Toyology

We will be honest here. Upon opening the box for our Appmates toy we were thrown into a dilemma. New exciting toy we want to play with vs preserve the screen of the beloved tablet computer. Perhaps not surprisingly the urge to play won.

The way it works is simple. Download the free Cars 2 Appmates app, grab your little model cars and get playing.

You have to hold the side windows to operate your vehicle, but then you simple move it across the screen and the background moves along with you from a birds eye view, while you complete the various levels.

There are a range of options too which you can win as you progress through the game such as different tyres, headlights and weapons. And with the cast of cars to play with you can explore different parts of the game depending on your character of choice.

While our only concern is that the fiddly aspect of keeping hold of the side windows to make the car work might prove a touch too much for tiny hands, we’re pretty certain that whether you’re worried about scratches on your screen or not, you’re not going to be seeing it any time too soon if the young’uns get ahold of it.

Have a looksee at the Cars 2 appMATes demo here

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Road to nowhere….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Often referred to as one of the world’s biggest car-parks the M25, love or loathe it (anyone who does love it do let us know) imagine how bad things could’ve been without this 127 mile loop around London. Celebrating, although we don’t know of any parties, it’s 25th anniversary this weekend we’ve found M25 the boardgame, never a huge seller in the 80′s but as a retro purchase we think it looks rather fun. The aim? To get around the M25 shaped(ish) board, your passage impaired by others and challeges along your route include lip-reading what other drivers are trying to say to you, gesture in the form of a mime what you may think of a player’s driving or draw a phrase which you may feel describes other drivers on the M25 – £20 on ebay, beware this seeler also had Home and Away the boardgame and other rarities from the 80′s, you could end up leaving here rather light of wallet – You have been warned

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Since back in June (thanks Tesco) we’ve been inundated with top tens (lots of them), fab fifteens (fewer of those), eclectic eights, super sixes etc etc……then yesterday, the one which the media come out in force to see,  is the annual Toy Retailers Associations announcement of their Dream Dozen. It’s an eclectic round up of 12 toys across many categories that the organisation, which represents 75% of Toy retailers in the UK, reckon are going to be the hottest property this Yule, so, laydees and gentlemen without further ado, here they are :

Doggie Doo, John Adams, RRP £22.99
Fijit Friends, Mattel, RRP £54.99
Fireman Sam Pontypandy Rescue Set, Character, RRP £29.99
Kidizoom Twist, Vtech, RRP £49.99
LeapPad Explorer, Leapfrog Toys, RRP £79.99
Lets Rock Elmo, Hasbro, RRP £69.99
Milky the Bunny, Flair, £59.99
Monster High Lagoona’s Hydration Station, Mattel, £39.99
Moshling Tree House, Vivid, RRP £18.99
Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster, Hasbro, RRP £44.99
Ninjago Fire Temple, Lego, RRP £91.99
Star Wars Ultimate Force Tech Lightsaber Assortment, Hasbro, RRP £39.99

This year there were two new award categories,  the Kid’s choice and Mum’s choice awards, tested and voted by the people who really matter, read on for those results :

(more…)

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Scrabble winner is strangely recognisable

 

 

It isn’t because Nigel Richards has been crowned world champ for a second year running, well done on that, $20k better off after the five day tournament in Poland, we think he has one of those faces we’ve seen before. Anyone remember Wooly Willy, the man with a magnetic personality, or so the box said, more like the man wih iron filings in his face, but there’s an uncanny resemblance don’t you think? He also has us in mind of a couple of the original Guess Who characters,

 

Scrabble adds a few new tricks

 

 

 

 

 

 

The shout out for the public to submit their own fiendish ideas to make Scrabble Trickster even trickier has resulted in five new elements of play added to the latest version. With the Scrabble purists already up in arms with Trickster V1.0 allowing  in playing words backwards, using celebrity names and nicking other players tiles they’ll be foaming at the mouth now.  The new rules that can be brought into force when a trick tile is placed were selected from over 1,500 suggestions and go like this :

Text speak – use acronyms such as like OMG or LOL.
Double scores for anadromes – words which make another word when spelt backwards such as Spam/Maps.
Pass – offload an undesirable tile to an opponent.
Replace – swap any one tile on the board with one of your own to steal the points.
Challenge – a challenge where opponents try to beat the score of the card-holder.

Scrabble Trickster UK Edition is yours for £20

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Just months after the launch of version one of the real-world Angry Birds board game there’s another one ready for pre-order, just in time to cash in on fans of avain flinging to stick it on their list for the bearded one. This version is entitled On Thin Ice and includes girders, breakable ice-blocks and a TNT box that’ll smash to pieces satisfyingly if your Angry one scores a direct hit. Included inside are a big red bird and yellow bird, three green pigs ( 2 of them can wear the included hats). Combine this set with your original set and create your own bespoke version of the game, for this modularity option Mattel we salute you! It’s $19.99 in the USofA and a couple available on eBay in the UK

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There’s some debate at Toyology Towers, those from the south claim it has been “Bundlee” since saxon times but we from the North claim the Vikings named it “Pile On”. Of what do we talk? Why that collective yelling of the phrase in question when there are a group of people and one hapless individual is lying on the ground, spotted by one other amongst the group who then yells out the phrase in question and all the others “pile On” or “Bundle” atop. You can acheive similar results via the guise of playing a less child-like way and purchase Twister, already got one? OK, Cholcolate Twister? Same play format but each move is selected from choosing a square with instructions on the outside as to which limb goes where, then, award yourself with the Belgian delight inside. £9.99 HERE – The perfect after dinner game, Trivial Pursuit…Pah

 

Heaaavvvvve!

 

Let’s own up, we were all waiting to see if England actually stood a chance in the world cup this year before we started making our patriotic purchases. Well one game in (SPOILER ALERT) and it’s looking good so time to quickly order the official Rugby World Cup game we reckon.

Complete with little rugby men figurines and a wall chart so you can document the real thang too, we’re glad to see that the rugby board game authorities didn’t just opt for the easy option of creating  a rugby type subbuteo game but instead have gone for something a bit more original, which bears more than a passing resemblance to Pass the Pigs. You chuck your team down on the pitch and see how the chaps are laying (on their sides, on their backs, on top of each other etc) to score points and hopefully get the best combination.

Not too dissimilar to the game itself really…

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Meta-Morph-osis

Morph fans the world over, rejoice!

You’ve got your Morph keyrings, bookends, miniatures, lifesizes, some where in the middle models… now it’s time to pre-order your Morph It Dough Modelling Game. Oh yes.

Imagine another popular family board game where you mould dough into a shape to depict a word on a card and other members of your team try to guess what it is. Now add Morph and Chas to that game. Didn’t it just get 467% more fun!? (*approximately)

We’ve got the Play doh out for practice sessions in the office, it’s only sensible.

Pre-order yours at Firebox for £19.99

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Gears of War board game costs a bomb

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’ll blow a hole in your wallet at over fifty quid but the Gears of War boardgame is likely to appeal a) Hardcore GoW console fans who’ve finished level 280 and Version 3 and b) Anyone researching how console games are being brought to life – That’ll be me then. There’s a chance that you fans of card based gaming might like it too, it’s a tactical play with 200 cards and thirty playing pieces will allow the you’ll relive classic moments from Gears of War. From running into cover, spraying your enemy with blind fire to ripping him in half with your Lancer’s chainsaw.

 

 

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