Free Pokemon Game Online - Pokemon Indigo

Well this looks snazzy! A free, online pokemon game. It's called Pokemon Indigo. It doesn't require downloads, and it doesn't matter which system or browser you use (according to the site).

Have you played it? Any good? I hope my daughter doesn't see this, or I might have to peel her off the computer.

Wii Fit No Good for Fitness?

There has been some criticism of the Wii Fit, saying that it's not a good tool for fitness because people don't stick to it.

First of all, any form of exercise is not effective if you don't stick with it. So duh.

But, beyond that, is it worth sticking to? Is it compelling enough?

Our kids certainly lost interest in it, especially when it was competing with Super Monkey Ball and Mario Kart.

So we bought My Fitness Coach, and told them it was part of their homeschooling. They could play My Fitness Coach or Wii Fit, but no other video games until they were done with their work.

Well, they like it so far! My Fitness Coach seems to have a lot more variety of exercises, but it doesn't have "games". So having both fitness programs gives them a choice.

So far, they are a good pair, and fun. I think that one could easily stick to a routine with one of these games if it fits their fitness interests, and they like to workout at home. And it certainly gets the kids off the couch and using muscles other than their fingers.

Candy Land as a Movie?

Candy Land as a movie? That just seem wrong to me. I feel bad for the people hired to write the script. This seems worse than writing a term paper on the history of cement.

Three Free Games from Amazon: The Scruffs, Jewel Quest II, and Build-a-Lot

Amazon is launching a new online game download division. As part of the promotion, they are giving away three free games for Windows/XP; Build-a-Lot, The Scruffs (both real estate games), and Jewel Quest II. Enjoy!

Lego Factory - Online Lego Building Game

Lego's planning to go online. Can the magic of Lego really be captured by an online game?

Although this sounds kind of neat, and it makes sense that Lego would go this direction to stay in the game and toy market, it just seems...well...empty. The great thing about Lego is having the pieces in one's hand and manipulating them. When the structure or contraption is done, it's a real object to play with and enjoy.

But who knows, maybe they'll hit a sweet spot that can't be replicated in real life. In any case, I'm sure my hubby and the kids will at least want to give it a spin.

Pokemon Without Energy

My daughter has created a way to play Pokemon TCG without using any energy.

We each get a deck of pokemon - any pokemon, our pick. I'm not exactly sure of her mental algorithm, but she has one for determining which pokemon powers we can use, and when we can bring out our stage 1 and 2 pokemon. When we play, I ask her whether it's OK each time I want to use a power.

It's interesting playing this version with her. She's bypassed all the boring red tape of the game, and created a version that has only the fun stuff - attacking each other.

The downside - there's very little strategy. For a 7 year old, I think that's just fine.

Webkinz Unicorn and Sorry!

There is a super duper cute Webkinz Lil Kinz Unicorn I found on Amazon today. I wonder if the Valentine's fairy is reading my blog today.

Last night, the family played Sorry! together. I forget how much fun classic games can be.

Webkinz Cheats

I saw a post today that listed the various Webkinz cheats, like ways to get money, get items, or get high scores in the games.

That just doesn't seem fun, or right, to me.

This is supposed to teach kids how to earn money, and then use it wisely. It's supposed to teach kids how to take care of their pet. How is giving them a forever healthy pet, or tons of money, making the game better for them?

As for adults who play Webkinz and have to cheat, there really are no words to respond to that.

The Gem of the Day

In Webkinz, there is a daily gem hunt. Everyday, there is a gem of the day. Yesterday, we found it. Everyone was jumping up and down with excitement.

I thought there would be fireworks or some kind of super duper prize. Nothing like that. Just a little extra cash if we decide to sell it. Some people have said that they were offered 800+ kinzcash. We were only offered 250.

Also, we're not quite sure what the legendary crown of wonder would give us if we manage to collect all the gems. I suppose, we'll just have to wait.

Proud Mother of Two Webkinz

My daughters have decided that I am their Webkinz' mother. They are not the mother, I am.

My two new children are Beary, a white polar bear Webkinz, and Carrot, a white rabbit webkinz.

Beary and Carrot "ask" for the same hugs and kisses my other two daughters get. They come to me when they are hungry. They also required to be strapped in a seatbelt when we are driving in the car.

I had no idea that when I got my daughters' a Webkinz, that the would be my responsibility too.

The upside is, if the Webkinz are my children, doesn't that mean I can log in and play with them whenever I want to?

Game Reviews: Apples to Apples and Doodle Dice

I put up two game reviews at Hubpages. One is for the Apples to Apples game. The other is for Doodle Dice.

Hope you like them!

New Year's Is the Holiday for Gamers

We're throwing a New Year's Eve party. Low key. No major event planning. Just games, drinks and food. The food and drink we had to run to the store for. The games, we had plenty of those.

We have board games, card games, Xbox, Gamecube and PS2. We're inviting neighbors and friends. People want to play games? They know the house to come to.

It's not going to be a big crowd. And that suits us fine. Gives us more chances to have a turn playing Rock Band.

Happy New Year's everyone! And happy game playing!

Webkinz and iPhone

My Google Alerts sent me this article for my Webkinz keyword search. I thought it was going to tell me that we can play Webkinz on the iPhone.

If I could easily play Webkinz on the iPhone, I might be tempted to buy an iPhone.

2 Hours of Webkinz a Week

I was reading a blog today that said 2 hours of computer time a week is plenty for kids. And Webkinz are making kids play on the computer all hours of the day instead of reading and other things. (Wait, don't kids do this in school?)

Here's the question on my mind: how can we get everything done on two hours a week? There's feeding, Wheel of Wow, games, Bingoz... the list is endless.

Hidden Fruit on Webkinz

There are some new hidden fruit on Webkinz apparently. Among other new winterey things.
I haven't found the fruit yet though. If I find the fruit, I get have some for my pet!

I mean, for my daughter's pet. Right. My daughter's.

Mom Is Playing Webkinz

Well, the girls finally did it. They roped me into playing Webkinz.

Here's how it happened: I was innocently reading my email, and the girls were frustrated because they never had enough money to buy the stuff they wanted on the game. In my mind, I thought, "I wonder if they'll learn to save their money."

Instead, they gave up. Saving would take forever, especially with a four year old who, when left alone for just a minute, spends all the hard-earned cash the 6 year old was trying to save. ("Mommy, I want my own webkinz for Xmas," she tells me.)

I was curious - how hard is it to make money in Webkinz? Especially for a 4 year old?

So I logged in when they were asleep and poked around.

It turns out, Webkinz is really fun! I earned the kids 500 Webkinz Cash (which the 4 year old spent on a fish lamp. For her bear. He likes fish, she says.) It's really not that hard to earn cash (for someone who is old enough to understand how to game the system). And there are a lot of fun games to play to compete with others. Not to mention the toddler gambling - Wheel of Wow, Mining for gems, Webkinz Scratchers, The Wishing Well.

I spent the rest of the day exploring "Today's Activities". Hour by hour, I checked back to see what new cool stuff we could do.

I can see why Webkinz has earned the name "Toddler Crack".

So moms, be wary. It's not just toddler crack, it's mommy crack too.

Hungry Hungry Hippos

I guess one can never be too old to play Hungry Hungry Hippos. For my son's 9th birthday, that's all he wanted. He wanted it so much, he asked everyone for it.

I was sure we'd end up with several boxes of the game. So I didn't get him one. Of course, he ended up not getting his game and he was really disappointed. So, 6 months later, we finally got it.

It's loud. It's hectic. The marbles get everywhere. But one great thing about this game is that all three kids are on a level playing field. The 4 year old, 6 year old and 9 year old. They smash it with all their might. And who wins? Who cares? It's all about the smashing.

Hungry Hungry Hippos was a huge hit when I was a kid. My brother and I would play it for what seemed like hours of good fun. My mom must have been extremely tolerant (or deaf) because she never complained about the racket it made. I'm not as strong.

Do you remember Hungry Hungry Hippos? Do your kids enjoy the games that you played as a kid too?

Pokemon - We Are All Family, Aren't We?

Dawn over at GameSpot had a great article about Pokemon. Well, more specifically, about the DS.

She's a mom, like me. And she plays DS, like me. She's playing Puzzle Quest (awesome game! I actually played that one until the end.) And she finds that it brings people of all ages together in public social situations.

As a mom, having kids is a great topic for random conversation with other women. Sometimes grandfatherly like men. But, young people don't usually strike up conversation with me because I have kids.

Now, having a DS with me, or playing Pokemon, that's what gets their attention.

Between the kids and the pokemon, I'm pretty much guaranteed something in common with someone while we're out. The kids too. Seriously, the world is their friend - all they have to do is whip out the pokemon cards.

New York Times Discovers Pokemon

Apparently, Pokemon has made such a comeback that the New York Times noticed. The DS games seems to have been a major variable influenceing the resurgence of the Pokemon industry. But the TV show, merchandise and even the card game helped too.

Sales of the trading cards this year have already exceeded sales for all of 2006, and by the end of the year are expected to triple last year’s total, according to Pokémon USA. The June 4 debut episode of “Pokémon Diamond and Pearl” on the Cartoon Network was the top-rated show that day for boys ages 6 to 11.

I don't know about boys from 6-11, but our house, girls are part of the demographic too!

What about the girls? You think they are missing out on a huge market potential there?

Pokemon - the board game

This weekend at our yearly homeschooling conference, we were perusing the used resource room, and found Pokemon Master Trainer Board Game. (We also picked up three Pokemon videos.)

Allison and Cameron LOVE it. Allison loves it so much, that if nobody will play, she plays by herself.

Everyone plays Ash. Each person goes around the board trying to capture wild Pokemon. Each Pokemon piece has a number on it, and you "catch" it by rolling the right number on the dice. There are also items to be found that help boost your fighting capabilities, as well as event cards that give you a chance to battle other players or trade Pokemon.

The final battle can only be won if Ash can defeat his Rival, who has a very powerful Pokemon and a huge attack bonus.

It took the kids about 10 minutes of play to figure it out. And it takes about a half hour to play the game (longer if you spend a lot of time battling each other and trading before fighting the Rival).

If your kid is a Pokemon addict like ours, and likes games, check out Pokemon - the board game.