The big annual video game conference, E3, took place in Los Angeles this week. It’s always a fun…and crazy show with characters that seem to supernaturally escape the games they were in and walk the hallways with the rest of us!
The E3 conference is essential for big video game companies to highlight their upcoming games. Some release their games in the Summer, but most new games will launch in the Fall and Winter…right before the big Christmas crunch hits.
As a service to our readers, we always like to scour E3 to find the best family video games, so when Christmas time comes, you will already know whether a game is worthwhile getting for your children or not. Of course, a majority of the new games coming out are geared for teens and adults. But we still were able to find at least 20 family video games that are coming out. Today, we will focus on our top 5 picks.
Top Family Video Games Coming this Christmas….
1. Skylanders Trap Team
– XBox One, XBOX 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 2DS & 3DS
The Skylanders series is the top all selling video game of all time. Every year they innovate with a new game in the series…along with new characters to buy! This year the theme is Trap Team. Typically, you place a Skylander character on the portal to bring the character into the video game. In Skylanders Trap Team, the object is to track down the Skyland’s most wanted villains through traps, which bring the villains out of the game and into your family room!
Skylanders Trap Team is available for preorder for $74.96 now at Amazon
and will be available on October 5th.
2. Just Dance 2015
– XBox One, XBOX 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Wii
Just Dance always makes fun family video games, and Just Dance 2015 is no exception. Not only does this new version have the fabulous “Happy” song by Pharrell Williams in it (who doesn’t just LOVE this song?), but it includes some new innovations not seen in other video games. Believe it or not, there’s an app for this game, called Just Dance Now, available for the Android, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Now you can play the game anywhere – at a friend’s house, outside…even in the doctor’s office??? After downloading the app, visit JustDanceNow.com on any Internet connected screen and your phone will autmatically sync and you can begin dancing!
But there’s more. You don’t have to dance by yourself. Your friends can join in with you virtually, in real time from their app, and you can all dance together. Cool, huh?
Just Dance 2015 features more than 40 great tracks including:
- “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
- “Problem” by Ariana Grande Ft. Iggy Azalea
- “Walk this Way” by Run DMC & Aerosmith
- “Summer” by Calvin Harris
- “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler
- “Only You (and You Alone)” by The Platters
- “I Love It” by Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX
- “Burn” by Ellie Goulding
- “Tetris” by Dancing Bros.
Just Dance 2015 will be available in October 2014.
3. Disney Infinity – Marvel Super Heroes
– XBox One, XBOX 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii U
Disney has had great success with their Disney Infinity video game and its growing collection of characters added due to their latest movies. However, in a surprising move, Disney has licensed the Marvel Super Heroes characters to appeal to older children with their Infinity line, with Disney Infinity 2.0. Now, kids will be able to include their favorite superheroes like Spiderman, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and others, in the game as well as in the Toy Box.
You will not need to buy the new Disney Infinity 2.0 game disc to get access to the new content. A digital upgrade will be available for download, to unlock the new content, although an upgrade price has not yet been set.
Disney Infinity 2.0 will be available towards the end of the year. It is available for pre-order through Amazon
for $74.99.
4. Little Big Planet 3
PlayStation 4
The LittleBIGPlanet series is unique to PlayStation with LittbleBIGPlanet 3. It features Sackboy, and adorable plush character stitched together from yarn. He’s such a happy little character, you can’t help but fall in love with him as he goes on his perilous adventures. New to this year’s version, LittleBigPlanet 3, Sackboy is joined by his friends, Sackgirl, OddSock, Swoop, and Big Toggle. Players can toggle back and forth between these characters in order to overcome obstacles and tackle enemies like Newton – who attempts to destroy Sackboy’s wondrous world. LittleBIGPlanet 3 even gives players the ability to create their own power-ups. LittleBIGPLanet 3 is an all around great family video game.
LittleBIGPlanet 3 comes out in Fall 2014 and will only be available on the PS4.
5. Mario Party 10 Nintendo Wii U
Nintendo Wii U
We recently received the Wii U and began playing Mario Bros. games. My kids LOVE them and we all love that all 4 of us can play at once. Mario Party 10 continues the fun with a series of mini games in which up to 4 players can move along a board game carnival atmosphere until they are surprised by the appearance of Bowser, a mean dragon set to wreak havoc on their parade. The interesting irony here, however, is that Bowser is controlled by another player, who uses the Wii U GamePad to control Bowser and threaten the other plays in whichever manner s/he sees fit! Mario Party 10 is a fun family video game that the whole family can play.
An exact release date for Mario Party 10 has not been set yet, but it will likely be in 2015.
Nintendo has a bunch of new games coming out for kids, though most of them will debut in 2015. It’s refreshing to find some great family video games like these in an industry that is so competitive with violence type games. Watch out for most of these games in the Fall and save them for Christmas, your kids will love them.
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Christmas looms on the horizon. And you’re trying to figure out what to buy your kids and loved ones. A video game or video game console may be just the thing, especially if you like to play games with the entire family. Here we’ll take a look at the best kids and family games of the year, with a focus on games you can play with one another on your double-decker couch. Fortunately, there’s quite a lot to choose from in 2014. For more info. visit http://waytoenliven.com/play/top-six-family-video-games-christmas-2014/