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Can’t Fool Anyone

Drew — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:59:03 +0000

I shot these Nerds close up and put them in Black and white but still they were immediately identified. I thought I could sort of pass them off as rocks, but no dice. There was no fooling some people.

And I along with all of you, did not win Powerball tonight.

Walking and Blogging, what could be better!.

Tons of Nintendo News Leading to E3

Drew — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:39:49 +0000

The theme from Nintendo this year for E3 is to bring E3 to the people. I go to a ton of conferences and E3 is one that I have not been able to attend. I hazard to guess that the majority of gamers out there have never been to E3 but are eagerly awaiting news that will be coming out of the event. Nintendo is doing something different this year and it is bringing their unreleased games into Best Buy so that gamers can experience them. I learned about this while watching the May 17 Nintendo Direct address. The video is 28 minutes long and has so much information contained within it.

One of the titles that is discussed in the video is Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D for the Nintendo 3DS. I received a press release about an upcoming event at the LA Zoo. Here are some details.

“To celebrate the launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D for Nintendo 3DS on May 24, Nintendo is partnering with the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens on Memorial Day weekend (May 24-27) to host an event on the L.A. Zoo grounds. The four-day event will feature fun activities for all members of the family, including an interactive experience at the Campo Gorilla Reserve, various demo stations where attendees can play the Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D game and coupon giveaways for $5 off the game at participating GameStop retail stores. For the weekend, the gorilla area will be temporarily renamed the “Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D at Campo Gorilla Reserve.”

“Fans will get a chance to spend time with Donkey Kong and some of his friends from the animal kingdom at the L.A. Zoo this Memorial Day weekend,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “They’ll be able to experience a fun day with Nintendo at the zoo and play Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.”

One of the weekend’s main events, a “Donkey Kong Interactive Experience,” allows visitors to watch L.A. Zoo staff feed the real-life gorillas from giant cardboard barrels that are inspired by the barrels featured in the video game. This friendly, educational activity is a one-of-a-kind experience for families and a treat for the gorillas. In addition to the feeding, there will be opportunities for fans to take pictures with the costumed Donkey Kong character around the zoo.

“Our gorillas have never had a visit from a celebrity of Donkey Kong’s stature,” said John R. Lewis, director of the Los Angeles Zoo. “All the planned activities for the weekend fit perfectly in line with the family-friendly environment of the zoo, as well as bring awareness to the animals in the gorilla reserve.”

The original Donkey Kong Country Returns game has been rebuilt from the ground up for ease-of-play on Nintendo 3DS. Players control iconic character Donkey Kong as he runs, jumps, blasts, rides and pounds his way through a series of beautiful, challenging, side-scrolling levels. The upcoming game is optimized for portable play and features a new mode, eight additional levels and stunning 3D graphics.

The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90027. The event will run May 24-27.”

Nintendo is also taking on Sega properties as well. They have an exclusive partnership with Sega to produce Sonic the Hedgehog titles. The major title is Sonic Lost World which is a new action platforming game, and more information about it will be announced before the E3 2013 video game trade show begins on June 11. There are many more titles coming and also some being released to the Nintendo eShop and to the Nintendo 3DS platform. Here is an image from Sonic Lost World.

There are many more announcements to come from the partnership between Nintendo and Sega. Here is an excerpt from that press release.

“Sonic the Hedgehog has proven incredibly successful on Nintendo platforms and we are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Nintendo,” said John Cheng, President & COO, SEGA of America. “As we initiate this new exclusive partnership with the next three titles we believe that Wii U™ and Nintendo 3DS™ are ideal platforms to showcase the evolution of the Sonic brand.”

And last but no least Nintendo 3DS First Party Software sales up 52%. An excerpt fromt hat press release. I helped contribute by Buying LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins.

“A strong launch for LEGO® City Undercover: The Chase Begins helped Nintendo 3DS™ maintain its torrid pace in 2013. Through the first four months of the year, Nintendo has already sold more than 2.1 million units of first-party Nintendo 3DS software in the U.S. alone, an increase of 52 percent over the same time period last year. In 2012, it took 30 weeks for Nintendo 3DS to sell 2 million units of first-party software. In 2013, the platform accomplished that same feat in 18 weeks.

With the peak holiday selling season still ahead and a strong lineup of upcoming games that includes Donkey Kong Country™ Returns 3D on May 24, Animal Crossing™: New Leaf on June 9, Mario and Luigi™: Dream Team on Aug. 11, as well as new titles in the Pokémon™, Mario Golf™ and Legend of Zelda™ franchises, Nintendo 3DS is poised to have the strongest year of sales in its history.“

Here is a teaser for Mario and Luigi Dream Team.

So, as you can see there are a ton of things happening for Nintendo right now. For me personally, I’ve spent a lot of time lately with the Nintendo 3DS. I’ve played through all of LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins and also completed Transformers Prime. I’m working on Epic Mickey for that too. On the Wii U side I’ve been leveling up my Skylanders figures and haven’t finished Giants yet because I wanted all the figures to be at their maximum potential before I tackled completing the game. I like to make sure that I’m at 100% complete when I complete a game. And after that I’ll probably go back to LEGO City Undercover to finish that game 100%. so much more to explore there.

Walking and Blogging, what could be better!.

Copyright (c) 2010 Photo-A-Day & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Tons of Nintendo News Leading to E3

Disney Storybook Deluxe Apps on Sale

Drew — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:53:53 +0000

I just got word that a number of the Disney storybook Deluxe apps have gone on sale. I’ve reviewed many of them on this blog and they are all very well done. The sale puts them at $2.00 off the regular price of $6.99. The sale runs from May 17 – May 21 and all Storybook apps below will be $4.99 only!

Wreck-It-Ralph Storybook Deluxe – Relive the incredible story of the Disney animated film Wreck-It Ralph – and, create and race your very own kart against other racers in the film! Wreck-It Ralph longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix, Jr.

Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe – Experience the action-packed story of Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 in this supercharged children’s book app filled with vibrant art, professional narration, exciting music and sound effects, plus A-list celebrity voices from the film.

Finding Nemo Storybook Deluxe – Through engaging narration, authentic underwater sound effects, and original graphics from the Academy Award winning movie, families can explore the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbor, and the world of reading together.

Brave Storybook Deluxe – Experience the magic of Disney/Pixar’s Brave as an interactive storybook app. Read along and discover beautiful art, stunning animation, and special effects. Even hunt for hidden arrows and take aim in a Medieval-style archery game!

Monsters, Inc Storybook Deluxe – Relive the incredible story of the highly acclaimed film classic Disney-Pixar Monsters, Inc. and find hidden Scare cards throughout the story. Navigate your way through a Monsters, Incorporated scare simulator training room to collect scream energy!

Tangled: Storybook Deluxe – Disney’s “Tangled” is re-imagined in this interactive app. Read along and explore the magical world of Rapunzel through vibrant animated scenes with interactive tap-and-play surprises! Multiple reading modes include Follow Along, Read and Explore, Record Your Own Voice.

Cinderella: Storybook Deluxe – Disney’s Cinderella has enchanted generations with its spellbinding story, charming music, and endearing characters that live in your heart forever. The Cinderella: Storybook Deluxe app includes a full retelling of the film with fresh illustrations, engaging narration, music and sound effects, as well as whimsical interactivity on every page.

Walking and Blogging, what could be better!.

Copyright (c) 2010 Photo-A-Day & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Disney Storybook Deluxe Apps on Sale

New Desk Friends from Sesame Street

Drew — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:59:09 +0000

Photo-A-Day #2961

I came home from the PBS Annual Meeting with a bunch of fun things for the family but some of the items I kept for myself. Two of the items were little bean bag type characters from Sesame Street. I kept them because they are my two favorite characters: Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster. Two aspects of my overall personality that could use a little work. For one thing there has never been a cookie safe around me and like Cookie Monster I need to learn a little more self restraint. Cookie is going to work on that in the upcoming season of Sesame Street so I should probably watch that with Andrew. The other aspect is that I can tend to be grouchy and keep things all bottled up in my own personal trashcan. I haven’t seen Oscar sent to anger management classes or anything yet but I think that both of us could stand to be a little less grouchy.

Walking and Blogging, what could be better!.

Copyright (c) 2010 Photo-A-Day & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

New Desk Friends from Sesame Street

Poison Dart Frog at Capron Park

Drew — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:50:58 +0000

Photo-A-Day #2960

Today we took the kids over to the Capron Park Zoo. We were there to renew our membership and set Eva up for Zoo Summer Camp.

I think that she will have a great experience at the zoo this summer. I’m excited that she is now old enough to participate. She just loves the animals and loves showing us all around the zoo.

Walking and Blogging, what could be better!.

Copyright (c) 2010 Photo-A-Day & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Poison Dart Frog at Capron Park