Image Credit: left-hand

It’s understandable if you want to play something with your whole family! Nothing brought me and my parents closer than those moments we shared. Not to mention that it’s guaranteed fun these days. I almost wish I’d grown up now instead of the 90s, just because there’s so many other things I could have enjoyed! For instance…

Retro games are just a button push away.

A lot of the exact games I played with my parents? Now just a quick download away. Classics like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (and its competitive splitscreen), Columns, Dr. Mario and more are all available in mere seconds with a few dollars and an Internet-connected console (mostly on the Wii’s Virtual Console in the online shop and the PlayStation Store). Some of these classics have even been updated to take advantage of online features available in newer consoles — not that you’ll need them when you’re playing together, however.

Here’s a taste of competitive multiplayer in Sonic the Hedgehog 2:

See also: If it’s retro games you want, there are a few collections available. Try Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Portal 2 is awesome and it exercises your thinking muscle.

Valve’s Portal 2 (ESRB: E-10+), is one of my favorite games this year. The series of physics-based puzzles will really make you think in single-player, but as far as families go, that’s not where this game shines. Instead, the co-operative mode, where you play as two robots doing dirty deeds for evil artificial intelligence GLaDOS, is where this game really shines. You’ll love working together with your family member to determine how to best navigate the treacherous waters placed in front of you. And if you fail, it’s okay — you’re just a robot! No deaths here to dissuade you, you’re just reassembled. Ah, the perks of being made of metal.

Portal 2 also allows you to either play in splitscreen on PlayStation 3 or with other players on PC/Mac — and that does include one person on console with the other on computer, just in case you’re not so great at sharing screens. And hey, new PS3 copies come with a copy of the PC/Mac game (which, with some finagling, you can use with a different Steam account). So it’s like getting two copies of the game at once, just so you can play together.

See also: I’d provide examples of other games that encourage this kind of spatial thinking and also offer the opportunity for two people to play together, but there really aren’t any.

NBA Jam is the perfect brand of silly and simple.

Sometimes, you just need to be a little bit silly. NBA Jam, one of my childhood favorites, is actually back and better than ever as of last holiday season. The two-on-two basketball title is a lot easier for people who are new to sports to understand, the games are short enough for a quick playthrough and the game’s announcer is hilarious. Here, take a listen:

BOOM-shaka-laka! It never gets old.

See also: Any sports game — Madden, NCAA, NBA 2K12…every year, a new possibility in your favorite sport.

Mario Kart Wii keeps the competition friendly.

Racing games, especially cutesy titles like Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii, are perfect for the whole family. Mario Kart is especially great for families because of what Nintendo does with it — Everyone behind the leader gets a bit of a boost, while the current first-place racer has additional obstacles to overcome. No matter what, there’s a chance for a photo finish, which is great for younger kids — or you, if you’re falling behind.

Not only that, but this can really be a game for the whole family — the splitscreen allows up to four players to race instead of only two. Take a look:

See also: Forza Motorsport 4 for Xbox 360 and Gran Turismo 5 for PlayStation 3 are a lot more grown-up, but they offer a chance to teach your kids what really goes on behind the wheel and under the hood.

Kinect’s just what you need to get the party started.

Ever since the Wii got the motion gaming fad going back in 2006, the other console manufacturers have been trying to catch up, and Microsoft took its shot at the relatively new genre with the Kinect for Xbox 360, which touts that “you are the controller,” as I’m sure you’ve heard in the commercials a thousand times by now. Several Kinect titles let you play two-at-a-time, and one of the hotter games this holiday season will be Dance Central 2. This game teaches you the necessary moves to get your groove on with some of the hotter pop songs on the radio today (as well as a few older ones), and you can actually play with or against someone else, unlike the previous game, which only let you take turns. Take a look at this trailer:

See also: Kinect’s got quite a few games that let you play with someone. Check out Kinect Adventures for a series of unconventional sports games, Disneyland Adventures for a faux trip to the California theme park, and Once Upon a Monster for some Sesame Street fun for younger kids. If you’ve got a PlayStation 3, check out PlayStation Move titles like Sports Champions and Eyepet for a similar experience.

The Monkey Tales Games series, developed by Larian Studios in Belgium, was given the MEDEA award for Best Professionally Produced Educational Media in Europe by 54 education professionals from around the world. The series also received the 2011 Audience award.

The series focuses on improving children’s mathematical skills, and is the product of years of research and development with teachers, schools and universities.

“Larian has a decade of experience developing games for children, but developing educational games that work has turned out to be quite challenging,” said David Walgrave, executive producer of the Monkey Tales series. “Over the last years we’ve gained a wealth of new insights and these awards now show that we have found the right approach.”

It’s great to see a game get official recognition as a teaching tool. What are some of your favorite educational games? I fondly remember days with Math Blaster on my Sega Genesis — it definitely taught me about division a bit earlier than I would have been exposed to it otherwise!

Download the mp3 here.

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That’s right! I have the honor of speaking at BlogHer. I will be doing the 12:30-2:30 talks in the Geek Bar about Gaming. It’s a loosely formatted discussion where you can come by and ask any questions you may have. I’m hoping to discuss games, what kids should be playing, how they can use the ESRB applications, and talk to women about the changing face of gaming. I will also have buttons (since they came late for SDCC) lol.

What is BlogHer? It’s the largest female blogging community. I will have a better idea when I’m at the convention, but it seems like THOUSANDS of women come out to not only learn, but network at this event. It takes up most of the San Diego Convention Center (so weird going to Ballroom 20 for something that isn’t geeky in nature!).

I can talk about Gaming and GamingAngels/She’s Geeky until I pass out from exhaustion. I’ve never been really nervous about that. But BlogHer is different. This is a con where I effectively don’t know anyone. Where myself, gaming and GamingAngels, might be completely unknown. But I am so thankful that the organizers at BlogHer felt that I could definitely add to the geek discussion. My hope is that I will be more effective next year after I have a great chance to meet women and network. I hear Ricki Lake will be there, and hopefully we can get an interview with her to find out about her new daytime show. I’ll be taking my video cam everywhere with me on the floor!

I do have to admit that I am scared. I know Comic Book conventions. I know Anime conventions. Even give me Roleplaying conventions. I can do geek. But a convention that is full of just women? Possibly women I may not have anything in common with? Freaks me out. I’m just going to be open, honest, and friendly. Hopefully I will meet some amazing women along the way.

<3
Trina

On tap this week:

• The ESA’s charging California for their legal fees, mostly because California was too dumb to realize that the Supreme Court’s opinion wouldn’t be too much different from other courts’. (Sorry, but it’s true.)
• BioWare’s letting us choose a FemShep…and she looks like so many other heroines. Great?
• GamePro magazine is making the switch to quarterly.
• Stripgamer. It exists. That’s kinda gross. (And why we may or may not have a Very Special Episode next week.)
• Nintendo’s dropped the price of the 3DS. Mostly because no one’s buying it. That includes you, probably.

All that, plus what we’ve been playing and a short discussion on genre as well as comments from the chat.

As always, we encourage you to check out our partners in GamingAngels Presents: The Married Gamers, Game Dames and PrincessCast.

Be sure to take a listen to Blood Angels, our True Blood podcast.

ALSO: We’ve got some new stuff coming up, but you’ll have to wait to hear more.

If you want to contact us, you’ve got tons of options!

Twitter: @GamingAngels

Email: weeklyroundup@gamingangels.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gamingangels

You can also leave us a voicemail at (209) 874-6555.

Rating:

BUY

I never had much of an opportunity to play Splosion Man, but I heard nothing but good things from everyone else who played it. Then I saw Ms. Splosion Man at PAX East this past March, and I got a bit more interested in the series. Ms Splosion Man follows Splosion Man’s female counterpart who is created during a mistake made by the scientists after the capture of Splosion Man. But it wasn’t the story that drew me to the game, it was the girly aspects added to the game (like looking for shoes) and the quips made by Ms. Splosion Man herself.

The gameplay itself is pretty much the same from the first game. You need to splode in order to jump over obstacles, up walls and to exterminate some scientists and environmental details. There are two new obstacles in this game however: cannons and rails. The cannons are used to shoot Ms. Splosion Man through outdoor environments, and the rails are used in a similar fashion. Of course both do have their tricky parts, like the cannons that will move and the rails that have electric death rays criss crossing them.

This is all explained in what has quite possibly been my most favorite “how-to” instructions I have seen in a long, long time. It is done in an instructional video type format with two different colored Ms. Splosion Men. One showing the right way to play, the other showing the wrong way, because “nobody likes Debbie.” The sarcastic voice over for this part really gives you the tone of the game and sets you up for some fun times.

After the tutorial you get to go right into the game, and the quips get even better. Ms. Splosion man not only likes to go tip-toe while she runs, but she also seems to have a fondness for quoting songs from artists like Beyonce, Spice Girls and even No Doubt. She also seems to enjoy doing the “Single Ladies” dance. Ms. Splosion also spouts off some great one-liners that are girl-centric and made me laugh my ass off. At the same time like with most puzzle games like this I did get frustrated when I kept dying and had to keep re-starting. You are able to take a penalty and “cheat” to get to the next checkpoint, but the penalties are quite bad, and if you want a good score I recommend not going for it.

The other fun aspect that I liked was being able to play the game co-op though different levels. Players can choose between a few multiplayer options, including playing as Splosion and Ms. Splosion in a mode called 2 Girls 1 Controller. This mode proves to be tricky since one thumbstick and trigger will control one character while the other one will control the second character. It’s definitely a mode that can cause some frustration for some. I did enjoy playing a few levels with my boyfriend though. There are definitely some tricky puzzles in multiplayer that give you a good feeling once you are able to solve them.

All in all however I really enjoy playing Ms. Splosion Man. This game is great for someone relatively new to the series as well as people who have already been fans. Twisted Pixel really did a great job with the game and were just completely spot on with the humor. As an arcade game for Xbox Live I highly recommend picking it up to add to your arcade. If you’re a platformer fan, you will not be disappointed.

Sony Online Entertainment is charging for DCUO DLC, Netflix is charging more, PopCap’s got new owners, Sony’s “Welcome Back” worked in some sene and the 90s is coming back to television. Well, the 90s on Nickelodeon, anyway. Listen in the player below, or find us on iTunes! (And if you are a faithful listener, be a dear and review us?)

As always, we encourage you to check out our partners in GamingAngels Presents: The Married Gamers, Game Dames and PrincessCast.

Be sure to take a listen to Blood Angels, our True Blood podcast.

ALSO: We’ve got some new stuff coming up, but you’ll have to wait to hear more.

If you want to contact us, you’ve got tons of options!

Twitter: @GamingAngels

Email: weeklyroundup@gamingangels.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gamingangels

You can also leave us a voicemail at (209) 874-6555.

It’s the Pre-3 show, and two of us are jealous. That much is apparent early on. From there, it’s all about what we want out of E3, what we are (and aren’t) playing, then on to the news. Notes are below the player.

Download the file here or on iTunes.

• Divorce Online: 15 Percent of Divorces Due to Game Addiction
• DC reboots their Universe again
• PSN’s totally back (and why it might not stick)
• (Sigh) The Wappy Puppy/Dog/Whatever
• Call of Duty Elite (and why the Wall Street Journal probably shouldn’t get these exclusives)

We’re still giving away a scholarship to computer camp (know any girls ages 8-18?) as well as a prize pack of games (for anyone who isn’t a girl ages 8-18).

Listen and let us know what you think of the show!

As always, we encourage you to check out our partners in GamingAngels Presents: The Married Gamers, Game Dames and PrincessCast.

If you want to contact us, you’ve got tons of options!

Twitter: @GamingAngels

Email: weeklyroundup@gamingangels.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gamingangels

The devastation from tornadoes is always bad, especially the larger ones like what has been determined to have hit Tuscaloosa. All of us at Gaming Angels feel deeply for those who lost their homes, friends or family members. If you would like to help in any way, we encourage to donate to the Red Cross.

Thanks to Kotaku for also sharing Tiffany’s experience

I didn’t check any of the demo stations since I’ve had plenty of hands on time with the 3DS but I encouraged some friends I ran into to make sure they checked it out. It was great that Nintendo made the system accessable for everyone to play between the demo stations and the employees walking around. The other great aspect was the free food. The taco truck was unexpected and it was good!! There were also people walking around handing out bottles of water, energy drinks, pretzels and hot dogs. The one thing that they should have planned for however was how cold it was and handed out hot chocolate to people on the line.

The cold is also one of the reasons why I think the turnout was small, at least partially. NYC recently drifted back into more winter weather which does not make for fun times waiting outside for a midnight release, even when beanies, t-shirts, hoodies and those hand warmers you’re supposed to hold in your pockets are handed out. The other reason why I think the turnout was smaller than I would have thought was the fact that it wasn’t hyped up nearly as much as I would have expected. Nintendo could have done a larger marketing push at least in NYC to make sure that people showed up at the midnight launch.

But still the event itself was fun. I even got to shake Reggie’s hand as he walked down the line to say hi to everyone waiting. And more people did show up to the line as it got closer to midnight. It may have been a small crowd, but the people there definitely seemed to be having a fun time and excited for the 3DS. It was also fun to be able to be inside when Triforce, the guy who had been waiting since I think Wednesday for the 3DS, was the first person to get his systems (he bought a blue and black 3DS). Best Buy were great hosts for the event too. Everything was organized, the employees were all very helpful, and they even had a band playing inside the store as people queued up to buy.

I did have fun tonight, though in the future I hope that Nintendo will do a bit more marketing regarding the midnight launch if they’re having a good party. And I also hope that the next big release they have happens when it’s warmer outside. Be sure to check out all of the photos plus video of the first 3DS sale on our Facebook page!