Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Video Game Review

Hi, readers!

What happens when flat Paper Mario jumps into the world of Mario & Luigi? Well, you get a brand-new Nintendo 3DS game called Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam! Nintendo of Canada recently had an event where kid testers could try out the game. Read on for Liam’s review!

Mario and Luigi Paper Jam 

Review By Liam Riley

I got to go to a Nintendo event where we played this game. We were the first kids in Canada to play it! The event was fun because we got to take pictures with Mario and Luigi, did crafts and much more.

My friend Andrew and I got to meet Mario!

The game starts in Princess Peach’s castle. One day, Luigi is in a dark room and frightened by a mouse. He falls and a book drops and it releases the paper dimension. All the paper dimension characters meet the real characters. Every character has a double. You are playing as Mario, Luigi and paper Mario as you walk around battling Bowser and other enemies, while also saving friendly characters from being kidnapped.

Every character has a double in this game. Here is regular Mario and paper Mario!

My favourite part was the paper craft battle. I really liked the storyline and characters, but think that they could cut down on the dialogue. It was very long to read. I do recommend this game to kids 6+ for the bros attack battles and storyline. I hope you like the game.

I would give the game an 8/10!

Thanks for reviewing the game, Liam! Glad you had fun.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is available January 22nd and rated E for Everyone.

If you play this game, let us know in the comments!

– Mandy, chickadeeblog@owlkids.com

Video Game Review: LEGO: The Hobbit

Are you a fan of the LEGO video games? The Hobbit came out last month, and being fans of the movie and The Lord of the Rings, we thought it would be fun to give it a try!

So we asked OWL reader and gamer Anna to play this game for us. Here’s what she had to say!

Anna, 12

LEGO: The Hobbit was a difficult game to understand at first. At the beginning, there’s a 5-second cut-scene as an intro, and then the game starts with no explanation at all of the story line. You have to control two characters in the game, but you can only have one player play the game, so you have to control them at the same time. The text boxes were big, but the print was so small that it was hard to read even on a regular-size screen. My TV screen is 34 inches, and it was very hard to see the commands for which button to press. The things I liked about LEGO: The Hobbit were the graphics and music. They were really detailed and it showed that the producers actually worked hard on that. But even if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, you may not enjoy this game. 3.5/10

Thanks for your review, Anna. Sounds like a tough game, but the graphics do look awesome!

Have you played this game yet? If so, tell us what you thought in the comments below.

-Kendra, owlblog@owlkids.com

Video Game Review: Super Mario 3D World

Last week we told you about the new Mario Party game for the Nintendo 3DS. This week, we want to talk about Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U.

In this new game, Bowser and his crew have been up to no good again. But it’s not Princess Peach who’s in danger!  This time, Mario and his pals, including Peach, must save the Sprixie Kingdom from Bower’s evil clutches.

We asked OWL reader Luca to give the game a try. Here’s what he said.

Luca, 10

“What I liked about the game is that you can play as Princess Peach, so the Peach fans can play as her. Also what I like is that it’s not the same ‘Mario saves Peach’ story. You can play as other characters like Toad and Luigi from the start of the game. I think other kids would want to play because it’s a nice game full of new power-ups like the Double Mario where you get a clone of your character and the Cat Mario where you can climb walls.” 10/10

Thanks for your review, Luca! I also had a chance to play this game, and I thought it was tons of fun.

Anyone else played it yet?

-Kendra, owblog@owlkids.com

Video Game Review: Mario Party: Island Tour

There are so many fun new games out right now, it’s hard to decide which one to play! Today, we’re going to tell you about Mario Party: Island Tour  which came out last month. This Nintendo 3DS game features seven new game boards and 80 new mini games.

By the way, did you know that this is the thirteenth game in the Mario Party series? That’s a lot of Mushroom Kingdom parties!

We asked OWL reader Liam to review this new game for us. Here’s what he had to say!

Liam, 9

“It’s really cool that there are mini games inside the game. I liked the character Boo and his powers. I only wish that ALL of the characters had special powers. That would have made it even more fun.” 8.5/10

Thanks for your review, Liam!

Stay tuned for more reviews later this month of Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker.

-Kendra, owlblog@owlkids.com

Canada’s Largest Pokémon Gathering

Pokémon fans from across the world will be gathering today to celebrate the launch of Pokémon X & Pokémon Y.

This is the first worldwide launch of a Pokémon title, so to celebrate, Nintendo is hosting Canada’s largest Pokémon gathering in Toronto. And it just so happens that the celebration is going to be taking place down the street from the OWL headquarters. Cool!

But you don’t have to be in Toronto to participate. Lots of other cities across Canada, from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, are hosting their own local Pokémon gatherings. To find the location nearest you, click here.

Any Pokémon fans out there? Who’s excited to play the new games?

-Kendra, owlblog@owlkids.com