Aces High Main Arena- Is There Enough BANG! for your Buck

If you think $15 a month is a lot of money to spend on a game, think again - it's only 50 cents per day. I end up finding that much under the couch each day. The monthly fee gets you access to the Main Arenas at Aces High and that is where all the action is!

Aces High is the best World War 2 game out there in terms of aviation.
The 300 player battles are better than 8 player could have ever been. There are toms of players on, and unlike 8 player, there is a bad word filter. The lag is greatly decreased, and there are no cheaters or hackers in them. Skins that you make or download from Aces High can also be used and seen by other people. In the MA's you can also join a squad, or create one.

Happy flying!

PS - Sign-up for Aces High now and compete for cash prizes in the Aces High Championship Shootout! Every month through March, the top 15 pilots are awarded cash prizes and qualify to compete in the Championship Shootout for the Cash Grand Prize! Visit www.flyaceshigh.com for complete contest rules.

Google Earth Top Secret Flight Simulator

Just a short post, if you press Alt+I in Google earth you can get a flight simulator. It has no sound but you can choose an F-16 or an SR-22 (a small piston powered plane, not a fiction jet).
The throttle is the page buttons, landing gear is g, flaps down f; up shift f. You can fly with the arrows or the mouse . It's a fun way to explore and has great graphics. You can get Google Earth here if you don't have it already.




If anyone figures out how to add sound to it please post a comment.

America's Army-The Army's Next Generation Recruitment Tool

A few years ago the U.S Army came up with a great way to get new recruits-A video game! It's called America's Army and it's a great first person shooter for tweens.

Pros:The blood can be turned on or off in case you dont like to see it. There are a ton of maps and it comes with a map editor. The controls can be reconfiured to your joystick and keyboard. four types of soldiers: Infantry, Airborne Ranger, Special forces and explosive specialist. The controls are a little hard to get used to but its fun when you do. Very realistic. Free download. Rated "t" so most tweens are probably old enough to play it.

Cons: One of the only things I didnt like was the training missions have to be completed before you can play any multiplayer or campaign mission. Huge file size ( 2 GB)

Download it from http://www.americasarmy.com/downloads/

In my opinion this is the most life-like first person shooter I have played.

Pokémon Pearl

Pokemon Pearl Version is one of the games my 11 year old got this summer. Here are the things he likes and dislikes about the game - in his own words:

Thinks I like:

• The game has Wi-Fi abilities for trading, battling and chatting
• There are more than 150 new Pokémon to catch, trade, and battle
• It is possible to catch all but about 50 of the 482 Pokémon between Diamond and Pearl
• Pal park is a new feature that allows you to transfer and re-catch your Pokémon from GameBoy Advance games with master balls
• There's a whole new region to explore - Sinnoh

Things I don't like:

• To complete the national Pokemon Diamond & Pearl Pokedex: Prima Official Game Guide you have to have the other Nintendo DS and GBA games
• You can't use the touch screen to move
• Most legendaries have a 0.03 catch rate, so it's hard to catch them

Webkinz

Webkinz is the latest craze in our house! It all started when my youngest was given a Webkinz while she was in the hospital this summer. She named her cute Polar Bear, Coconut, and she couldn't wait to get home and set up an account on Webkinz. It wasn't long before her older sister was wheeling and dealing for time on Coconut's user and then decided to save up her own money for a Webkinz of her own.

So what is all the fuss about? Each Webkinz stuffed animal has its own unique code that its owners can enter at the Webkinz web site. Once an account is created, the owner can name their virtual pet and start playing. There are games and activities to play for fun and Webkinz dollars. There are things you can buy or sell for your pets using your Webkinz dollars, too.

The real hook comes when the girls real world friends log-in and they can play games with each other. Yes, you can add friends that you don't really know, but for now, my girls prefer to play with kids they really know.

But for some reason, my girls are not happy with just one animal each! They are currently saving their money for additional Webkinz. Leading the pack are:

Dogz Fashion

If you are looking for a cute game for the 5-12 girly set, we highly recommend Dogz Fashion for GBA.

My 8 year old daughter gives the game a glowing review. With Dogz Fashion you can pick a puppy, dress it in cute clothes, care for it, take it for walks and even enter it in contests. You earn points along the way as well. Some basic reading ability is needed.

According to Miss M,

"If you take good care of your dog, it's heart level will go up and when it is all the way up, your dog will be able to talk."

New Gameboy Micro Fits in the Palm of your Hand

While waiting for his sisters to finish their gymnastics practice tonight, my son discovered a cool new handheld from Nintendo - the Game Boy Micro Black. His friend was playing it and let my son give it a try while the friend was in Karate class.

The Gameboy Micro is COOL. It is the size of a cell phone but has great screen quality. It plays all the GBA games, but not the old GB classic games. Still, that leaves tons of games to choose from. It also has a collection of skins so you can change your Micro's look with your mood.

My son was most impressed with the Micro's battery life. I think he played Kirby Nightmare in Dream Land for about 2 hours and he said the battery light never came on. I did some research - the battery should last 6-8 hours. That is perfect for long car trips and waiting for the sibs at sports practices.

The Micro is also less expensive than the other Gameboy models. You can get it for around $50.

Has anyone else given the Micro a test drive? What are your thoughts? Is it worth it or is a DS a better deal all together?

Nerf Wireless Controller for PS2

Want to know the most requested PS2 accessory for the tween-set right now? It's the Nerf Wireless Controller. My son asked me to pick one up for his friend's birthday and then he couldn't put it down. I can tell my son really wants one too, because he asked how much it was, how many chores he needed to do, and where I got it.

The answer to those questions: I found the controller on the shelf at Target and it cost $29.99. I have yet to see it show up on Amazon yet, so it must be pretty new.

Even my husband said that he wanted one. It is pretty cool - the outside of the controller is Nerf material, making it easy to grip and it is soft (just in case one goes flying into another object). This one is still in the package, but I sure it will get "road tested" this evening at the party.

These Robots Rock

Robots were all the rage at the CES 2007 in Las Vegas this past week. We have had so much fun watching all the videos of the different robots in their collection, including Elvis, the new Robosapien, Roboboa, and the pandas. We are sharing some of our favorite videos with you!

• Playlibrary had a great PCWorld clip of the Robotis Bioloid Robot Kit.
• PCWorld's blog featured a great highlight clip of many of the Robots in action.
• Wowwee's Panda does not even have a remote - you interact with it through touch.
• Engadget has a good clip of three new robots from Wowwee - the Roboquad, Robosapien media, and a singing Elvis
• And there is also a video of Asimo running. Cool stuff!