- MSRP: $149.95
Anki Drive
We were not expecting to like Anki Drive when it first arrived. We didn’t. We actually fell in love with it the second we opened the box. Anki Drive turns the concept of the home-based Race car set on its ear. Instead of a track, you get a roll out mat that uses sensors to keep the cars in the track’s boundaries. Instead of those old, clunky controllers, you get an app that let’s you do all the driving right from your iPhone. If that wasn’t enough, there’s weapons! Ya. were speechless too. There’s so much to love about Anki Drive. The cars are gorgeous and they charge in just a few minutes, so you are waiting forever to be able to play. Then there’s the game mechanics. If it sounds like we’re gushing, it’s because we are gushing. This is nuts. The app does more than let you control your car and fire virtual weapons at your opponent. You have a saved profile for your vehicle and are able to level up and earn new and even better weapons to knockout your opponent. Speaking of opponents, one of the biggest downfalls of racing sets as a kid is that I would have to play with them by myself. One car racing around a track sucks. Not anymore. If you are using Anki Drive by yourself, you can still place the other car on the track and the computer will take over, giving you a “real” opponent to chase around the curves. This is one of those gifts that’s not only great for kids, but the parents are not going to want to put away after the little ones go up to sleep.
Get yours today at: Anki Drive
- MSRP: $19.95
Spot It! Freeze!
Spot it! is an award winning game series from Blue Orange Games that has been thrilling kids for several years. The game is a cross between hot potato and memory. It’s not only a lot of fun, but it is also really good for developing minds. Spot it! Freeze! is the newest game in the series and it is a lot of fun. The addition of the timer (which also serves as a handy carrying case for the game) adds a whole new level of game play and a lot more challenge for kids. Just one warning, the games might be timed, but we had so much fun playing that we completely lost track of about 2 hours of our afternoon playing this around the office.
Get yours today at: Amazon
- MSRP: $74.99
Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes Starter Pack
By now, you’ve probably heard of Disney’s Infinity. It is the recent new game system add on that’s available for all the major game systems out there which allows you to take really cool action figures of Disney and Marvel characters and then port them into a game universe on your TV just by placing the figures on the electronic base. This was cool enough when it started off just offering Disney Characters. Now that it has not only vastly improved it’s functionality with the version 2.0 release, but also started offering Marvel heroes and villains, it has become a must have gift for anyone who loves video games, Disney, and Marvel. One of the things we like about this has nothing to do with the game play or even how cool the characters look, but just with the fact that it will simplify gift giving for kids this year. If you have a kid, get him this, then you can have other relatives get the power disks and other add-on figures that are available. Not that playing with Iron Man, Thor, and Black Widow isn’t cool in itself, but when you can put them in the same toybox and start playing games with everyone from Venom, to Big Hero 6’s Baymax, and even Tinker Bell, you are in for one of the most immersive and fun gameplay experiences ever created. That’s right… suck it Skylanders.
Get yours today at: Disney
Check Back Soon! We’ll be adding a lot more to the guide over the next couple days!