“Put aside the bug net, and try out this precious little beauty instead!”

When it comes to gaming, for me its all about the 3ds and it has always been the same for me when it comes to Nintendo's handheld gaming. I love being able to squeeze in half an hours game play here and there when I have the occasional quiet moment. I sometimes don't feel like I am able to give the games the times they deserve though because of all of the other things I have going on, this is where the boys come in, I love how excited they get about certain games and its awesome to see that they are as passionate about Nintendo as I was when I was their age. Now I say that sometimes I don't feel like I have the time but every now and again a game comes along and completely sucks me in and this Easter holiday has given me that game.

I really enjoyed playing Yo-kai watch when it was released but I got stuck somewhere in the game, got sidetracked and just never went back to it. The boys though were all over it and really got stuck in while we were flying long haul to Orlando. This spurred on Opeie to buy himself a Yo-kai watch from Target to wear all holiday. With the release of Yo-kai watch 2 I was looking forward to giving it a go but I knew that it was going to be one for the boys. How wrong was I!!! for me Yo-kai watch 2 has been the best game that I have played in quite some time. I have been so hooked that every given chance, while Mrs M and the boys are doing something, Ive slipped away and disappeared upstairs to have a bit of gaming time to myself.

This game is awesome! having two versions of the game has been great as it has meant that we've all been able to have our own games going on. Seth and I have been playing Bony Spirits and Opeie has been playing Fleshy souls. Like the first installment the main protagonists are Nate or Katie, the story starts with your chosen character having no recollection of Yo-kai and their adventures from the original game. Eventually you find your Yo-kai butler Whisper and the fun begins again. The story is so well written and with a huge open world to explore the game is full of tasks to complete to earn new parts to the story.

As you progress through the game you battle and befriend Yo-kai and can build up your strength during battle in preparation of stronger, more difficult Yo-kai. A great addition to the battle mode on this game, is being able to aim your attacks at certain parts of your enemy giving you the upper hand and attacking their most vulnerable areas. You are also able to upgrade your watch to the 'Model Zero' which packs much more of a punch in battle mode.

The thing I have enjoyed most about the second installment is the sheer size of the open world. You can travel long distance on bus and train and can also travel in time (which is where I have just got to and it has got me even more hooked).

If you we're a fan of the first game then I'm pretty sure that Yo-kai watch 2 fleshy souls or bony spirits will have you even more hooked than the original game. I can tell that this one will continue to fill those quiet moments in between all of the other things that fill my (always eventful) days.

Opeie's LEGO building has received the Yo-kai treatment recently too. He recreated his favourite part of the game 'Terror Time'. Its safe to say that the boys love of Yo-kai watch has been reignited. Opeie now has us trying to track down the new Model Zero watch so that he can continue his Yo-kai adventures with Seth and his friends.

The only question left to ask though (and its an important one), do you prefer Soul of Spirit Doughnuts?

“Put aside the bug net, and try out this precious little beauty instead!”

After seeing Seth get so into Pokemon omega Ruby I really wanted to see what was so addictive about open world role playing games. So when I started playing the legends of Zelda twilight princess HD a month or so ago I was completely hooked. The only disadvantage to the game for me was that it was a WiiU game and although the boys have all the time in the world to get stuck into a game of that size, I find it really difficult as when they are playing I'm usually cooking tea or cleaning the house. I love playing the WiiU but for me, it's all about my 3ds because I can fit short bursts of playing into whatever I am doing.

Over the last few months, I've been reading up on all the hype surrounding YO-KAI WATCH coming to the Uk and I was eager to give the game some of my gaming time. The layout of the game is very similar to the Pokemon franchise with a huge free roaming world that you unlock as you proceed through the story. You start in a town called Springdale and what starts as an innocent hunt for bugs, kicks off a huge YO-KAI adventure when you meet Whisper, a YO-KAI that gives you the ability to see (the usually invisible to the human eye) YO-KAI, through the use of the YO-KAI WATCH. The idea behind the game is so much fun, with YO-KAI being the main cause of all the things that are going on in the town. Do your parents keep fighting? Or for no apparent reason do you angrily snap at people and say things you don't mean out of pure frustration? Then there is probably a YO-KAI near by responsible for all of your troubles.

Thankfully they won't be causing you grief for too long thanks to your YO-KAI WATCH that helps you track down the little trouble makers. You can then befriend them and use their powers for good, helping you to battle against other (much larger) YO-KAI along your journey through the game. The battles do start off fairly easy, especially the YO-KAI that you find hiding in trees and under cars etc throughout the town (they are everywhere and it is fun searching for them). I felt like I was tricked into a false sense of security though because as you progress through the game you really need to be strategic about the YO-KAI that you use and the items that you are carrying to assist. 

The boys love 'Terror time' in the game when venturing out at night. You have to sneak around trying not to get caught but if you are spotted the Oni chases after you and you have to run as fast as you can to get to the exit.

With over 200 YO-KAI to collect I can see that this is going to keep me occupied for a very long time. I've seen some great shots of YO-KAI that I've not encountered yet so I'm really looking forward to continuing the game. Aside from the main story, you can spend your game time levelling up your YO-KAI too and can even splice characters together to make more powerful ones. One of the things that appeals to me the most about this game is that if I don't have time to continue the story for a bit because of having things to do I can just have a quick wander through the town, helping the citizens of Springdale with their various issues, earning you a great selection of objects to use in battle.

The YO-KAI craze is huge in Japan and I think it's on point to be a huge success I've here too.