"I think every player should think that he's a difference maker."

As a gamer that spends most of my game time on a handheld console, it can be frustrating when I get into a game on our Wii U and don't have the time to sit and play for extended periods of time. Being able to take the 3ds about with me is a lot more convenient. There have been some amazing Wii U releases this year and many of them I have wished could be somehow moved to the 3ds so I could fit them into the times I can actually dedicate to playing. It's this frustration that is getting me so excited about the Nintendo Switch, I love the idea of being able to continue a game I am playing on the go and I cannot wait to give the console a try in 2017.

Until that is possible though I spend my time hoping that the games I love will be moved to a handheld platform. Recently I've been in luck (Twice). Since reviewing Super Mario Maker back in September it instantly became my favourite Nintendo release of this year and inevitably made its way to the top of my top 5 Nintendo Christmas List. Super Mario Maker has taken those Mario games many of us have grown up with and given the Nintendo gaming world the chance to design custom levels to share with people all over the world. This is what I have always loved about Nintendo, for me, they are at the peak of games design.

When I first read that they would be creating Mario Maker for the 3ds I was so excited and couldn't wait to get stuck in. There are some really creative levels that have been designed and I love seeing what people have come up with, The boys and I really enjoy making almost impossible levels for each other to tackle and the game has sparked some serious competition in our house.

I was actually expecting the 3ds version of the game to be really limited, but there is just as much going on. The only negative I have found and its nothing to do with the actual game, is that you obviously need to be connected to the internet to enter the course world and play other gamers levels. That being said though, as I sat outside Seth's school with the game on, I clicked on 'Mario Challenge' and I have become obsessed! At first glance, these not very challenging levels look simple to complete but when you add things in like not being able to use the left button or only being able to destroy certain bad guys, the levels become not only difficult but very very addictive.

Seth has asked for Super Mario Maker for Christmas and has refused to play this until then. With the option of being able to design levels and send them to each other, I've got a feeling we are going to be in for a pretty eventful Christmas day.

I did mention earlier in the post that there has been two occasions where a game I love has had the WiiU to 3DS cross-over, The second is coming soon. I cannot wait to get my hands on another of my favourite games in 2017 when Nintendo also release that 3DS version of Yoshi's Woolly World, Poochy and Yoshi's Woolly World. 2017 is going to be huge for Nintendo and I'm excited to be a part of it.

"Its all fun and games, 'til Santa checks the naughty list"

With Christmas only weeks away, our preparations for the big day are in full swing. Rather than encouraging the boys to write a huge list of things that they want we told them to write 5 things on their Christmas list that they would really like from Santa. With gaming being such a huge thing, it was inevitable that one of them would ask for a console game. I wasn't at all surprised that it was Seth as he uses gaming as a distraction for his daily physio. With this in mind I thought I'd write about my top 5 Nintendo releases of 2016.

5: Kirby Planet Robobot

I love a good platform game. Finding it difficult sometimes to dedicate larger amounts of time to the bigger role-playing type games its always great to have the sort of game that you can just switch on wherever you are, knock out a few fast paced levels and then switch off until your next spare few minutes. Kirby Planet Robobot ticks all those boxes and has been my game of choice while parked up waiting for the troops.

4: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

If you played the original then who doesn't love a good remake. I bought a friend of mine the 3ds Ocarina of time remake at the beginning of the year after he had had an unfortunate accident while away and was advised by his GP to relax for a few weeks. Ill never forget his eyes lighting up as he unwrapped it, as the game was a great memory from his childhood. With Twilight Princess you can relive the epic story again in HD. With a huge free roaming world and many puzzles and activities to complete along the way, this is a game that will have you hooked.

 3: Yo-Kai Watch

Although Sun and Moon is HUGE at the moment, it seems that the Yo-Kai Watch fire is still burning bright in the Nintendo gaming world. I honestly expected things to have died down a little with this game now but I am constantly getting updates from the Yo-Kai Watch Twitter site, telling me that the game is still as big as the early weeks of its release. Yo-Kai Watch is a 3DS Role-playing game that has been compared to Pokemon a lot. If you look past the similarities though you'll see that this game has a pretty cool story and characters that you can really relate too. If you played a demo of this game I can guarantee you would purchase it.

  2: Pokémon Sun and Moon

Pokémon Moon is the first handheld console role playing game that I have got into for a long time. If I am honest I probably would not have even given it a try if it wasn't for Seth's excitement over its release and him being adamant that I had to have the game too so that we could play together. I'm so glad that he did steer me towards it though as I am hooked. If I had Mrs M's job travelling back and forth to London then this is how I would be spending my time. The latest installment from the Pokémon franchise is a must.

1: Super Mario Maker

 It was a close call between Pokemon and Super Mario Maker but for me personally, Mario Maker has so much more to offer with its gaming experience. This is a game that has endless possibilities and will never get boring as you are creating the levels yourself. On top of that there is an enormous catalogue of levels created by gamers all around the world. Whats more is that as of last week the game has now made its way to 3DS meaning you can take your creations on the road with you. For me, Super Mario Maker is everything I want in a game.

Whatever you decide on this Christmas you can be sure that Nintendo has you covered for gaming entertainment. It has been a really great year for Nintendo releases and I am so excited about 2017 with the release of Nintendo switch, yet again Nintendo are going to revolutionise on the go gaming.

Merry Christmas Ya'll

"Imagine a world where everyone is really a change maker."

It's 23ish years ago, I'm around 12 years old and ridiculously excited about the release of Super Mario bros 3 on the Super Nintendo. Ever since my mom bought me and my sisters a NES when it was released and I first picked up that grey rectangle game pad I was hooked. Nintendo quickly became a huge part of my life and around that time my gaming experience was amazing. My mom was a big Tetris and Dr Mario fan and really embraced the whole gaming thing by taking us to our local toy store to buy us a game most months if me and my sisters had been good.

Its been an ongoing thing for many many years and the only Nintendo console we've not owned yet is the New 3ds (but Ive got my eye on an XL and there is plenty of time to sort that out). Back to the current day and in 2015 not a lot has changed. Despite being 35, I still adore Nintendo, they shaped a huge chunk of my development. What has changed though is the two miniature versions of myself that I had molded over the years are now the ones anticipating the release of a Mario game and there excitement really puts a huge smile on my face as it takes me right back.

For months now Seth and Opeie have been talking about Super Mario Maker, they have watched Youtube video's and live reviews and were both desperate to get stuck in. I didn't tell Seth last week that it had arrived, so when he came home from school and saw the game sent by Nintendo to review the excitement nearly brought him to tears (this was me, many years ago).

From the moment the Super Mario Maker title screen came up we were all hooked, the game is amazing on so many levels. For an aging Nintendo enthusiast such as myself, being able to remake the original Super Mario Bros, which was my first ever Nintendo game (on a joint cartridge with Duck hunt) is like a dream come true, but to be able to flip the level you are making to a Super Mario Bros 3 style or Mario world with just one click is truly a triumph.

With a huge range of accessories that span over the Super Mario back catalogue to add in to each of your creations, all you need to do to unlock them all is keep creating and eventually you are rewarded with more fun items to include in your ever growing custom levels. The great thing about Super Mario Maker is that it appeals to literally any age group which makes it the perfect family game. You can make the levels as easy or as difficult as you like. When it comes to my boys, they love creating ridiculously difficult levels with lots of bosses and awkward bad guys (piled up on top of each other), jumps that you can only just make and moving platforms that don't quite go as far as they are supposed to.

Not in a creative mood? then there's no need to worry because after you have created a course you can save it and upload it for other gamers to play worldwide in the 'Course World' section of the game and there are an endless amount of levels available to play created by fans, some of them are truly amazing. This is a game unlike any other I have played, we've only been playing three days and we cant wait to have unlocked all the extras. The only thing holding you back on this game would be your imagination.

If you are feeling up to a challenge there is the 100 Mario Challenge or if thats too easy the 10 Mario challenge where you have to complete a number of custom levels with limited lives.

 This game really has something for everyone and I can see Super Mario Maker being huge over Christmas as its the perfect game for sitting home with your family. 

If the game isn't exciting enough, its that mustachioed super plumbers 30th birthday and to celebrate Nintendo have made this awesome Amiibo. The game is really exciting as it is, but being able to add in new characters with the Amiibo's really adds to the fun. 

Super Mario Maker gets a HUGE thumbs up from us but there's no surprise there, For us, Nintendo continue to be the dominating force in the gaming world.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIO!!!!