Showing posts with label Family Time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family Time. Show all posts

Best Nintendo Switch Games For Family Fun: TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants


We're back with more family fun gaming for those like the individual I met during a get together at the beginning of May 2024. Not going into detail, but he was a gamer... and hung up the controller to increase his focus in areas that needed more of his attention (i.e. his family). While commendable, I did see a potential opening in terms of getting his family in on one of his favorite pass times... instead of it being shelved. If it's something you enjoy, and could potentially be something the family wouldn't mind indulging in as well for the sake of more fun times and memories, then... why not? 

Gaming as a family is a great way to bond and spend quality time together. One platform that makes this a bit easier (in my opinion) is the... Nintendo Switch! As mentioned before... gaming can be a great way to teach kids about teamwork, problem-solving, and competition in a healthy and fun way.

In addition to games relieving stress and delivering fun, there are some titles that provide additional benefits that most movies & TV shows don't deliver.

In the case of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants, your children learn about teamwork, and healthy competition. These skills are a great thing to instill at an early age so that they know the importance of working with others and not feeling as if they have to do everything alone. Serve up some delicious pizza and other goodies and enjoy your family game night on all platforms.

The last time I recall playing this game, was actually in the arcade when I took my daughter for a day of fun. This is the expanded version.

This 4-player arcade game takes you on a multiplayer adventure with our favorite turtles in a half shell... and it delivers a decent dose of lightweight action that's safe for kids to enjoy. You fight your way through 6 stages as you work together to take on 13 bosses. This version delivers 3 new stages + 6 new bosses, but... you aren't going in with your weapons and ninja skills alone.

This game also equips you with powerups, specifically one that will send you spinning to send enemies for a loop, and their individual specificials. In addition, you also have the support from other characters that assist you from time to time in order to clear the way. The action is enough to enjoy some family time on a Friday while the pizza being delivered to your place or afterwards. It's a quick jump in a go type of game that's a nice addition to your family game night library. The game can be played with 1 to 4 players on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, and PC, so no matter where you game... fun it up and create some awesome memories... together!



Key Features

  • Double the Mayhem: Fight your way through six stages and 13 boss battles, including three all-new stages and six new boss battles not present in the original arcade release.
  • Play as the Four Turtles: Join Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey, voiced by the talents of the 2012 TMNT series (Seth Green, Sean Astin, Rob Paulsen, Greg Cipes), against the evil Foot Clan!
  • Unleash Turtle Power: Use special super attacks unique to each Turtle to devastate waves of enemies and find tokens to summon mutant backup to help clear your foes.
  • Team Up in Local Co-op: Play with your friends in four-player local couch co-op.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is out now on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam for $29.99.


This game is rated E10+ for Everyone!





Best Nintendo Switch Games For Family Fun: Super Mario Bros. Wonder



Gaming as a family is a great way to bond and spend quality time together. I actually met a mom and her son in December of 2023 and motivated her to not only get a Nintendo Switch for her son but... also look forward to taking advantage of their time together by joining in on one of his favorite pastimes. That's the goal, bond, talk, laugh, enjoy your family time... and make memories that will last a lifetime. As mentioned before... gaming can be a great way to teach kids about teamwork, problem-solving, and competition in a healthy and fun way.

In addition to games relieving stress and delivering fun, there are some titles that provide additional benefits that most movies & TV shows don't deliver. You can learn different languages, how to build computers, how to type or improve WPM's, and then some.

In the case of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, your children learn about teamwork, which is a great thing to instill at an early age so that they know the importance of working with others and not feeling as if they have to do everything alone. Serve up some cheddar-filled mushrooms and other goodies and enjoy your family game night!

Super Mario Bros. Wonder... features 4-player fun that not only gives you the ability to take on baddies on the road to fighting big bad Bowser, but you can revive each other while taking on these colorful stages and their varying challenges. This will certainly come in handy for some during those difficult times on this wonder-full adventure.

In addition to Mario & Luigi, you also have Princess Peach + Princess Daisy representing for the ladies, team Toadstool which includes Toadette + the Blue & Yellow Toads, and Nabbit. Nabbit is one of those characters for individuals who want to join in on family fun... but don't exactly have the noticeable skills to pay the bills. Why? Well, he's invincible, so... no worries about him taking L's, but I still feel like he should be reserved for the individuals who would normally watch from the sidelines. He could be a great stepping stone for them, potentially challenging them to use one of the main characters one day.

This game also features the Yoshi crew, which adds another level of fun. Yoshi allows you to eat enemies, and items, carry other players, and more. Speaking of items on this crazy adventure... you have things like:

Elephant Fruit, which allows you to transform into an elephant able to swing its trunk and trounce enemies, but also other cool moves like smashing through bricks from the side.

Bubble Flower does exactly what you assume, you can use bubbles to defeat baddies or bounce on them to get over certain areas with less effort or reach new heights.

Drill Mushroom gives you the ability to not only drill through the ground like... Mr. Driller, but also through the ceiling... and the list of power-ups goes on.


The replay value goes a long way, which includes badges:

Action Badges - Grants an additional action to your character, like a Parachute Cap that lets you float down slowly after a jump.

Boosts Badges - Gives your character an additional passive ability, like earning coins for defeating enemies.

Expert Badges - This grants an advanced skill to your character, "experts only!".


What's different about this experience compared to other games like New Super Mario Bros games... is what it offers as far as creativity goes. You'd think we were on the dev team with the way they've dialed up the weird in this game, but... to be honest I also get that Super Mario World feeling too. Speaking of which... I'd love to see a Super Mario World remake either in full 2D or 3D. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available now. Grab a physical copy or a digital copy.

  • Find wonder in the Flower Kingdom in the next side-scrolling Super Mario adventure

  • Collect Wonder Flowers for surprising, game-changing effects like pipes coming alive, an enemy stampede, and much, much more

  • Choose from the largest cast of characters in a side-scrolling Mario game, including Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and other favorites

  • Ease into the action with four different-colored Yoshis and Nabbit who can’t take damage

  • Discover new power-ups like Elephant Fruit, which transforms Mario and friends into an elephant that can swing their trunks and spray water


This game is rated E for Everyone!





Family Fun Baking: SDGT Sugar Cookies

To make sugar cookies, follow these simple steps. All links are for reasonably priced ingredients:


Ingredients:

- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

- 1 1/2 cups pure cane sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 teaspoon lemon extract

- Optional: crush up fruity pebbles cereal and roll your cookies over them for festive sides

- Optional: colored sprinkles, icing, or additional toppings for decoration

If you don't want to bake fresh cookies from scratch, you can always save 23% on Pillsbury Ready To Bake Sugar Cookies!


Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.


2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.


3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.


4. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.


5. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing well after each addition. You can do this step by hand or using an electric mixer at low speed.


6. Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Place them onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between them as they will spread while baking.


7. If desired, gently flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass or the palm of your hand. You can also leave them as balls for a thicker cookie.


8. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden. Play a fun card game while they bake... Something Wild! The center of the cookies will still be slightly soft. Be careful not to over bake, as they will continue to firm up as they cool.


9. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.


10. Once cooled, you can decorate the cookies with icing, colored sprinkles, or any other toppings of your choice. Allow the icing to set before storing the cookies in an airtight container.


Enjoy your homemade sugar cookies, and please consider serving with slightly melted ice cream as a deliciously cool dip! SUGAR RUSH!!!!



            
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