Yes, it is Blockbuster Season. For us parents this means it is time to spend lots of money on movie tickets and popcorn, only to be tortured by obnoxious kids in poorly air-conditioned theaters, while watching movies we really don’t care about. In the past the punishment was over after 2 hours, but thanks to Hollywood’s growing interest in Videogames which translates to more of your money and your kids allowances, you now have to play or at least listen to below average Videogames too. And if you thought $10 for a movie ticket is a lot, a videogame will set you back $49 to $59.

Why do we know this? Because KidConfidence is created by parents for parents.

KidConfidence Videogame Parent Tip 1: Check with us first. Kidconfidence will review every Movie related Videogame for you and your kids. Simply check our website a couple days after the movie has been released. We will show you and your kids actual gameplay footage of the Videogame. Many other websites only offer written reviews, but KidConfidence believes that a video can say more that 1000 words. If there is any questionable content or violence in the game you can be sure to see it in our Video Review.

KidConfidence Videogame Parent Tip 2: Rent don’t buy. Movie based Videogames are known to be short and shallow. Your child will complete the game in several days. Blockbuster and Gamefly offer relatively cheap Videogame rentals and programs that offer monthly memberships

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KidConfidence kicked off the 2007 season with TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and we are currently reviewing Disney’s Meet the Robinsons, which appears to be one of the better Movie tie-in’s we have seen in a long time. Stay tuned for the full review coming Tuesday April 3rd.

Here is our educated guess on what your kids will want to play and see in 2007:

March 23. TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
March 30. Meet the Robinsons
May 4. Spider-Man 3
May 18. Shrek the Third
May 25. Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End
June 8. Surf’s Up
June 15. Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer
June 29. Rataouille
July 4. Transformers
July 13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
July 27. The Simpsons Movie
August 3. Underdog
August 10. Bratz: The Movie

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SEGA Corporation and Nintendo Co. Ltd. made a historical announcement that two of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry, Mario™ and Sonic™, are joining forces to star in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Developed for the Wii™ video game system and the Nintendo DS™ system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two renowned stars have appeared together in a game.

Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and published by Nintendo in the Japanese market, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be available for Holiday 2007 and is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is the videogame tie-in for the TMNT movie released in March 2007. “Ultimately, the movie seems driven more by the need to keep a toy line and franchise alive than any creative inspiration” says Kirk Honeycutt from the Hollywood Reporter. Unfortunately the same is true for the videogame. TMNT can be summarized by: running, jumping and occasionally fighting several (identical) bad-guys. The game does not require any puzzle-solving or brain activity to speak of. We were able to complete the Xbox360 version of the game in about 6 hours, which was largely do to the easy difficulty and unlimited lives. TMNT only offers single player mode with no Multiplayer options what-so-ever. The game may appeal to children because of its easy difficulty and famous characters, but unless you have unlimited or free game rentals, TMNT is not worth your time or money. On a positive note: TMNT will provide the easiest 900 points for our Xbox360 Gamerscore ever.

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Cooking Mama is a charming collection of cooking themed minigames. The main objective of the game is to chop, cut, boil, stir, mix and cook a variety of different meals from around the world. The game can be played alone or 2 players can face off against each other. Nintendo has talked a lot about opening the Wii and DS to new audiences, Cooking Mama is undoubtedly an excellent example of the type game it takes to achieve this goal. The game is suitable for young chefs ages 6. And the game may even change or shape your kids attitude towards cooking. Contrary to popular believe Cooking Mama does NOT teach your kids, or husband, or wife how to cook, but it does introduce some of the ingredients and steps required for many different types of meals. Cooking Mama sells for $49 MSRB, which is a lot of dough for a small game that feels more like a XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) Game in regards of size and presentation. If you don’t mind the bitter price tag, you’ll find Cooking Mama refreshing and enjoyable.

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KidConfidence Editor Cola had the unique opportunity to suit up and take a PhaseSpace motion capture system for a test drive.

PhaseSpace optical motion capture systems are the industry’s price / performance leader for motion tracking and position sensing. By using active LED markers and advanced software, PhaseSpace systems provide highly accurate, real time data with a minimum of occlusion and dropout errors.

“Nintendo’s Motion-sensing Wii-mote is cool, but wait until motion capture technology will allow us to control games in a whole new way… I can’t wait” said Cola after her stellar performance as Bird and Rhino.

The entertainment industry, with 3D animated movies, animated TV programs, and games, is perhaps the most visible and recognized user of motion capture technology today. Films such as The Polar Express, The Lord of the Rings, and The Matrix have shown the power of this technology in bringing to life the artistic dreams of authors, animators, and filmmakers.

Watch our Video Interview below for more.

Videosize: 5.7MB

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