Video Game Reviews | The Dancing Hotdogs Present...

Skylanders SWAP force coming Fall 2013

February 12, 2013 by Eddy Leave a Comment

Activision Publishing, Inc. CEO Eric Hirshberg sharing the big news. Image courtesy of Skylanders Last week, I got the opportunity to check out the premier of the newest edition of the hit video game series: Skylander SWAP force. Held at the NASDAQ center in New York City, the event was part of Activision’s and Toys R US’s effort to celebrate the success of the Skylander brand and the premier of the SWAP force line of toys and game. As a part of this event, the NYC Toys R Us store was giving away a new Skylander’s Giants character: Ninjini. The biggest new feature for the game is the ability to customize the unique powers of the SWAP force figures. Check out the official trailer. This “swap-ability” is accomplished through the ability to split the characters in two, allowing the player to switch the halves between various characters. With 16 different characters, there are over 250 different combinations possible. When the new combo is placed on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: PR & Media Events, The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: Activision, ceo, characters, Eddy, event, force, games, giants, nasdaq, new york city, ninjini, NYC, party, skylanders, swap, toy r us, video

(Video) Game Party Champions Review and Sweepstakes

February 5, 2013 by Eddy 2 Comments

Utilizing the new Wii U controller, Game Party Champion attempts to put a new twist on some old party games. While overall, the game did not provide any ground breaking gameplay, there was enough enjoyment especially when playing with Rock to merit keeping in our growing WiiU library. Check out our video review below: Game Party Champions has 8 separate minigames with various unlockable level. The mini games are as follows: Ping Pong Skill Ball Water Bulls-Eye Mini Golf Table Hockey Hoop Shoot Football Batting Cages Each game uses the Wii U controller in a different way and provides a bit of fun diversion and competition to the new system. Game Party Champion is available only for the WiiU and retails for around $26.00. Now is your chance to add Game Party Champions to your collection as we are giving away FIVE copies to Dancinghotdogs.com readers. Sweepstakes/ Giveaway! FIVE Dancing Hotdogs.com reader will win Game Party Champions for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dancing Hotdogs Family Product Reviews, The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: champions, Eddy, fun, game, games, Nintendo, party, play, video, wiiu

(Video) We Sing POP! Wii Video Game Review

February 5, 2013 by Divina Rodriguez Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of We Sing POP! I am not really a gamer but this new generation of interactive Wii games is just so much fun! Whenever there is a fun new game, it’s family fun night at the Dancing Hotdogs household. Take to the stage with We Sing Pop!, the first game in the We Sing karaoke series to feature 30 sensational pop hits from the World’s leading pop stars. Perform like a true pop idol with 6 decades of original hits to choose from including modern day pop icons and chart legends like Adele, Jessie J, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and more. There are eight multiplayer party modes to choose from, making it a great addition to family game night or a sleepover with friends. Some other features include, singing lessons to help train your voice, performance replay that allows you to add cool effects to your voice and player statistics with a detailed breakdown of how you performed. Check out the video game trailer. We Sing POP! Is a really fun karaoke style game that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: singing video games, video game review

For Dads: A WiiU review for Dads

January 13, 2013 by Eddy Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of Nintendo When you are a dad, time seems to have a habit of flying. One moment you are waking up at 6 in the morning to go to work,the next you are setting your alarm clock to wake back up at six. In those blessed few moments before I go to sleep I wonder where my day went. I can remember the times where there seemed too many hours in the day, and almost all of it was taken doing stuff I wanted to do. Not to say that I regret the things that I am doing now; being a husband and dad, but those responsibility roles seem to sap up all the time I have. While I don’t normally speak for D, I am pretty sure that she agrees with me. Now you may be wondering how this applies to Nintendo’s latest video game system. Then let me explain; the key is being able to fit in those “me” moments with the “we” moments. For those of you that like to play video games the WiiU is the first console to allow you to be able to do that. Not only can you play … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Dads, The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: 360, arkham city, Batman, console, Dads, Eddy, family, for dads, graphics, handheld, nextgen, Nintendo, PS3, vita, wiiu, xbox

(Video) XBOX 360 Kinect Sesame Street TV & Nat Geo TV Event

January 10, 2013 by Divina Rodriguez 2 Comments

On Tuesday, a “Sunny Day” in New York City, Rock, X and I headed to the Sesame Workshop to check out the new seasons of Kinect Sesame Street TV and Nat Geo TV. We have a lot of gaming systems in the Dancing Hotdogs household but the XBOX 360 with Kinect is by far my favorite. I love how there is no need for a controller and with the Kinect sensor you are always part of the gaming action whether you are dancing or interacting with your favorite characters. Rock and X LOVE the first seasons of Sesame Street TV & Nat Geo TV games where we got to play with Elmo and track mammals with National Geographic’s’ Casey Anderson. So we were excited to see what new interactive fun the second seasons would have and we were not disappointed. Check out the video of us playing at the event. Second Season of Kinect Sesame Street TV Children will help Sesame Street characters with tasks, play in their world and learn together. Using content from actual episodes,“ … [Read more...]

Filed Under: PR & Media Events, Sesame Street & Sesame Place, The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: family gaming, NYC events, video games

For Dads: Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth Kinect Review

November 29, 2012 by Eddy Leave a Comment

It has almost become cliché to say that serious games on the Kinect are far and few between. It becomes even rarer to see a fighting game on any motion based game system be more than a boring exercise of flaying around and frustration. While Marvel Avengers Battle for Earth isn’t perfect, it has been the most enjoyable and exciting game to recently come out on the Kinect. Developed by Ubisoft Quebec, Marvel Avengers Battle for Earth provides a game that both families and hardcore gamers can at least enjoy together. Based on the comic book story line of the Secret Invasion, where a group of aliens basically play “body snatchers” with marvel’s stable of superheroes. No one knows who the real heroes are and who are fakes, resulting in epic battle between many of the legendary heroes. The game has 8 game modes: Campaign- This consist of over 40 battles with cinematics retelling the Secret Invasion story. Arcade- players must defeat all the other characters in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Dads, The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: avengers, battle, family, fun, game, Hulk, Marvel, marvel vs capcom, Spiderman, Thor, video games, wii u, Wolverine

(Video) XBOX 360 Kinect Dance Central 3 Review

November 2, 2012 by Eddy 2 Comments

One of the most popular games in the history of the Kinect is back! Dance Central series has always held a special spot in the Dancing hotdogs household especially on holidays. It has become a Christmas tradition for the entire family (Divina hosts over 10 people every year) to play Dance Central on Christmas morning. My mom especially, is super enthusiastic about playing the game, as she like to show off all the moves she has learned to the endless embarrassment of my sister and I. While the game play is the same as it has always been for the series, the best new addition is the different challenges and modes that create a real air of competition amongst the players. Check out our Dance Central 3 movies. Some of these great modes include: Throwdown Mode: where two teams up to four people in each square off in a series of performances/dance battles and mini games. Keep the Beat: Which asks players to freestyle dance to the beat of the song. Player who stay on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: dance central, Eddy, family, fun, gifts, holidays, kinect, video games, xbox

(Video) Kinect Nat Geo TV Review

October 28, 2012 by Eddy Leave a Comment

Similar to Kinect Sesame Street, Kinect Nat Geo TV bring a whole new interactive approach to playing games with small children. Nat Geo TV takes actual episodes from the popular Nat geo show Nat Geo Wild TV hosted by Casey Anderson and his 800 pound grizzly bear Brutus and distributes throughout the shows fun mini games and interesting task that require the player to fully interact with the game. Check us out taking a look at the game: Yes, you saw correctly not only are you learning educational facts about bears and some other animals but you are having a 2-way TV experience. Our favorite part of the game has to be the games which put you in the shoes of the animal. The Kinect will show your image and transpose a animal costume on to you body. One of the more memorable was when I was playing as a bear and had to use my claws to eat ants and to bat down bee’s nest for honey. Another moment had me as a bear again using my claws to box away rivals until time ran … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: Eddy, Kids, kinect, Nat Geo, nat geo Wild, review, Rock, Sesame Street, tv

(Video) Kinect Sesame Street Review

October 17, 2012 by Eddy Leave a Comment

It seems like most video games even though they are for “kids” it seem the parents end up playing the game more than the children. This is especially apparent when playing video games for small children. Some of has to do with the fact that little kids sometimes want to watch what is happening on the screen without having to worry about playing the game. Throw in the fact that the Kinect requires you to be so physical when playing game, and you can imagine how difficult it could be for kids just learning coordination to really enjoy the story. Kinect Sesame Street really solves this issue. Rather than being a video game in the traditional sense, Kinect Sesame Street brings your child into the actual show. Kinect Sesame Street was built especially for young children focusing on: Promoting literacy and math Modeling scientific inquiry skills Fostering social and emotional development Can you imagine … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sesame Street & Sesame Place, The New, Video Game Reviews Tagged With: Bert, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Eddy, Elmo, Ernie, fun, games, kinect, review, Rock, sesame, street, video, video games, x, xbox

Kinect: Disneyland Adventures Review and Sweepstakes

May 22, 2012 by Eddy 130 Comments

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Update! This giveaway is closed. Congrats to the winners! We at Dancing Hotdogs love Disney, but sometimes it is hard to make the pilgrimage to the Magic Kingdom. Thankfully, Xbox and Microsoft have brought us the next best thing: Kinect: Disneyland Adventures. Imagine being able to travel around the famous Disney park without having to purchase a plane ticket or a parkhopper pass. Kinect Disneyland Adventure allows you to emmerse yourself into the Disney world. You are able to travel (or fly) around the park going on different rides. By rides I mean actually becoming a part of the adventure…most importantly not waiting in lines. Rock and I were able to fight Captain Hook alongside Peter Pan and battle in the high seas against the Pirates of the Caribbean, but the game is not all action. Some of the famous attractions you are able to playing in: · Alice in Wonderland · Big Thunder Mountain Railroad · Buzz … [Read more...]