Gamer Mommy & Geek Boy

Pokemon cheat sheet for parents

Don't know Pikachu from Chimchar?

Need a Pokémon crash course just to keep up with the kids?  Stay in the game with these tips.

• The main series of Pokémon video games is about exploration, adventure, and of course catching, training, and battling with Pokémon. Players can discover over 490 different Pokémon characters. Some are easy to find, but others are very rare. 

  

• Pokémon started as a video game on the original Nintendo Game Boy and since then has evolved into a global phenomenon including the Pokémon Trading Card Game, an animated television series, 11 feature films, toys and many other products.

  

• The cute yellow Pokémon with red cheeks and pointy ears is called Pikachu. Pikachu is one of the most popular Pokémon characters and is the mascot of the Pokémon franchise.

  

• Your child plays the role of a “Pokémon Trainer” in the main series of video games. A Trainer’s goal is to travel the local region of the Pokémon world, catching, training, and battling with Pokémon on a quest to become the region’s Pokémon League Champion. Along the way, they will usually encounter a group of villains who they must stop.

  

• There are hundreds of different Pokémon characters. One of the player’s goals in the main series of Pokémon games is to assist the local Pokémon Professor in gathering data for the Pokédex, an electronic encyclopedia containing information on the various Pokémon. The more Pokémon you find and catch, the more data you collect in the Pokédex.

 

• All Pokémon are classified into types and have unique abilities based on these types. For example, Pikachu is an Electric-type and is able to use special moves like Thundershock. Piplup is a Water-type who can douse its opponent with moves like BubbleBeam. There are 17 types in all that interact with each other in a “rock, scissors, paper-like” way. For example, a Water-type Pokémon has an advantage over a Fire-type Pokémon; a Fire-type has an advantage over a Grass-type, etc.

  

• A Pokémon Trainer catches wild Pokémon by battling them with one of his or her trained Pokémon. Once the wild Pokémon has been weakened, it can be caught by the Pokémon Trainer.Pokémon are caught in a Poké Ball – the basic version is a red and white ball. Pokémon usually remain in Poké Balls when not used in battle.

   

• Trading is a key element in the main Pokémon games. Players are able to connect their game to their friend’s game to exchange Pokémon characters. Players can work together to achieve the goal of completing the Pokédex.

  

• Your child can typically transfer the Pokémon he or she has caught and trained to the next new games in the main Pokémon series they so can continue with their favorite Pokémon.

  

• Pokémon never die or sustain serious injuries in battle,. When they use up their energy, they can be knocked out—as which point they return to their Poké Balls.

  

• The more times a Pokémon battles, the stronger it gets. As Pokémon get stronger, they grow or evolve into different Pokémon. For example, Pikachu can evolve into Raichu.

  
  

Pokemon Platinum launches; crowds lined up to purchase game

Pokeman's most famous character, Pikachu, greets Lauren Bergin during the launch of Pokémon Platinum Version video game this past weekend in New York.

Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Plaza is mobbed Saturday, March 21, 2009, as kids and not-so-little kids lined up to preview and purchase Pokémon Platinum Version video game for the Nintendo DS system. Gotta catch 'em all.

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Personalize your wish list for Mario to deliver

Mario delivers the world you wish for with a personalized wish list for holiday gift giving.

Register online to let friends and family know just what you're looking for this holiday season. 

The eponymous Nintendo icon calls or emails with all the goodies that you want to get.

What an adorable way to sleuth out holiday gifting.

San Francisco Wii music street musicians entertain

Crowds gather at Pier 39 to experience Nintendo's newly released Wii Music, a great game for casual gamers of all ages, a must-have for holiday party fun.

Addictively sweet holiday fun with We Cheer

Don't know what to get your inner cheerleader for the holidays?

Try We Cheer from Namco Bandai for the Wii.  It's the perfect game for girly-girl tweens (or for yourself if you were more the pen pocket protector sort than the sporty type back in the day). 

Customize your pep squad girl with the perfect competition outfit and then get ready for some pom-pom play. Dance and cheer to 70s disco kings, KC and the Sunshine Band,  or contemporary rock bands like Paramore or Boys Like Girls.  Hilary Duff fans, relax.  She's got a track too.

With several modes to choose from -- exercise, competition or party -- there's an opportunity for everyone to play and compete as well as burn off some of the holiday goodies.

Wii remotes function as pom-poms, although we got a nifty red & blue set to show off our rah-rah-sis-boom-bah.

Cheer, dance and unlock new teammates, outfits, songs and more.We Cheer with it's doe-eyed anime cheerleaders is addictively sweet fun.

Cooking 101: Personal Trainer Cooking for the DS

More than I love writing about videogames (and button-mashing too), I love to cook.  Imagine my delight when I got my hands on Personal Trainer Cooking for the DS.

It's fantastic for the beginner or the experienced foodie with close to 300 recipes representing world cuisines, ridiculously easy voice commands, shopping features, equipment and ingredient glossaries, and technique video.

All this is jammed in a system that fits in the palm of your hand and can easily pop into your bag for a quick run to the grocery store.

i assumed there would be no competition from Geek Boy on this one.  Surely a cooking game couldn't beat out sessions on the Wii with Animal Crossing?

Sadly I was mistaken.  Geek Boy grabbed it and began exploring Vietnamese spring rolls, Australian meat pies and Mexican salsa and tortillas.  Will calamari be next?

There is an upside.  He'll learn to cook and I can get kitchen duty off.

Rated E for Everyone ought to know how to cook fabulous food. What a great holiday gift!

Unsolved Crimes: Free Your Inner Detective

Unleash your CSI alter-ego with Unsolved Crimes.

The plot revolves around a rookie detective with the NYPD's homicide division, circa 1976.  The game models itself after "cop shows of the era, establishing its style nicely with a cool title sequence that makes use of appropriately dated video footage of the Big Apple and some quintessentially '70s theme music," according to Gamespot, whose reviewers gave the game a 6 out of 10.  You play as an anonymous detective, partnered with "the young but experienced Marcy Blake and take your orders from the gruff but likable Captain Abbot."

Investigations take you from "neat and tidy poisonings to truly grisly axe murders. Your investigations also take you to a good variety of crime scenes, including a small suburban home, a city park, and a fleabag motel."

 Rated T for alcohol reference, blood and violence. Unsolved Crimes is an Empire Interactives release. Unsolved Crimes.

Casual gamers will find it entertaining with each case taking roughly an hour to crack.    Users rate Unsolved Crimes higher than Gamespot and, indeed, it's more fun for a casual gamer than it might be for others. If schmaltzy cop 70s shows are your thing, you'll love it.

Animal Paradise: Puppies Without Poo

Kirby is Sweet Sixteen

Or is he?  Is the rosy-cheeked, sweet-smiling Kirby really nothing more than a troubled teenager?

Since he bounced into Dream Land in 1992, Kirby has been a pink puff ball on the path to international superstardom.  What's not to like about a denizen of Dream Land?  Disliking Kirby would be like holding a vendetta against Princess Lolly of Candyland.

It just isn't done.

But somewhere along the way, our sweet-faced pink power puff transformed into a a super tough with  some killer moves -- inhaling enemies and spitting them out as stars (wish I could do that!) and swallowing foes then copying their super-secret abilities.  Heck, he's even punch-drunk -- competing in punching contests.

A remake of the beloved Super NES game, Kirby Super Star, the DS version -- Kirby Super Star Ultra, released September 22, is a multi-player (up to four with download play) that features original modes with updated graphics as well as a ton of new fun.

"Run, float and fight your way through the adventure games... gobbling up enemies as you go" to experience plots ranging from Kirby's fight against King Dedede who is grabbing all the food in Dream Land to Meta Knight's quest to train for the ultimate battle. 

Rated E for Everyone. 

Nintendo Pre-Release Party

Nintendo World, 10 Rockefeller Plaza, is having a little pre-release party for Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Saturday, September 6, from noon to 2 p.m. at their Rockefeller Center Store.

And, yes, it falls in the category of my favorite word: FREE.

We'll skip the Top of the Rock next weekend and mash buttons instead.

Participants of all ages and gaming skill levels are invited to help crack the mystery of missing millionaire Phil T. Rich during a live interactive performance with characters from the game.

Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir turns gamers into "professional sleuths." Using intuitive touch screen controls, players gather clues to crack the case of missing millionaire Phil T. Rich by finding their way through series of seek-and-solve scenes. The game's mix of seek-and-solve challenges. The multiplayer action game with memorable characters and brilliant graphics is rated E everyone.

Nintendo knows how to throw a party so expect food, fun, game kiosks and prizes to be won .

We like prizes, among other things, like fun.