist but we have not played it yet. My son has become recently obsessed with all things Guinness Book of Records especially after receiving the Guinness Book of records book of 2009 in 3D. He’s seen the commercials and when we read the description from Amazon it became the #1 request for Christmas. Amazon says:
- With more than 35 different stunts based on real Guinness World Records, the whole family or a group of friends have a shot at becoming a record breaker
- Compete online with other challengers from around the world to be the Virtual Guinness World Record Holder
- Get listed in the actual Guinness World Records archives by earning the highest worldwide score on any stunt
- Travel the world to compete in crazy record-breaking stunts such as – Fastest Time to Crush Watermelons With Your Head, Fastest Time to Eat a Plane, Fastest Time to Shear a Sheep, and many more
- As you explore the globe, stand on specific hot-spots to reveal interesting facts about records that have been broken in that location
Some of the games include shearing sheep, tightrope walking, balancing a car on your head and splittings watermelons…. Wii Guinness Book of Records looks like tons of fun for the whole family.
Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock
There are a few different versions of Guitar hero. Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock Bundle comes with a wireless Gibson guitar and Guitar Hero 3 which features over 70 of the all time greatest rock songs. Here are the amazon hihglights:
- More than 70 of the most legendary rock anthems of all-time
- Added multiplayer modes: arcade inspired Guitar Battle and the dual shredding co-op career
- Challenge the legends of rock and roll in boss battles
- Take those axe shredding skills online and rock around the world
- All-new tricked out venues taking you to hell and back
Guitar Hero has been a sought after video game for a while now and while it began on Playstation it is so nice to see Nintendo offering it as well. If you are considering a Guitar Hero game I suggest looking at all the various ones and picking which one best suits your family. This game is fun for all.
Classic Wii Games
I have a post where I reviewed many Wii Games here. The highlights from that and games I still love and recommend highly are:
Nintendo DS
Disney Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force
My kids LOVE Club Penguin Online and were SO excited for this release to come out for the DS. It has MANY more missions than the site has as well as the ease of being able to sit and play Club Penguin games in comfort on your DS! My son and daughter both love this and if you have a Club Penguin Fan(atic) in your house than Elite Penguin Force is the game for you.
My Sims and My Sims Kingdom
I love the Simm Games as mentioned in my post about Will Wright. My Sims for the DS is a version of the Sims games for much younger kids. It is loads of fun and quite satisfying and you unlock more to do and more games. This game is for good readers so I would say ages 7 and up would get a lot from it. You move into the town and need to improve it. By talking with people and figuring out what it needs to unlocking furniture to design My Sims has lots to offer in creativity and growth.
My Sims Kingdom is the newest release in the younger Sim line for the DS and here are some hihglights mentioned on amazon:
- King Roland needs your help to revitalize his Kingdom
- Meet new MySims like King Roland, Princess Butter, and TOBOR. Then say hello to old friends with the return of Ginny, Buddy the Page, and the super-friendly Chef Gino to name a few.
- Traverse the vast and varied lands of the kingdom, each with its own unique theme. Visit the Kingdom’s Capital, explore Rocket Reef, hole up in Cowboy Junction, and more!
- In addition to houses, you can now build bridges, fences, and new contraptions such as windmills, water pumps, and more!
- Help King Roland defeat the plans of evil in a far flung corner of the Kingdom. Play 9 new minigames and do your best to show your worth!
My Sims Kingdom looks like a fun edition to this line and I am hoping Santa brings it for one of my kids so I can have a peak! 
Kirby Super Star Ultra
The Kirby games in general are wonderful for kids that like Mario type games. It requires some figuring out of which move will work where. This game has tons of adventures and the best graphics so far of any Kirby game to date. Both my kids enjoy this and Kirby is definitely appropriate for any age. This game features mini games and DS download play so you can add more friends to the mix for some fun. The lovable pink fluffball Kirby in Kirby Super Star Ultra provides tons of fun.
Zoo Vet (Endangered Animals)
Recommended for ages 10+ due to mild blood. Similar to the Zoo Vet Pets game for Wii above but this is with Endangered Species. This game includes 30 newly written medical cases contributed by veterinarians practicing throughout the world. You will care for gorillas, elephants, penguins, polar bears, komodo dragons and more. This game takes advantage of the stylus by letting you use it as a tool for making precise incisions. As with Zoo Pets as you successfully complete caring for animals the missions will get harder and you will unlock more instruments. There are also 6 different mini games, played on the office computer, where players can interact with the animals in their natural habitats. For example in one game you blow into the DS microphone to remove fleas from the animal. If you have someone in your family that enjoys learning more about animals and helping them I highly recommend Zoo Vet (Endangered Animals).
Drawn to Life: Spongebob Squarepants Edition
For the Spongebob lover or artist in your family – this game is amazing. You need to draw objects/characters with the stylus in order to complete scenes and move forward. Just like the episode where Spongebob and Patrick find the “magic pencil” including the evil “DoddleBob” While the game is appropriate for everyone I think younger kids would get frustrated with this. I think ages 8 and up is a good age group for this game as there is also reading involved. Drawn to Life Spongebob is FUN for adults as well who like Spongebob and enjoy drawing and puzzles.
Classic DS
I reviewed my top Educational Games for the DS last year and they are still amazing games! Please check out the post for more info on:
Brain Age 2 and more
Nintendo is an amazing company with games fun for the whole family. From the cutting edge games and technology on the Wii to the access on the internet — we have used the Wii more than any other gift we have ever received. The whole family enjoys it and it is something we can do together. The DS has saved us many breakdowns in long car rides and I LOVE that they offer many educational games for the kids. We are not a family that supports TV watching in the car so the DS offers something the kids can do and use their brain while they sit. If you are worried about getting a game in time for Christmas, consider Amazon Prime. It is amazon’s service that allows you to pay a one time yearly fee of $79 for unlimited free shipping. Right now they have a special promotion going where you can try it for one month for free. Happy Holidays! If it is PC/Mac games you are looking for please check out Part 1 of my recommendations.
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