"There is something magical about three you know - a trio is tight and nicely economical."

I am a HUGE Nintendo fan and have grown up with their games since I was around the age of ten. Despite this ever growing love I am ashamed to say that I have never played a Zelda game! I know, I should be disappointed with myself and I have been told so many times over the years that I am missing out. I remember a conversation years ago with my friend Jen over a few drinks about the importance of playing the legend of Zelda games (she's a big fan) and whenever I mention Nintendo to my friend Jamie he tells me about the impact Ocarina of time had on him growing up.

It was time to give it a try and with the release of The Legend of Zelda Tri force heroes on 3ds last week there was no better time to throw myself in there. I love a good 3ds game because I can fit it in to every quiet moment I have, Sitting in the dentist waiting area, lying in bed late at night with my headphones in and in this case, waiting in a car park while Seth is having one of his annual hospital check ups.

As I have not played the other games from the series I don't have anything to compare it too, but I can confidently say that I was hooked from the moment I started playing. Tri force heroes follows Link on a new adventure in Hytopia, a town that is obsessed with fashion. The towns princess (Styla) has been cursed by a Witch who the towns folk refer to as 'The Lady' and has been left in a black jumpsuit (probably not the best outfit for a fashion conscious member of royalty).

To defeat the witch Link must embark on an adventure in to the Drablands but he's not alone as the town believe that the evil can only be lifted by a trio of heroes that work together and can form a totem by piling on each other. Tri force heroes can be played by a single gamer using two 'dopples' that you can control one at a time to get you through. What makes Tri force heroes so much fun is that to make the most of the games functions you can connect a further two consoles (2ds, 3ds or New 3ds). What makes the game even better is the other two players don't need to own the game themselves as the multiplayer mode can be played using downloadable content from the player owning the game (as well as there being a local and online play option). I wasn't sure if the game may be a little difficult for Opeie but as you are playing cooperatively and each puzzle isn't too long, you can get through each one smoothly as a team.

Haven't got anyone to play with at home? no need to worry, all you need is your console set up to your wifi and you can play co-op mode with allies everywhere. I would have loved this option on my Gameboy when I was a mini gamer growing up and it has been great to play alongside other players of an evening. As well as the Co-op play you can also take photos from each level (when you have picked up the in game camera from one of the shops) and share these in the Miiverse.

For me Tri force heroes is the best 3ds release of 2015 as it has been the first game that I have been squeezing in levels every spare moment I can (not to mention a few late nights, oops). I wont give too much away but as the levels progress they get increasingly more tricky to complete which is why I have found the game so engaging. There are also a great selection of costumes and items to unlock during your adventure to aid you through each level. As a parent and blogger I don't get huge chunks of time to sit and play console games unless I'm sitting with the boys playing together but the short puzzles fit in perfectly amongst all the other things I am doing.

The legend of Zelda Tri force Heroes gets a huge thumbs up from us and I think it will be keeping me (and the boys) entertained over the coming weeks. We're now looking forward to the next installment of The Legends of Zelda series on the Wii U too, so stay tuned.

"oh wow techno fear it's happening again, all the machinerys ganging up on me"

Its coming to that time of year again, when a good percentage of us parents go into panic mode about what to get our adorable little ones for Christmas hoping that Santa really has been taking notice of what our little ones are interested in throughout the year. As always electronic toys and gadgets are increasingly popular with children and the adult market is huge too (Mrs M is always telling me how many Nintendo consoles she sees during her morning commute). I imagine this time of year consoles and games are big business. I'm a Nintendo guy through and through and have been since the release of the NES many years ago. I've grown with them as a company so I am always excited when there is an awesome game promotion going on.

Clearly Nintendo is fully aware of the stresses and strains of Christmas shopping and has come up with a great Winter promotion giving you the chance to download one of the latest 3DS games for free, yes FREE! (and they are all great games). To do this all you need to do is register your Console (3ds/2ds) with Club Nintendo along with one of 3 3ds games, Super smash bros, Pokemon Omega Ruby or Pokemon Alpha Sapphire (original or limited edition Steelbook). 

Once you have your product Pin numbers to hand All you need to do is register them through the site (be aware that if you have bought either second had the product pin may not work). Once your products are registered all you need to do is Log into your Club Nintendo account 24 hours later and request your download code by clicking on the free game promotional banner. There is a great selection on games to choose from.

I was chatting to a parent while picking Seth up from school last week, and I was trying to explain the promotion (as I was really impressed by it). She told me she wasn't great with computers;, etc. and I thought 'i wonder how many people are going to miss out on this?' I know for some of us parents, knowing what to do with these consoles can be a little daunting, but this promotion is so awesome i thought id make the whole process a little easier with a step by step guide. Everybody needs a free Nintendo game in their life, plus this time of year shopping costs can really add up, Especially if a console is topping your child's Christmas list. Having a FREE installed game ready to go on the big day could take the edge off.

So you've got your new console and game, or maybe you haven't registered the ones you have, As I said now is the best time. Once you have gone through the set up process on the console its time to make the most of the winter promotion.

Step 1: Create an account on www. club-nintendo.com and then click to register your products...

Your product Pin can be found here (and you will find these inside all new Nintendo Software and Hardware):

Once you have entered the 16 character code into this page...

 All you need to do then is complete a short survey about your gaming preferences and where you heard about the products, etc and your console or game will be registered. You will also receive your stars that can be saved and used to buy fun items from the stars catalogue.

Once your Console and software are registered you need to leave it 24 hours before signing back into your account to choose the free game you would like using the promotional banner.

I don't want to sway you in your gaming decisions but i can strongly recommend Yoshi's new island and also Pokemon Art academy. If you don't believe me check out my art work (i know, i know, artistic genius).

You don't want to miss out on this great winter promotion and I hope I have made the whole process a little easier for you. If you are having problems though and have stumbled across this post on the verge of tearing your hair out, then drop me an email in the top left corner of the blog and i will guide you through it.

Thanks for reading and happy gaming.

"Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get the better in something or other."

If you are a regular reader of the blog then you will know how I feel about Nintendo and the effects they have had on my life over the years. It's all about the handheld gaming for me and my 3ds has become a permanent fixture during my week. Handheld gaming fits in with my lifestyle, those quiet moments with Opeie asleep in the car, a relaxing hour in bath and even linking up with the boys 2ds' for a bit of multiplayer fun. Mrs M is always saying how many of the consoles she sees on the train in the morning going to work so it's clear that Nintendo's handheld consoles are as always on the up.

The 3ds offers great games with crisp clear graphics and we have been lucky enough to have been able to review many great titles over the last few months, but what else does the console have to offer?

I've mentioned it before but the great thing about the 3ds system is that even if you didn't buy a game straight away you could keep yourself entertained for months solely on the software that comes installed. My favourite accessory on the console is street pass. A way of connecting with other gamers, street pass gives you a way of making friends on the streets just by walking by with your console in Sleep mode. It's safe and the only information that is received is a Mii character, name and a life achievement that you chose from a list when registering. That probably doesn't sound that interesting at first but it's what you can do with your street pass friends that makes this software so addictive. There are street pass games installed but also the option to buy other games and with every gamer passed in the street you have another player to use on your gaming adventures.

The console also has another similar wireless software (Nintendo Zone) that picks up and sends you Nintendo information and news in certain areas while you are out and about. Kind of like what the mobile networks do bit rather than random rubbish it is all Nintendo based.

When it comes to the 3d side of things then there are some games that need to be played in 3d. Personally though I still tend to play many of my games in 2d. The console has a few games installed though that are quite simple but really show the possibilities of what the 3d screen can do. Face raiders is a game based around your own face, you use the consoles camera (front or back) to photograph your face or someone elses and then you are transformed into moving targets to shoot at, The consoles also come with a pack of cards to be used on the Augmented Reality software which is something a little different and really makes the most of the 3d side of the console.

If you have friends or family that also have a 3ds/2ds console and they are registered then you can use the Nintendo Letter box software to send each other letters to stay in contact using streetpass. this can now include photos too.

 A few months back i wrote a post about creating Mii characters (click here to read more), despite having lots of games to play creating Mii's is one of the boys favourite things to do and can keep them entertained on long car journeys.

If playing with Music or photographs are your thing then you could have so much fun playing with Nintendo 3ds sound or Camera, Nintendo have come a long way since their original GBA Camera and printer (although i did have a lot of fun with mine when i was younger). With plenty of creative options to make your own personalised sounds, pictures and videos you can let your creative side run wild and again this is all software that comes installed on your system.

There is so much more going on with this console and it seems that the more that you play the more fun you find. If gaming is your thing then for me being such a huge fan of Nintendo and the games and software that they have to offer there really is nothing better. With so much going on installed on the console it has been perfect for entertaining the boys on long car journeys or anywhere where there may be some waiting.

In the next couple of months we'll be writing a 'Top toys for Christmas' post but I'm sure its quite clear that the Nintendo 3ds family will be right up there at the top. 

"Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community."

Seth is a huge fan of life simulation Games, if you can create your own community, stories  and alternative life then he's all over it. In the past though I've found that he loses interest gradually, that was until we received Nintendo TomoDacHi life for the 3ds. I'll be honest this isn't really my sort of game usually but I found watching Seth play this was really entertaining. It's been a while since I've seen Seth get this excited by a game but the fact that you can really use your imagination on this is definitely the reason why it's so popular here.

The boys love creating Mii Chatacters and with TomoDacHi Life you are encouraged to build character after character and then welcome each one in to the interactive world you have created to form friendships and sometimes romance, The more people you create at the start the more attractions you unlock. Seth has come up with some fun characters and thinks it's great that you can also pick different voices for the people you add to the game. Once you have created your character you also design their living quarters. I'm not sure if as a parent I should be worried but ALL of Seths characters live in jail cells, hmmmm....

We've only been playing this for three weeks and Seth has unlocked many new shops and attractions for his world, I get the feeling though that we have only touched the surface and game play has many more exciting features to uncover. The game makes you chuckle from time to time also with the crazy things that pop up during conversations.

There is so much to do while you are playing and the game play is really addictive, id actually like it for myself too, i was a little gutted that you can only have one game saved unlike many other Nintendo 3DS games but then this is a continually growing game so storage would be an issue. During play you can hand out songs you can become a musician with a variety of different musical genres...

Seth had an issue with the game when he first started playing, when in a very serious voice he told me about his concerns that when feeding your characters there were no healthy options. As the game goes on though more options become available. This only sparked more concern though when Seth realised that most of his characters didn't like spinach! they would'nt last 5 minutes in our partially vegan household.

With so much to do this is the sort of game that can keep you occupied for a huge amount of time. Every part of the game is personalised by yourself and you can be as creative as you like. If i had the game for myself i think i would just have Mii characters for every person i come into contact with, friends family the postman, it would be so much fun. on top of a community to build, places to shop, relationships to form there are lots of minigames to play and ways to earn money to keep your characters fed and entertained. I think this game is going to be around for a long time and i hope its the sort of game that comes with regular fun updates.

Ill write about the game again in a months time to see Seth progress as he seems to pick it up whenever he has a spare minute, on car journeys or sometimes if he wakes up early and cant get back to sleep. The 3ds consoles are amazing and i would be lost without mine now.

Well its time for the boys to have a bath now...

...and then maybe a little more family game time.

so until next time, happy gaming.