The Results Are In For What’s Hot With Kids Today

June 16, 2011 By

Justin Bieber topped the list when The NPD Group, as part of its Kids Industry Data Service (KIDS), asked “what would the kids you know say is the hottest new thing these days?” in May. Mentions included celebrities, movies, television shows, toys, games, hobby, sports, web sites, brands, and retail stores. NPD compiled 2,095 mentions for kids ages 0-14. The results were:

  1. Justin Bieber (10 percent)
  2. Nintendo Wii (2 percent)
  3. Dora The Explorer (2 percent)
  4. Xbox 360 (2 percent)
  5. Cars: The Movie/ Cars 2 (2 percent)
  6. iPad (2 percent)
  7. SpongeBob SquarePants (2 percent)
  8. Disney (2 percent)
  9. Video games (2 percent)
  10. Thor (1 percent)

Bieber also topped the list in the same survey conducted in February, with 14 percent. The NPD Group’s Kids Industry Data Service (KIDS) provides monthly insight into purchases made on behalf of kids ages 0-14, across product categories, with an emphasis on licenses and brands. Each month, the service asks an open-ended, unaided question designed to provide insight into what is hot with kids today.

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Rocksmith Lets Players Use Real Guitars

March 15, 2011 By

Ubisoft has just announced the development of Rocksmith, a new video game franchise. Rocksmith is the first and only game where players can plug any real guitar with a standard quarter-inch input jack into an Xbox 360, a PlayStation 3, or a PC, and play through an in-depth library of music including everything from the latest hits to classic rock songs.
Featuring gameplay that automatically adjusts to the player’s skill level and  game design that makes reading music visually fun and intuitive, Rocksmith engages experienced musicians and those who are picking up a guitar for the first time. The game includes a  library of music from classic rock bands to current artists, such as The Animals, The Black Keys, David Bowie, Interpol, Nirvana, and The Rolling Stones.
Developed by Ubisoft, Rocksmith is slated to be released in the second half of calendar year 2011. For more information on Rocksmith, follow the game on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rocksmithgame, or visit www.rocksmith.com.

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Electronic Arts’ New Video Game Lets You Create

August 4, 2010 By

I got a chance to view Electronic Arts‘ new video game Create at EA’s Holiday Preview event and thought it was one of the company’s more innovative titles. In Create, players are placed in various floating landscapes that can be altered with hundreds of items collected throughout the course of the game.

The developer I spoke with said Create is about two things: solving puzzles and creating worlds. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of puzzles scattered throughout the floating landmasses that act as canvases for creation. The game’s puzzles ask users to capture or transport various objects to designated points while deflecting rockets and other hazards. In this regard, the game feels like a combination of Capcom’s Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure and 5th Cell’s Scribblenauts in that puzzles have multiple ways of being completed, although the actual completion steps are passive (you don’t control the action so much as you create the setup. For example, a player can place a convertible car under some cannon balls, push play, and watch the balls fall into the car as it speeds away). [Read more...]

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Electronic Arts Holiday Preview

August 2, 2010 By

I recently attended Electronic Arts‘ 2010 Holiday Preview press junket and found the company pushing a large amount of family-friendly video games this holiday season. Expect further announcements from EA regarding embargoed products, but until then you can read about the company’s upcoming Hasbro’s Family Game Night 3, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Littlest Pet Shop Online, Littlest Pet Shop 3: Best Friends, Monopoly Streets, and MySims SkyHeroes after the jump. [Read more...]

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Nintendo Dominates Top Family Games for May

July 7, 2010 By

The NPD Group has released its list of Top-Selling Family Entertainment Titles for May 2010, with games for Nintendo consoles filling 18 of the 20 spots. Maintaining its standing from April, Ubisoft‘s Just Dance for the Nintendo Wii came in at No. 1, while Picross 3D and Zhu Zhu Pets, both for the Nintendo DS, came in second and third, respectively.

The two non-Nintendo DS or Wii games on the list were Guitar Hero 5 and Rock Band 2, coming in at No. 11 and No. 16, respectively, both for the Xbox 360.

[Read more...]

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DanceDanceRevolution for Wii Announced with New Upgrades

June 17, 2010 By

Konami Entertainment has announced the release of an all-new DanceDanceRevolution for Wii, to be released this fall.

The version for Wii will build on traditional game play while introducing new elements, most prominently the new Choreography Style mode. The new mode will allow users to move with the model dancer on screen using their body, mat controller, Wii Remote, and Nunchuk simultaneously. The game will also incorporate traditional Wii play style with the use of the Wii Balance Board. The game included a new multiplayer mode that allows up to four players to become ultimate dancers by using their upper body to follow the on-screen dance moves.

DanceDanceRevolution originally debuted in arcades in 1998 and has previously been available on the Xbox 360 gaming system and PlayStation.

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Michael Jackson Gets New Singing, Dancing Game

June 15, 2010 By

Ubisoft and The Estate of Michael Jackson have joined together to announce the holiday release of a performance-based Michael Jackson game. The game will feature hits songs, such as Billie Jean and Beat It, as players sing and dance like the pop star.

The game will be available on Microsoft’s Kinect (Project Natal) for the Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3 system with PlayStation Move support, Nintendo’s Wii, Nintendo’s DS, and PlayStation’s PSP.

This is the first Michael Jackson game to be released since Sega Genesis’ Moonwalker in the early ’90s.

Photo Credit: WiiNintendo

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Rock Band 3 Features New Instrument, Expanded Set List

June 15, 2010 By

Harmonix and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks, has announced the third installment to the Rock Band series. Distributed by Electronic Arts, Inc., Rock Band 3 gives players the option to expand their game into real practice sessions with additional accessories.

Rock Band 3 features a new keyboard instrument and an 83-song, on-disc set list, expandable to over 1,500 from an online catalog. The game will be compatible with both previously-downloaded songs from the Rock Band series and previously-released instruments. Users will also be able to share set lists with friends online.

For expanded realism, players can purchase instruments with real-world functionality to play with the game. For example, the drum set can be expanded with three cymbals, and a hybrid, electric guitar/game controller can both be used in the Rock Band Pro game mode. Mad Catz, Inc., is the official accessories maker.

Up to seven players can interact at the same time on instruments ranging from the bass to three-part vocal harmonies. The game also features new game play modes and will be available this holiday season on the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and DS, and Sony PlayStation 3.

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The Toy Book Previews Project Natal for Xbox 360

February 18, 2010 By

The Toy Book had an awesome opportunity to preview Microsoft’s new Project Natal (a codename) for the Xbox 360, and it’s pretty cool. With Project Natal there’s no need for a controller, which for many people can be daunting with all types of buttons, joysticks, and other contraptions. Instead, YOU are the controller. If you want to kick the ball on the screen, just kick out your leg and kick it! If you want to turn the virtual car to the left, stretch out your arm and turn! Natal is similar to the Wii, but there is no controller, only your body.

[Read more...]

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