Despite the weather reports and all the white stuff outside, spring is coming. And while the rotational axis of the earth glides into the warmer temperatures, March and April school holidays in the U.S. will get families on the road. Yet our youngest family members get bored fast. Thankfully, if they’re already Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi owners, there are ways to keep them occupied and keep those “Are we there yet?” questions at bay. Here are several games that remain in our “Go To” list for when we’re going out of town.
The Pokemon Series – Nintendo’s global success with odd little creature with funny names is also universally popular with kids and adults. With the upcoming U.S. release of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver games on March 14th, fans will be flocking to stores yet again. For parents, Pokemon games are E for Everyone rated and last 10-30 hours. While younger kids might have difficulty with the text heavy portions of the game, early readers get the gist of the game quickly.
New Super Mario Bros – This retelling and redesign of the classic Super Mario Bros. game that many parents may have played as a child brings new moves, new challenges and hours of replayability. That means that even when Mario’s finished butt-stomping Goombas, there’s still more to do.
Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games – Kids loved the recent Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada and Sega’s easy-to-play style combines 27 different, yet challenging events with 20 popular characters from Sonic and Mario along with 20 of their infamous cohorts including Donkey Kong, Tails, Metal Sonic and Bowser. My six year old would give three thumbs up for this one if he could.
Peggle Dual Shot – Yes, that peg-busting game with the shiny unicorns and rainbows also exists on the DS. It’s the best version yet since the game spans both screens of the DS with the bottom one used to control the aiming device. Stacked with 115+ levels with various levels of challenges and new bonus levels where players gain gems and power-ups, you may find your spouse playing as much as the kids.
LEGO Batman, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones – Kid-friendly LEGO games on the DS are all E-rated adventures that are insanely popular with kids from 6 to 60. Easy to play, very little written information and bloodless action makes these a worthwhile adventure. And with each of the games selling for $14 to $20, they’re easy on the wallet too.
Mario Kart DS – Nintendo’s signature kart racing game brings Mario, Bowser, Prince Peach and the rest of the gang onto the roads in a world of vehicular combat and bumper car fun. Driving is only part of the challenge as other players fight for position. Special abilities, acquired at specific points on the racing tracks let players shoot items like turtle shells at fellow racers. The game is also Wi-Fi enabled which means that by merely owning one copy of the game, up to 8 players can enjoy head-to-head racing — the perfect solution for competitive families.
Insider Tips: Before heading out on the road, consider what you’re going to do about recharging the DS/DSi. The average DS battery life is about 10 hours (DSi runs from 3-18 hours; depending on game, use and screen brightness) but with wear and tear, and when family members forget to charge it; your child’s playing time could be significantly less. So if your child plays a lot, consider buying a carrying case with a built-in rechargeable battery. We use a TekCase for DSi (MSRP: $29.99) that uses a garden variety USB plug to charge, adds more protection for little gaming device and nearly triples playtime. Also, consider buying a set of kid-safe headphones (easily found at Target, Amazon and Toys R Us) that lower the volume and cup their ears instead of having ones that could damage their inner ears. More pricey options like the headphones from Able Planet are also good solutions as their LINX AUDIO technology makes for sharper sounding audio at lower volumes and Kidz Gear’s award-winning Wireless Car Headphones for Kids MSRP: $34.99) cut down on the backseat cable spaghetti.
Happy trails and happy gaming!
