Literary Illusions is proud to be giving away a My Life Handheld Game Unit. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. People who leave multiple comments will be deleted from the contest altogether. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry as we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be sent an email shortly after the end of the contest. To claim your prize all you will need to do is send us your address in a reply to the congratulation email that you will receive. If we do not receive a reply from you within three weeks, your winnings will be forfeited and your prize will be offered to another contestant.

We will begin emailing winners for this the week of October 22, 2008, which means you have until October 21, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

From the Press Release:
With My Life Handheld, you choose and care for a pet, play fun games and go on fabulous shopping trips, all in the palm of your hand. Start by customizing your character. Choose your size, style, fashion and look, right down to the color of your eyes. Build relationships with virtual friends, family and pets. You can even add to the experience with MyStuff accessory keys and fashion keys; and expand your virtual world.

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As a girl, I longed to own a pony. I suppose that made me like a million other girls on the planet. There was something appealing about horses. Today, thanks to video games, kids can have the ability to raise a horse instead of parent’s having to buy one if they were even considering such an idea. While I have not played any of the other horse games, I have heard that they are lacking in excitement.

When I was offered the chance to review Horse Life, I immediately compared it in my mind to the massive amounts of other “raise the animal” type games on the market. You can raise everything from puppies to monsters and now horses.

For some reason, I relate horses to a more female style game and I know I am not alone in this. I think that will keep some people from playing this game or purchasing it. I will admit that I probably would not have purchased it on my own had I been looking for something in the store.

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If you want to purchase your Naruto fan a game this Christmas it has to be “Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution”. I’m not a huge Naruto fan, but I love fighting games, excellent graphics and games that have plenty of fun, fighting-based, adventures. This game has pretty much everything you’d expect from the hottest Nintendo Wii fighting games and maybe it even has a little more. While D3 sunk with their Nintendo DS game, “Naruto: Path of the Ninja”, they have a winner with “Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution”.

There isn’t much I can say to discourage you from buying this game. I wasn’t sure how I’d like this, but it is definitely a keeper. I’m looking forward to more Naruto titles, and while I’m not that big of a fan of anime, the game did give me the chance to learn about the story. In fact, I’m considering checking out past episodes of Naruto. That’s how much fun I’ve had playing this game. If you, like me, have a young, teenage son (mine just turned 13) this is one of those games you can enjoy together. Otherwise, it’s a great way to occupy your teen or tween as opposed to worrying about where they are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing.

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I’m not overly fond of fishing in a conventional setting. I’m more interested in the exciting, contact sports. I just can’t get into lounging around, catching fish, and occasionally fighting a big one. That’s just not my style. I wasn’t sure what to expect when “Fishing Master” arrived at my house for review. The game was released in mid-September. I had the chance to explore the game for over a month before writing this review. Let me tell you, this game is much more fun than I could have imagined!

I was a little worried about how “Fishing Master” would work on the Wii remote. With the ability to allow players to be more physical when using the Wii remote, I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to handle it if the game was Wii remote intensive. As someone in a wheelchair with limited muscle strength in my hands and arms I have found the Wii to be incredibly therapeutic. However, some games are quite intensive and getting down the motion isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Ashtyn and I played this one together since she is able-bodied and I am not. While she only had a little bit of trouble figuring out how to cast a line and reel in the fish (that’s the hardest part as the fish can sometimes escape by breaking the line or getting away) I had a little bit more trouble getting down the motions. Of course, once I figured them out, there was no stopping me! This is one way for those with limited mobility to fish, even if it is just pretend fishing!

I should mention that “Fishing Master” does not have any violence, bad language, or anything else you wouldn’t want your kids to see. Since this is a review for LI Kids, I will point out that while two adults enjoyed this game, it is easy to see why kids would love this even more than adults would. It’s fun, cartoonish, and it involves swinging around the Wii remote. What more could any child want in a video game?

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While I am not a big fan of the Naruto series (and only watch it when I have to), I know that my son enjoys the television show. It is always interesting to see what happens when a video game is made based on a television series. It is easier to handle the animation for a television show as opposed to a video game. While designing processes may be similar, the interactivity of video games is a bit more difficult to tackle. In a television show, the story is laid out, drawn, and then animated. In a video game, the story will have to take a different path based on the selection the player chooses. This could mean hundreds to thousands of different scenarios are played out in one single game. This is partially why it takes games so much longer to be developed.

Needless to say, I received “Naruto: Path of the Ninja” for the Nintendo DS, to review. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I wasn’t sure what kind of game I was going to be playing. If you like the RPG style games then “Naruto: Path of the Ninja” falls somewhat along those lines. The game follows through nearly 90 of the episodes of the Naruto television show. You actually get to live out the episodes through the game so fans of the TV show are going to love this aspect of “Naruto: Path of the Ninja”.

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Literary Illusions is proud to partner with D3Publisher in giving away three copies of Horse Life. Our contest will be ending just in time for Christmas and entering is simple. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. People leaving multiple comments will be deleted altogether. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry as we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not here from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win. We will make every effort to send out prizes won in December in time for the holidays, but cannot promise a before Christmas delivery.

We will choose a winner for this on December 24, 2007, just in time to find out if you’ve won for the holidays. This means that you have until December 23, 2007 at 11:59 PM EST to enter the contest.

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The holidays are always the biggest time to buy video games. With the Nintendo DS, the Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, and XBOX 360, there should be no shortage of systems of games to delight kids and families during the holidays. This year, there are many great games available to purchase that are kid-friendly.

This gift giving guide is listed in no particular order. We hope you enjoy our list, and happy shopping during the wonderful holiday season.

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JUST WHAT EVERY GIRL WANTS, A HORSE OF HER OWN!

HORSE LIFE FOR NINTENDO DS WILL ARRIVE AT RETAIL JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS FROM D3PUBLISHER OF AMERICA

LOS ANGELES – November 6, 2007 – The dreams of many young girls have been granted as D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA) today announced that Horse Life™, an original game exclusively for the Nintendo DS™, has shipped to retail. Horse Life immerses players in the equestrian world by putting a horse right inside of their DS. Available for $29.95 MSRP, players must use the touch screen and microphone to keep their horse happy and fit by feeding them, cleaning their stall and riding them. Most importantly, players will put their training to the test by participating in national and international competitions to earn prestige and money to become a great champion.

“We are very pleased to be able to bring the joy of owning a horse to the Nintendo DS gamer with Horse Life. The game recreates the experience of owning a horse with exciting game play and the best graphics of any horse game available,” said Kim Motika, vice president of sales and operations, D3PA. “We know players will fall in love with Horse Life as soon as they pick it up, and we hope to fulfill many wishes this holiday season by offering the horse that so many have wanted but never gotten.”

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