CARS 3 DRIVEN TO WIN VIDEO GAME

 ** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review **

My kids and I have been having a good time playing the new Cars 3: Driven to Win video game that features racing competitions with characters and locations from all three of the Disney PIXAR Cars movies.  The controls are easy enough to use so that young kids can comfortably play the game without getting frustrated or overwhelmed yet it is also challenging enough so that adult will enjoy participating in the races as well.  With the ability for four players to race against one another at the same time in split screen head-to-head action it is really easy to get the whole family engaged in competing against one another. Perfect for a weekend game night, Cars 3: Driven to Win is a video game families can have a lot of fun playing together.

The setting for the video game takes place after the final big race in Cars 3.  Note there are some spoilers in the game if you haven't already seen the movie.  Based upon its game play and great graphics though, you'll have an entertaining time playing it even if you've never seen a Cars movie.  Is there anyone out there who has never seen a Disney PIXAR Cars movie?

Cars 3: Driven to Win includes a variety of customizable playable characters including Lightning McQueen, Mater, Mack, Cruz Ramirez and Jackson Storm.  Some of the characters are playable right away and others need to be unlocked by winning races, completing stunts and achieving a variety of objectives as you progress through the game.  Cars 3: Driven to Win also features 20 unique tracks that highlight 13 iconic race environments from the Cars movies.

There are six exciting modes of game play in Cars 3: Driven to Win.  The variety of racing options keeps the game interesting for repetitive play.  Race Mode lets you challenge a pack of characters from the Cars movies in a first to complete a number of laps is the winner challenge.  Battle Race allows you to collect power-ups including missiles, oil slicks, and rocket engines to take out your competition with during the race.  In Takedown Mode the player who takes out the most opponents during the race wins instead of the first to cross the finish line.  Best Lap Challenge has players race against themselves to set a track record.  Playground Mode lets players explore a fantastic obstacle course.  Stunt Showcase has players perform stunts to earn points.  The player who earns the most points before time runs out wins the competition.

Then there is Piston Cup mode.  Combine a variety of locations and modes to create your own unique racing series.  For example engage in Race Mode at Florida International Speedway, Stunt Showcase at Thunder Hollow Destruction Derby and Battle Mode at Radiator Springs Interstate Pass.  Whoever has the best record among the three races will win be crowned your family's Piston Cup champ!  Have fun mixing up the locations and modes to make every Piston Cup competition you play on Cars 3: Driven to Win exciting and unique.

The ability to allow players to personalize the attributes of their favorite Cars characters and race as them, great visual effects and backgrounds, a variety of playable game modes, and its overall fun factor, have earned Cars 3: Drive to Win the nod of approval from A GEEK DADDY.  Whether you are a fan of the Cars movie series or just enjoy automobile racing, this is a video game you are going to repeatedly want to play over and over again. This really is a very fun family-friendly game to play!

Cars 3: Driven to Win is being distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment under license from Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.  The game was developed by Avalanche Software, the same video game studio that created the popular Disney Infinity video games.  It is available for Playstation 4 and Playstation 3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and Wii U.

BIG HERO 6 animated television series coming to DisneyXD cable channel in 2017

I can honestly say that Walt Disney Animation Studio's 2014 animated motion picture BIG HERO 6 is one of my son's favorite movies and he has anxiously been awaiting news about a possible sequel ever since we went to see it at the theater.  He has all the action figure toys representing the film's cast, has spent numerous hours playing as BIG HERO 6's primary characters Baymax and Hiro characters on the Disney Infinity video game, and has watched the movie over and over again more times than I can count on the dvd we've added to our home video library.  So I find myself with mixed news to share with the boy after receiving an announcement from Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer at Disney Channels Worldwide regarding the future of Big Hero 6 which has a bit of bad news but also plenty of good news for fans of the movie and its characters.

Starting with the bad news first -- it appears there won't be a sequel arriving in movie theaters for BIG HERO 6 in the foreseeable future and maybe not at all.  The good news though is that the adventures of Baymax, Hiro and their aspiring superhero team as the cable channel Disney XD has begun production on a BIG HERO 6 animated television series for kids, tweens and families based upon the Academy Award-winning movie which was based upon a Marvel comic book of the same name.

"Our colleagues at Walt Disney Animation Studios have created a brilliant world, inspired  by Marvel, with vivid, unique characters," Gary Marsh said in his announcement. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to further develop these characters into a world class animated series -- full of fun, action and the kind of endearing storytelling that only Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley  -- and Baymax -- can deliver."

Emmy Award-winning producers McCorkle and Schooley, creators and executive producers for the Disney Channel's globally successful "Kim Possible" series hope to create another popular hit as executive producers for the BIG HERO 6 animated series on DisneyXD.  Produced by Disney Television Animation, this new series picks up immediately following the events in the feature film, and continues the adventures and friendship of 14-year-old tech genius Hiro and his compassionate, cutting-edge robot Baymax. Alongside Hiro and Baymax on their journey are control freak Wasabi, scientist Honey Lemon, fanboy Fred and no-nonsense Go Go, who together form the legendary superhero team, Big Hero 6. As the new prodigy at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, Hiro now faces daunting academic challenges and the social trials of being the little man on campus. Off campus, the stakes are raised for the high-tech heroes as they must protect their city from an array of scientifically enhanced villains.

While my son is going to be bummed that there isn't a sequel coming to the movie theater, I'm pretty sure he is going to be delighted by this new television series and looking forward to being able to enjoy continuing adventures of the Big Hero 6 team.

PlayStation Television Ad Captures Nostalgia That Makes Fans Passionate About Star Wars

It's an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan!  A hit television series, Rebels, just kicked off its second season, brand new Star Wars video games are hitting store shelves (Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars Saga & Electronic Arts' Battlefront) and of course a new movie, The Force Awakens, premieres in theaters across the United States on December 18, 2015.  While there has been a lot of buzz about the trailers for the movie, I have to say that this television advertisement for Sony's PlayStation really has been the most impressive marketing piece I've seen so far as it really captures the nostalgia that fans have for Star Wars which really is "The Force" behind the ongoing success of the brand.  If you haven't seen this ad yet, check it out!



That orange '70/'80s era carpeting so hits home for me in the scene with the kids playing with their Kenner Star Wars action figures.  These new additions to the Star Wars saga are arriving at a great time for my family as my kids are just at the right age for me to share my passion for these characters and stories with them.  Things are a bit different now though as when I was their age I had pretend lightsaber duels with my friends using flash lights like in the PlayStation advertisement but now my kids have high tech light up light saber recreations that make sound effects when you joust them together.  Some things don't change though as just like his dad who took a Empire Strikes Back lunchbox to school my son carts a Star Wars: Rebels one to first grade with him every morning.  My daughter opted for a FROZEN lunch box but she does have a cute Chopper plush she hangs from her school backpack.

I've been a fan of the comic books, novels, toys and movies revolving around George Lucas' original trilogy of films since watching them as a kid when they originally came out.  My kids aren't as much into those characters but love the new generation of characters in the Star Wars: Rebels animated shows.  We really are looking forward to watching The Force Awakens when it arrives at theaters and sharing in enjoying it for the first time together as a family.  Who knows maybe The Force Awakens will become the favorite part of the Star Wars saga for all of us?!



So what are you looking forward to the most in the upcoming Star Wars film?  For my kids it is getting a better peek at BB-8.

While for me it is seeing the return of "old friends" on the silver screen.

Oh yes and I'll admit we've purchased the Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars video game and pre-ordered Battlefront for our PlayStation4 so we will definitely be in a Star Wars frame of mind when the movie opens!