As the year draws to the close, we here at Tech With Kids have been busy compiling our BEST of the BEST lists. We review children’s tech products all year long, and post reviews of the ones that represent the best the industry has to offer or those that are getting a lot of buzz.
This week we named our:
This list is arranged from the youngest techie (age 2) to the oldest (all the way up to parents — make sure you steal your child’s iPad to play Monument Valley!). It contains the top book apps, puzzle apps, games, apps to create movies, apps to learn to code, and so much more. This list is overflowing with innovation! Downloading these apps would be perfect for any family trying to build a top-notch app library for their kids. Both Android and iOS apps are represented.
This list offers toys that have been sprinkled with digital magic to make them sparkle. Parents can find app-connected toys, robots, building sets, and even a video game with real toy figurines.
This time of year, video game companies reveal their lineups for the fall releases at a conference called E3 and at “early look” press meetings. So far, four titles have grabbed my attention as must-have games for families with kids. Look to nab these when they hit store shelves later this year.
Releasing Oct. 5, 2014 from Activision on Nintendo Wii, Wii U, 3DS, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One
The fourth game in the mega-popular Skylanders franchise, this one continues to pioneer the use of toy figurines to bring video characters to life. When kids place a toy on a portal, the toy comes to life in the game as a playable character.
What makes it cool: All the past Skylanders games had a great story and interesting strategy and combat elements; and Skylanders Trap Team has all that. New to this adventure game is the ability to trap the villains into real toy crystals, thus removing them from the game. But even better is the option to then bring the trapped villains back into the game to do your bidding as you fight to clear out the other bad guys roaming throughout Skylands. These trapped villains have useful powers and deliver plenty of hilarious snark as they talk to you from within the toy trap when it is placed in the new Traptanium Portal.
http://www.skylanders.com/trapteamReleasing late fall, 2014 from Nintendo on Wii U
Where can you find your favorite Nintendo characters all in one place and posturing to be the biggest hero of all time? In Super Smash Bros., a battle game coming to the Wii U this holiday season. Iconic characters vie for supremacy in a king-of-the-hill-type gameplay where each character has unique combat moves in an environment rife with exciting power-ups. Joining the Nintendo gang are other video game greats such as Pac-Man, Sonic, and Mega Man.
What makes it cool: It is a riot to see beloved characters pulled out of their game environments and placed into the frenetic competition of pushing other characters off of stages. Kids can choose to play as popular characters such as Mario, Peach or Pikachu, or they can create their own fighter using their Mii. This game will also allow kids to use toy collectible characters called amiibos as a way to bring a Nintendo character into the game.
http://www.smashbros.com/us/Releasing November, 2014 from Sony on PlayStation 4
SackBoy is back in a brand new quirky platform puzzler. Players can jump, fly, and zip through zany worlds while collecting game development pieces to build their own game levels to share with the world.
What makes it cool: Adorable SackBoy attained rock star status in 2008 when he was first knitted into LittleBigPlanet. In this third iteration, SackBoy has made new hand-stitched friends: OddSock, a four-legged creature who can scamper and wall jump; Swoop, a bird who can fly and carry his friends over treacherous terrains; and Toggle, a woven behemoth who can switch into a tiny version of himself to travel through small crevices. This four-player game offers delightful co-op puzzling.
http://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/littlebigplanet-3-ps4Releasing Oct. 21, 2014 from Disney Interactive on Xbox 360 and Xbox One using Kinect
Based on the treasured animated film Fantasia, this musical motion game lets players become the conductor/composer as they wave their arms to follow visual cues that appear on the screen. With a story mode about working with Scout, a former Sorcerer’s apprentice, to push back noise that has been accidentally released into 10 different realms, players explore diverse musical genres depicted in environments ranging from urban to underwater.
What makes it cool: As the new sorcerer’s apprentice, players use their bodies to remix over 30 musical scores and transform 10 different environments. The combination of wielding magic and composing music creates a powerful play experience.
http://games.disney.com/fantasia-video-game