The Best Upcoming Family Games from E3 2013

by Lori Cunningham

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Choosing the top upcoming family video games from E3 has always been a highlight of my job.  Usually, I find so many, it’s hard to narrow it down to 5 or so.  But this year, due to the announcements of PlayStation 4 and XBOX One, the focus was on first shooter games rather than family friendly content.  It took me awhile to seek them out, and even so, a number of our video game recommendations are not multi-platform, meaning you can only get the game for a particular platform.  Want to see more on the E3 video  game conference?  See our Top Picks from last year’s E3 as well as this year’s  E3 Video Game Tradeshow in Pictures, to get a better visual on what the show is about.

Now, onto our recommendations from the show.  Please note that these games are still in development and will not be available until closer to Christmas.

1.  Disney INFINITY

INFINITY is Disney’s huge entry into the toy/video game crossover arena.   Not a company to do things small, Disney has entered into Skylanders’ competitive territory with 25 fun and well-loved Disney collectible characters that can be transformed from a child’s physical world to the animated Disney INFINITY world by placing their favorite character on a portal.  Placing a Monsters Inc. character boots up the Monsters Inc. game while placing a Davy Jones character on the portal boots up the Pirates of the Caribbean game.  Characters cannot go into worlds that aren’t theirs, which is a strict rule Disney adheres to, unless you play in the Toy Box mode.  The Toy Box mode lets you create your own came with all the characters, buildings, weapons, landscapes, and more that you’d like.  You can even build your own Disneyland!  There are no rules here.

Disney INFINITY promises to be THE game of Christmas this year and will be available on all most gaming consoles, along with various add-on playsets which allow you to explore even more worlds with other favorite Disney characters.  Even the upcoming Lone Ranger movie will be represented.  Learn more at Disney’s INFINITY  site.

2.  LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is an entertainment haven for those who love the Marvel characters.  Marvel Super Heroes gives you the power to choose which superhero can best help you with the task at hand, whether it’s moving large objects out-of-the-way, getting to high out-of-the-way places, or fighting Sandman, Loki, and Magneto.  Similar to utilizing different weapons within your arsenal, you switch superheroes dependent upon your need.  Superheroes Hulk, Iron Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Thor and many others are at your disposal, in fact, there are over 100 Marvel characters in the game!  The game utilizes colors to help you identify different characters that will help you with a task.  For example, red and blue markings indicate that Spiderman is the best superhero for the job.  It’s fun to watch the LEGO pieces fall about when you break something too.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes is a Marvel paradise for Marvel lovers and will be available on all consoles in the Fall.  Learn more about LEGO Marvel Super Heroes at the Marvel site.

3. DoKi DoKi Universe

DoKi DoKi Universe was one of my favorite games of the show.  At the PlayStation booth, I had the opportunity to meet it’s creator, Greg Johnson, and learn more about the game.  I loved seeing the smile in the corners of his lips as he talked about the game’s creation and how it is different from other games.  You could see the sense of pride he had in the game as well as the admiration he has for his wife, who, by the way, was the inspiration for the game.  His wife is Japanese and she and the Japanese culture has a large impact on the game.  Doki Doki in Japanese means, “to make your heart beat fast,” as if in love or within a highly emotional state.  It’s very fitting for the game.  Doki Doki Universe is about a robot who gets dropped off in the outer universe by its family and was told they would return to pick him up.  Twenty-six years later, he is still waiting.  He meets a representative from the robot factory where he was made who tells him that his model is about to be discontinued due to its lack of humanity.  The representative evaluates the robot’s responses as he encounters various characters and situations along his way.  When encountering different situations, you have three choices as to how you want the robot to interact.  Based on those choices, the game begins creating a profile on you that can tell you more about your personality.

Your personality is calculated based on standards like Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, and a Japanese Kokology system which evaluates people based on decisions made in hypothetical situations.  It’s really a fun and informative game for children and adults.  The game also includes a fun text messaging engine that allows you to add cartoon pictures to many of the words you have in your text message.  Text messages can be sent through the PlayStation engine as well as any smartphone with the Doki Doki free app.

DoKi DoKi Universe will  be available on PS Vita, PlayStation 3, and the upcoming PlayStation 4 and will be available for free as a download.  The entire story can be purchased as a download add-on.  Learn more about DoKi DoKi Universe on the PlayStation site.

4.  KNACK

KNACK is a fun twist to the super hero type of games.  KNACK is a hero that is built out of various remnants and relics he finds along the way that helps to transform his stature from three feet to a huge wrecking machine.  He was created by a scientist who studied a long lost civilization and the relics which survived from it.  He found a way to bind these relics together and give them consciousness, which gave way to the introduction of KNACK.  As KNACK ventures through his world, he discovers he can add other elements to himself, such as metal, ice, and substances that not only increase his size but his powers as well.  KNACK helps protect humanity by battling a resurgent globin army, although he later finds that the human community itself provides a great threat.

There are over sixty secret rooms throughout the game where KNACK can find special parts that when collected together, can increase his strength, heal him faster, and help him grow in size.  Similar to the LEGO’s in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, it’s fun to see his parts collect up or disperse when injured.

KNACK will be available on the upcoming PlayStation 4 console, which will be introduced this Fall.  It will not be available on the PS3 due to the intensity of graphics and processing power it needs.  Learn more about KNACK on the PlayStation site.

5.  UNU – Tablet – Gaming Console – Smart TV

OK, OK, UNU is not a video game, but it is truly one of the products I was most excited about this year at the Show.  UNU is a 7″ Android tablet, utilizing the new Android 4.2 features, that allows you to play on your TV what you are showing on the tablet.  Want to show a movie from Netflix on your big screen?  It’s as easy as connecting your tablet in its cradle (which is connected via HDMI) to your TV and opening the Netflix app and touching the movie you want to see.  It’s the same with your pictures – you can show any pictures on your UNU tablet, or you can take the SD card out of your camera and insert it into the UNU tablet to display them on your TV screen.  I love this feature.  So often I take pics during a party and want to show them on our TV, but today’s “flicking” apps, where you can “flick” your picture from your smartphone or tablet to the TV have such lag time.  UNU is fast and easy.

You can also play your favorite games on the big screen using either the UNU tablet, the included remote control, or the gaming controller (extra).  Play Angry Birds, Temple Run, Where’s My Water? and more on a larger-than-life screen.  Now you may think playing games using a remote control is iffy.  But the UNU remote control utilizes motion control and can respond to gesturing.  Turn the remote over and you can type in any login info. you need to, or surf the Internet.  I love the versatility of UNU.  Say you want to watch your favorite show and your child is using UNU.  They can finish their game on the tablet or hook up UNU to a HDMI TV in another room.  UNU is ideal for people without a Smart TV, it allows you to have all the functionality of a Smart TV…and much more…without having to go out and buy a new TV.  But honestly, I have two Smart TV’s and UNU is so much quicker and responsive, it’s right up my alley!

UNU will be available sometime this Summer.  It will sell for $199 for the UNU tablet, docking station, and remote control.  The gaming edition, which includes the game controller as well, will sell for $249.  Like their UNU Facebook Fan Page to learn more about their upcoming release.

E3 is always a fun show to attend.  The hard part is the anticipation until the game/gadget is finally released in the Fall.  As these games and others are released, WellConnectedMom will most likely be reviewing them.  Subscribe to our website to get the latest family technology news delivered to your mailbox.  Want to see more about E3?  See our article on E3 Video Game Trade Show in Pictures 2013.

Which game here appeals most to you and your family?