MARIO AND LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGA ON NINTENDO 3DS

Oh no!  Princess Peach's beautiful voice has been stolen and taken away from the Mushroom Kingdom to another land.  Now whenever she opens her mouth bombs pop out and explode around her!  Only Mario and Luigi can save the day as these two brothers attempt to rescue the Princess's voice from the evil villain Cackletta who has smuggled it to the nearby Beanbean Kingdom.

To chase after Cackletta, Mario and Luigi team up with a character they are normally fighting against, Bowser, to hitch a ride on his Koopa Cruiser.  Together the former foes become allies as they race off to get Princess Peach's voice back.  Unfortunately Bowser instead of helping needs to be rescued himself when they finally catch up to Cackletta.  Uh oh!

This is the story that you are playing in the MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGA video game for Nintendo 3DS.  It is rated E for Everyone and all its characters are really silly, especially Mario and Luigi, which made me giggle a lot while playing it.  Not only is the game funny but it also can be challenging which makes it fun to play too.  While it is not hard to master you need to get a good feel for the controls to overcome challenges, solve puzzles and win battles.  The game does a nice job of walking you through how to do all the moves players need to know and provides opportunities to practice them which I found very helpful.  My dad said I looked like a pro after playing the game for just a little while.

MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGA pretty much has you just use two action buttons and the directional controller knob.  It is a one player game but you control both Mario and Luigi at the same time.  Mario with the A button and Luigi with the B button.  Sometimes you need to use both buttons at the same time to get both brothers to do something at the same time.  Once you get a rhythm to using these two buttons and having the brothers interact with other characters and the landscape controlling them is fairly easy.  The game is difficult enough you won't get bored but not so hard that it becomes no fun to play.

The game is all about JUMPING! There is the basic jump which can be used to move around and attack bad guys; but there are also super jump moves that need to be learned and mastered called Bros. Actions.  Sometimes you'll need to switch between Mario and Luigi to accomplish one of these moves and other times they'll need to work together at the same time.  These Bros. Actions can be goofy to watch which adds to the fun of the game but also are necessary at times to get around an obstacle, overcome a challenge or defeat a villain.

There is also a second game included within MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGA called BOWSER'S MINION QUEST.  This needs to be unlocked by playing your way through some of the MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGA levels but is its own game within a game.  BOWSER'S MINION QUEST takes a look at the plot of MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGA from the perspective of the Baddies who are loyal to Bowser.

While MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGA focusses on making your way through levels, BOWSER'S MINIONS is about winning battles in a war game.  You build an army from goombas, koopas, boos and other Bowser baddies and engage in a battle against a similarly sized group.  It is all about controlling the battle field and to win rounds of the game.  When you win battles the members of your army become stronger gaining more experience points and new characters can be unlocked.  The goal of this game is to win as many battles as you can leading up to rescuing the minion's leader Bowser.  It is different than the game play of MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGE but fun in its own way.

BOWSER'S MINIONS was ok but MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGA was what I really enjoyed playing.  Mario and Luigi are super fun!  They are so funny and those brothers have some super moves.  The wacky situations and characters they face also make the game really fun to play.  I've really enjoyed myself playing MARIO & LUIGI SUPERSTAR SAGE + BOWSER'S MINIONS for the Nintendo 3DS. You can find out more about this video game by visiting Nintendo's website.

-- Little Mario

A Geek Daddy's twins are participating in the Nintendo KID REVIEWERS program.  My daughter (Little Mario) and son (Little Luigi) will be providing reviews of Nintendo games, hardware and other merchandise from a kids perspective.  Our family will be provided complimentary products to review but the opinions expressed will be honest and their own.

Miitopia

I've had a lot of fun playing the game MIITOPIA on my Nintendo 3DS.  It is full of magic and monsters as you battle your way through a fairy tale land with a group of heroes that can be made to look and act like people in your life.  A Nintendo Mii is a cartoonish figure that can be shaped to have the appearance of someone you know or created to have its own unique wacky look.  These Miis are the characters that live in the land of Miitopia.

The Miis are in trouble! An evil sorcerer is stealing their faces and creating monsters out of them.  Your mission is to defeat the monsters so that the faces are returned to the Mii they were stolen from.  You also must stop the villain from continuing to threaten the Mii of Miitopia in order to win the game.  To do this players create a team of four warriors to try and save the day!

It is neat that you can choose the name, appearance and attitude of your warriors.  Also your team can be made up of a variety of different skills so a member can be a knight in shining armor or a witch with a pointy hat while another can be a chef or a pop star musician.  The chef and pop star characters can be really funny and make MIITOPIA stand out from other games that revolve around dragons, princesses, wizards and that sort of stuff.

I had an awesome time creating my team.  The group's main hero Mii is based on me of course!  I was glad they had glasses that looked like mine to put on my hero's face.  Oh by the way I named the game's bad guy Dark Lord Dad. Ha Ha!!!

If you have amiibo figures, MIITOPIA will let you scan them and have your main character be able to dress like them.  Find the lady who is dressed like Super Mario in the game and she'll ask if you have any amiibo to show her from your collection.  Place a figure on the Nintendo 3DS pad and next thing you know your team's main hero has a new look.   I've been able to have my character dressed like Link from Legend of Zelda while playing MIITOPIA using this feature. AWESOME!!!

I made a Mii that looked like my sister and named her Sunflower because of her bright blond hair.  She made a nice addition to the team and was assigned the job of being my squire in the game.  She does look good in a suit of armor!  I also added my friend Whitney from school to my group of adventurers and put her in a chicken outfit because that was just hilarious.  My friend Parker is also part of the group.  He's a pop star because that fit his real life personality being a fun, popular guy to hang out with.

While making your way through the game, you can earn gold and experience points by defeating monsters, restoring faces to Mii who have lost theirs and by completing quests.  This will allow the characters in your team to purchase new clothes, weapons and supplies.  I bought the Mii of my sister a bumblebee outfit to wear and a bee stinger sword to battle the bad guys with using gold earned from battling monsters.

You can also pick up different types of food along your journeys.  Feast on these meals while resting up at an inn and your characters can earn higher skill ratings and hit points making them tougher to beat in combat.  Be careful though because if a Mii doesn't like the food you're serving they'll be in a bad mood afterward.

I also like to win gold and gear by playing in MIITOPIA's arcade area where you can play games like roulette and rock paper scissors that award prizes. Earning tickets while battling monsters gives you a chance to play these games. I'm a champ when it comes to Rock Paper Scissors. One of my favorite parts of MIITOPIA!

Something I really liked about the game is that the monsters in it are goofy rather than creepy.  It is really fun to see the different monsters and the weird powers some of them have.  Beware the banshees that can make characters cry uncontrollably during a battle.  This game can be very silly which adds to the fun of playing it.

Being able to add your own touches to the look and feel of the game is great.  The silly characters, zany situations and goofy monsters you encounter had me not wanting to put my Nintendo 3DS down.  Plus the 3D images really pop off the screen and look incredible.  It is really nice you don't have to wear special goggles to see the 3D since I already have to wear my own glasses.

I enjoyed playing MIITOPIA a lot.  If you have the chance to get the game I sure do recommend it.  For more information about MIITOPIA it has its own page on the Nintendo website.  The game is rated E for Everyone.  You can buy a cartridge to insert in your 3DS from stores like Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart or purchase a digital download from the Nintendo website.

-- Little Luigi

A Geek Daddy's twins are participating in the Nintendo KID REVIEWERS program.  My daughter (Little Mario) and son (Little Luigi) will be providing reviews of Nintendo games, hardware and other merchandise from a kids perspective.  Our family will be provided complimentary products to review but the opinions expressed will be honest and their own.

NINTENDO KID REVIEWERS

A GEEK DADDY is excited to announce a new aspect to the blog that we're doing in partnership with Nintendo.  While my son and daughter are often featured on this website and its social media channels, for the first time they will be involved in actually crafting their own reviews to share with you.  Over the course of the next year, my kids are going to be participating in Nintendo's KID REVIEWERS program where they'll be sharing their impressions about video games, gaming systems, and a variety of other Nintendo branded items.

Keep an eye out for upcoming KID REVIEWERS posts from my little Mario and Luigi as we explore the magic of Nintendo!  From amiibos to Zelda, the twins are going to delve into all things Nintendo and share with you what they think about some of the company's newest products.  My son and daughter are really excited about all the upcoming Nintendo video game fun that is coming their way and looking forward to sharing these experiences with you.

Nintendo isn't financially compensating A GEEK DADDY for participating in their KIDS REVIEWERS program but will be providing complimentary video games and other items to be reviewed.  While my kids are serving as brand ambassadors for Nintendo, opinions expressed by them will be honest and their own.  Lets-a-go!