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Nanovor

November 20th, 2009

Nanovor is on TOP of the Christmas list here at our house. Tate and all of his friends have kept the phone lines hot with discussions about this new game that combines the strategy of collectible cards and online game play from Smith and Tinker. Nanovor combines so many different elements of play, making it the hot new toy this season.I can personally vouch for the fact that if you get any boy on your list between the ages of 7-12…you will be the BEST person around. The Nanoscope may look small but the graphics are phenomenal! I was shocked at what a fabulous job they have done with this game and Tate is thrilled with all of the aspects offered by it.

Nanovor is a digital battling monster game that combines the strategy of a collectible card game with the appeal of a multiplayer online game. Designed with the mission to reinvent play for today’s connected generation of kids, Nanovor bridges the gap between traditional and digital entertainment, offering the first integration between online and offline play.

Nanovor is based in a rich fictional world where nanoscopic monsters, known as Nanovor live and battle inside computers. They ruled our still-molten Earth, long before any other species could survive. As Earth cooled and the atmosphere became oxygen-rich, the silicon-based Nanovor slipped into deep hibernation for billions of years. In 1958, when silicon was embedded within a computer chip and electricity pulsed through it for the very first time, the Nanovor sprung back to life. Fast forward to present day. Lucas Nelson accidentally discovers these tiny monsters living inside his computer. With the help of his high school science professor, he uncovers the fact that the Nanovor must fight in order to produce the adrenaline necessary to avoid going back into a crystallized state. As fate would have it, Lucas has stumbled onto the next boys monster battling mega-hit, Nanovor!

Nanovor has gained rapid adoption with kids, especially 7-12-year-old boys who love the stunning battle animations, splats and green goo. The Nanoscope, a high-tech connected toy, extends the battle offline, allowing players to connect up to four handhelds for head-to-head combat with friends. Monsters literally jump between Nanoscope devices during battle and play thousands of combat animations.

Nanovor lets players download their collection of monsters from the online game onto the Nanoscope via a USB connection, allowing them to take the battle offline, anywhere. Everything players do on the Nanoscope is connected back to the online game, establishing character persistence and an unbroken circle of play.

Further, Smith & Tinker provides parents with a comprehensive set of tools that allow them to manage their child’s experience. The site features a robust section where parents can learn about child safety and set up a Parent Account. As part of this account, parents can choose who their kids can interact with and if they can buy or sell in the Nanovor marketplace.

Smith & Tinker’s founders bring decades of experience to the table and are leaders in successful toy and game innovations. The company is led by executives from some of the world’s top brands including Cranium Inc., Hasbro Inc. (NERF), The Walt Disney Company and Microsoft (Halo and Xbox). Smith & Tinker was founded by Jordan Weisman, creator of the MechWarrior gaming franchise, which has sold over 11 million PC games worldwide.

Smith and Tinker provided me with a product for review. No other compensation was received for this post. All opinios are my own.

The Toys

October 4th, 2009

Here is the meat of my New York trip. The Toys. What is hot this year. Time To Play is a great resource for you to check out if you have never done so. That is what they do…they play. They talk to kids. They talk to Parents. They find out what everyone loves and why….and then they share it all with you. You can find the complete list of what they have predicted to be the most popular and best selling products of Holiday 2009 and why HERE. And now I will show you some of my favorites…things that I think will be scattered throughout my home come Christmas.

The electronic Rubik’s Cube. Ummm, no, you can’t peel stickers off to solve. It does have a hint button though. We love puzzles, everyone of us here loves puzzles. We always have a traditional Rubik’s Cube sitting around, as well as a Sudoku cube, and an Orb. We are puzzlers what can I say. Does that make me a geek? Never mind, don’t answer that after all. Anyway, I loved the electronic Rubik’s, it is high tech and so cool looking. You can read all about it HERE. I would have loved to have gotten my hands on it and played for hours…but well, you know how it is, there were other people in line and I didn’t want to look selfish. But if I ever get my own…I am gonna be like a 2 year old with candy. No way in heck you are gettin it away from me. So Santa, please think of me when you look at these.

Want one? Try Best Buy, Amazon, or Hammacher

The Duck Hunter. Well, we do live in the country ya know…and it is just an all around fun toy. The Duck flies…and you shoot it. With each shot the duck get “weaker” and 3 hits brings it down. You have to be a good shot though. The great thing about this is that you can play indoors or out. My concern was that the wings would be too fragile for my crew…but they aren’t. They are very durable and they can be replaced I was told. A great advantage to this is that the charge time for the duck…is only 10 seconds. Instant gratification, I love that, because some people that live with me can be very impatient. It comes in a 1 player set or a 2 player set and can be found at major retailers.

The Shred Sled. This thing is cool. Heck No I didn’t try this one out, I would be laid up in a hospital in a strange city…are you crazy? I did see a guy demo’ing it though. And Tate is gonna LOVE it! Yes, I am giving one of these to my very, very accident prone son. But he is also getting a helmet and every kind of pad I can find. Maybe along with being super fun he will learn some kind of balance. The Shred Sled combines the feel of snowboarding with skateboarding. To watch it in motion is very neat, these things can do all kinds of tricks. You can read all about them HERE and watch a video of how they work. AND, there is even a skate park near Hick Town.

The Lego line of electronics. They have digital camera’s MP3 players, Boom Boxes andAlarm Clocks just to name a few of the items. All are available in a variety of colors and all are not only cute but functional. And if you love Legos as much as we do…these are fabulous. The line is available at Toys R Us and are affordable. You can even build upon the units with more legos. Fun!!

What girl doesn’t love jewelry? Well, this jewelry has even more to love, it is edible. The candy rings are so cute. I think these would be great to center a themed party around. Even as adult women we love to get together with our friends and have girl days… these candy jewelry makers would give young girls the perfect excuse to have a get together and have tons of fun to see what they each create.

Nanovor is the hottest new gaming….game to hit the market. Shown above you see the Nanoscopes that can be played alone or with 4 players. I am no expert on these types of games but I do know that all the boys love them. When I showed this to the boys, they were all immediately in love. Nanovor is available for online play, on the go play, group play….you name it. It is very well thought out and they have so many options to choose from. I checked this out pretty closely because I knew beyond a doubt that it would be a huge hit in my house. The graphics are great for such a small device and once I gave the website to Tate, he was hooked and is now begging for a Nanoscope. The Nanoscope also has a USB connector so that you have seemless play between online and off. You can read more about it all HERE. The phone lines have been hot since my announcement about Nanovor…all the boys have had to discuss it at length and play for free online. And I got to take a nap.

These are just a few of the great toys that I got to check out at the Time To Play Holiday Toy Showcase. There were many more that were equally as great as the ones that I have shown you and you will be hearing about more. I took this trip at my own expense and am so glad that I did. When I was first invited I was unsure if I would be able to pull it off, but I did and it was well worth the trip. I had a fabulous time and want to thank all of the companies that were present and I especially want to thank Time To Play, Elise and Nicole for helping me to have a fabulous day!