Toronto Teacher Mom: Nintendo Wii U

Cyber Monday Savings on the Hottest Nintendo Gifts

Nintendo Wii U Paper Mario Color Splash #NintendoHoliday

Earlier this month, my son and I attended the #NintendoHoliday preview and spent a good few hours testing out the lastest Nintendo games. It was a lot of fun hanging out with my little guy, who showed me how to play most of the games. Where video games are concerned, this kid sure knows his stuff! Below you will find our top five Nintendo games of the season as well as some super awesome Cyber Monday savings on the hottest Nintendo Gifts.

It's not everyday you get to play Super Mario Colour Splash with a gaming icon. @NintendoCanada #nintendoholiday pic.twitter.com/cjGi0GFa7T
— Diana Mancuso, OCT (@TeacherMomOfTwo) November 5, 2016

Top 5 Nintendo Games

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon for Nintendo 3DS -The seventh and latest installment of the core Pokémon Series, these games include a new world, new Pokémon, and all new adventures.
Paper Mario: Color Splash for Nintendo Wii U - Help Mario and friends solve the mystery on Prism Island and collect missing Paint Stars. Solve puzzles by colouring in colourless spots, revive Toads, summon allies and extract areas from environments to overcome obstacles.
YO-KAI WATCH 2: Bony Spirits and YO-KAI WATCH 2: Fleshy Souls for Nintendo 3DS - Travel back in time, learn the origin of the Yo-kai Watch, and for the first time, team up with friends and trade YO-KAI medals as you venture into the mysterious world of Yo-kai and explore an expanded world.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf for Nintendo 3DS - This one is a popular one among my daughter's circle of friends, so much so that I took advantage of a Black Friday deal and bought one for my daughter. This game inclues a free new update which expands the game by adding compatibility with amiibo figures and cards.
Just Dance 2017 for Nintendo Wii U - This is my personal favourite because seriously, when have I ever passed up an opportunity to make a fool of myself while dancing? Plus, it features some of my all-time favourite songs of the year including "Cheap Thrills" by Sia Ft. Sean Paul, "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyconé and "Cake By The Ocean" by DNCE.

Nintendo Wii U Just Dance 2017 #NintendoHoliday

Cyber Monday Deals

Be sure to see retailer for complete details on the following deals.

EB Games (In-Store and Online)

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Dual Pack with bonus Figure Set (launching November 28) - $99.99
3DS Super Mario Black Edition (launches November 25) - 139.99
Select amiibo figure 3-pack sets - Retro, Mii Fighter and Animal Crossing - available for $24.99 (available November 25-December 1)
Get a free Nintendo Selects game for Wii or Wii U when you purchase a Wii Remote Plus controller! (available November 25-December 1)*

* Offer applicable on the Yoshi Edition, Toad Edition, and Bowser Edition Wii Remote Plus controllers only. Free game offer applicable to the Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Lego City: Undercover, NES Remix, Nintendo Land, Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario All Stars, Super Mario Galaxy, and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD for Wii U Nintendo Selects games only.

Best Buy (In-Store and Online)

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Dual Pack with bonus Figure Set (launching November 28) - $99.99
3DS Super Mario Black Edition (launches November 25) - $139.99
Save $30 on the following select Wii U titles: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, Star Fox Zero, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE (maximum of 2 games only, available November 28)
Save $15 on the following select 3DS titles: Mario Kart 7, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (maximum of 2 games only, available November 25-28)
Save $10 off the following select amiibo 3-pack sets: Splatoon series 1, Splatoon series 2, and Animal Crossing (available November 24-December 1)
Save $6 off select amiibo figures (available November 24-December 1)**

** Offer applicable on the 30th Anniversary Mario - Classic Color amiibo figure from the 30th Anniversary series; Falco, Fox, and Olimar amiibo figures from the Super Smash Bros. series; Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy amiibo figures from the Splatoon series; and Lottie, Mabel, and Tom Nook amiibo figures from the Animal Crossing series only.

Amazon.ca (Online)

3DS Super Mario Black Edition (launches November 25) - $139.99
Save $30 off the following select Wii U Games: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and Star Fox Zero. (available November 28)
Save $20 off the following select Wii Remote Plus controllers: Black, Mario Edition, Luigi Edition, and Peach Edition (available November 24-27)

Toys “R” Us (In-Store and Online)

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Dual Pack with bonus Figure Set (launching November 28) - $99.99
3DS Super Mario Black Edition (launches November 25) - $139.99
Save $10 off all Nintendo Select titles, which will be available for $19.97 (available November 25-December 1)

Walmart (In-Store and Online)

3DS Super Mario Black Edition and 3DS Super Mario White Edition (launches November 25) - $139.99
Pokémon Sun + Solgaleo Figure and Pokémon Moon + Lunala Figure (launching November 28) - $49.99 each

Additional Cyber Deals can be found on the Nintendo eShop. Save up to 50% on select digital games now through 8:59 a.m. PT on Dec. 5, 2016!

Sunday, November 27, 2016
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Super Mario Meets Minecraft

Minecraft

You know, I am not naive to the fact that Minecraft is an extremely popular video game amongst today's youth. Nor am I surprised that its pedagogical application has warranted an education edition given its ability to spawn creativity and collaboration by offering an engaging and exciting platform for learning. My son plays it all the time on his iPad, as do his friends. I have even seen students use Minecraft to design a collaborative virtual model of our school the year we celebrated our 50th anniversary. Their busy thumbs worked so quickly and with such stealth, it was remarkable to watch. Yet, I have never felt compelled to delve into the virtual world and explore exactly what it is you do in Minecraft. I simply had no desire. Until now. Thanks to a brilliant partnership between Nintendo, Mojang and Microsoft, I actually want to play Minecraft for Wii U using the recently released Super Mario Mash-Up Pack!

In Minecraft: Wii U Edition, users can now enjoy a free update inspired by the beloved Super Mario franchise. We're talking 40 different skins including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Wario and all seven Koopalings. You can also add Super Mario style textures and players can explore an entire Super Mario-themed world or build their own. My favourite feature? Listening to any of the 15 pieces of music from Super Mario 64.

How to Use the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack

If you have the digital version of the Minecraft: Wii U Edition, the first thing you will have to do is download the update. The retail version, which was released in-store on June 17 for $29.99, includes the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack. I received a digital copy for review and, the Minecraft newbie that I am, it took me a while to figure out how to play in Super Mario mode. Yes, I'm embarrassed but hey, we've all got to start somewhere. So... here are the steps you need to start a Super Mario-themed Minecraft game:

On the Minecraft: Wii U Edition main menu, click on "Help & Options".
Select "Change Skin" and find the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack.
Choose your Super Mario character and verify that you have a green checkmark next to the character's name.
Return to the main menu and select "Play Game."
Click on the "Create" tab and select "Super Mario World".
Adjust the game mode to Survival, Creative or Adventure and select the difficulty level.
The Super Mario texture pack will be highlighted and you can opt for an online game before clicking on "Load."

Alternatively, you can create a new world instead of using the pre-designed Super Mario World in step 5. Just be sure you select the Super Mario texture pack and a random world will be created for you. You do not need to download anything from the Minecraft Store. That was my mistake. I couldn't find the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack there because you don't have to buy it. Makes sense, right? (Insert forehead slap here.)

If you've had a chance to try the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack on the Minecraft: Wii U Edition, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share in the comments below. For more information, visit the Minecraft: Wii U Edition Official Site.

Saturday, August 06, 2016
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Are You Canada's Biggest Zelda Fan?

Contest

Tuesday, March 01, 2016
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Splatoon For Nintendo Wii U

Amiibo

Last month, Nintendo released its latest action shooter Splatoon, a family-friendly game that promotes cooperative play. In this game, players choose a customizable Inkling character that can transform into squids and swim through their own ink. The goal of the game is to claim as much turf as possible by splatting opponents and cover the level with their team's coloured ink.

Nintendo Wii U Super Mario 3D World Bundle Splatoon Amiibo Pro Controller

To test out Splatoon, Nintendo generously sent over a Wii U bundle which included the coordinating amiibo set. My little Nintendo kid reviewers were overjoyed to be able to try out some new Wii U games and also play some of their old Wii favourites. Setting up the console was pretty straightforward. The only thing was that we still have an old tube TV so I had to use the AV cable from our old Wii. The Wii U bundle only includes the HDMI cable. Configuring the system was easy enough thanks to the Quick Start Guide but I felt it was a very long process. Either that or I was just plain anxious to get playing. Once the Game Pad and Wii U Pro Controller were paired with the console, we were able to follow the on-screen instructions and then registered using the Nintendo Network ID I had recently set up for our Nintendo 2DS.

My seven-year-old son was the first to try out Splatoon. There are lots of ways to play but he prefers the four-on-four online "Turf War" mode. This is when he gets to team up with players from around the world to cover the most ground with their team’s ink. Using the Wii U GamePad controller, he can see a top-down view of the map as it is covered in ink in real-time. Learning to manoeuvre through the level and getting used to the large controller was tricky for him at first but fun to watch him twist his body as he waved the controller from side to side. Since we've installed the Wii U, Splatoon has been his game of choice and now he is a pro with the GamePad controller.

Me: What do you like most about Splatoon?

Paolo: I like how you can roll over the other characters with the giant paint roller and how you get to play with other teammates.

Me: What do you like the least about the game?

Paolo: I don't like how we sometimes lose. (Insert sad face here.)

The "Ranked Battle" mode uses a player's wins in 4-on-4 multiplayer matches to rank and match players in a highly competitive online battle. In “Battle Dojo,” players can take on friends in a local 1-on-1 battle. One player plays on the GamePad controller, while the other plays on the TV using a separate controller. Whoever pops the most balloons wins! Splatoon also has a single-player campaign that teaches players how to splatter, swim, leap, hide and climb walls, while trying to defeat the Octarian army. And finally, the Splatoon amiibo figures (sold separately) can be used to gain access to special challenge stages. By tapping Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy and Inkling Squid amiibo figures to the GamePad, players can receive special missions to unlock weapons and gear that you won't find anywhere else in the game.