Nintendo 3DS it one of the best handheld gaming consoles on the market. This little gem really is set to take the market of smartphone gaming technology with its glasses free 3D technology and a price tag of just under 220 quid we here at Supa Swap office love it!

Glits and Glam

 

This console is constructed with a very tough shell and virtually unbreakable when closed into its folding Clamshell design. Measuring when closed 135 x 20 x 75 mm, which is the same as the DS and DS Lite. The light blue colour really stands it away from the rest.

The hinge is a little loose and the charging lead gets in the way of some gameplays. The case being metallic looks great but does show up all the fingerprints. When opening the 3DS there are two screens, the lower a 3inch super touch screen and the top 3.5 inch makes gameplay a pleasure.

3D, No Glasses!

Yes thats right 3D and no glasses due to this unique Parallax technology, this is a barrier set under the screen that is covered in tiny slits, allowing two different images to be fired from one display in different directions, align your eyes correctly and you will see a 3D image.

Colours are perfect in this razor sharp picture and the buttons are all set in the right place.

This has to be one of the best handhelds I have ever used, a real winner in Supa Swap's view. Well done Nintendo.

Definitions of Games by Supa Swap.

 

Not everybody knows what different types of games are, so here this week at Suap Swap I will give you a brief guide and history of them.

1. Arcade style. Arcade style games are simulated games played in a room commonly known as an "arcade" where you pay and play a short game like Space Invaders and PacMan.

These were most common in the 80s but you can not beat going into a dark arcade, putting a coin in a slot and play one of these basic but classic games, better atmosphere than playing alone at home.

2. Card, Logic and Board Games. Card Games are common games like Solitaire and Poker and nowadays these are simulated on computers, where the computer is the opponent.

Logic games are like Master Mind, these are designed for brain training and stimulating, and now come in a wide range like handheld PSP with Brain Training.

Board Games are by no means boring!, the classics like Monopoly and Cluedo are great to get the whole family together on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy a good Board game. Computer versions are not the same for me.

3. Graphical adventures. These are very basic 80s style computer games with very basic graphics, they are called point and click adventures, as all you do is point the mouse and click to open another box or screen, very popular in the late 80s.

4. Simulation. Simulation games were a completely different way of playing a game, most popular in arcades, these fun games were shaped like a car or a bike and your controls felt real, even down to the seatbelt and gear stick, allowing you to feel like your inside the game. Nowadays you have things like Wii, where these simulate the body movements.

5. Role Playing. These are games usually played in a group, where one or more act out a part in a pretend manner, the others have to guess what you are trying to get across, these games were most popular before computers found their way into our homes.

 

Well summer is now here and what better way to spend the school holidays but outdoors in the garden. Here Supa swap have a great game to play, invite your friends around and enjoy the holidays.

Greased Watermelon Football

Things you will need: Pool,  Whole Watermelon (or 3) Jar of Petroleum Jelly, group of friends.

Object Of The Game

The object of this game is to get the watermelon to the opposite team's end wall.

Grease up a large watermelon with lots of petroleum jelly, making sure it is completely covered, divide your friends into 2 equal groups, each team lines up each end of the pool and this is their "goal" almost like a football pitch. When everybody is in position get the referee to place the watermelon in the centre of the pool, when he blows the whistle each team must try to get the "greased" watermelon to the opposite side and touch the wall, remember the watermelon can NOT leave the water at any point.

Players can push and touch other players but must not choke wrestle or strike other players, if the melon is lifted out the water this is a foul and that team goes back to their wall, when a team gets the melon to the other side a point is scored and the team with the most points wins.

This game can go on for hours and remember that the melon gets more slippery the longer it is used.

 

This is a very energetic game guarenteed to keep them ocupied for hours with just the cost of a couple of melons, and remember they can eat it afterwards. This game can also be played in the sea.

Topten board games what we here at the Supa Swap office rate the best.

 

10. Jambo, This is a trading game played with cards and the aim is to make the most money from selling fruit, teas and food to other traders in the game.

9. Dvonn, This is a challenging stacking game, with very simple rules. It is played with 3 red 23 white and 23 black pieces. The pieces must remain touching the red pieces but the winner is to get as many pieces of their colour stacked on top at any one time.

8. Dixit, This is a simple picture game made up of 36 big picture cards for up to 6 players, each have to mime out what they see until someone guesses and wins the card; the one with the most cards are the winner.

7. Monopoly, One of the most classic games where you move round a board with a dice and collect and buy streets and houses famous in london. Other versions are now on the markes of most famous cities around the World.

6. Candy Land, This takes children on a magical fantasy journey of imaginative characters, this has been going for more than 50 years.

5. Life, This is a family favourite and nearly 40 years old, spin the wheel of fate to become a millionaire or just a poor country boy  having to work for a living and take all LIFE has to offer. Go down that route and your destiny is to retire a happy and much loved person, that is the real winner of this game.

4. Scrabble, This classic brain teaser has to be one of the simplest but best games on the market, dig in and pick out letters to form words and gain points.

3. Trivia Pursuit, This is the hardest general knowledge game of all time, answer the questions and win the game, great to stimulate even the oldest brains.

2. Operation, This is designed for 1 player and the aim is to take plastic body bones out of a body shaped board before the alarm sounds, will you make a good doctor?

1. Cluedo, This is a great game designed up to six players. Play through this murder mystery game where even the murderer does not know who they are until near the end. This can go on for hours and even one has been made to send invitations through the post to invite your oppositions in this suspense game, make this a whole night game, definitely has to be the best in Supa Swap game ranking.

This week Supa Swap would like to discuss different ways of playing games and how online gaming is much more than you think.

Famiy Time

It seems now that with most homes having the internet and kids growing up learning how to use it, computers seem to be a thing of everyday life now and family activities and games seem to be a thing of the past, except maybe at Christmas when it is the only time that most of us as a family can sit down and enjoy each others company. Take out and dust off Cluedo or Monopoly that we all only see once a year at the most.

Online

Online gaming seems to be a thing of the time and with more and more games out there for learning then perhaps the internet is not such a bad place for your child to be.
Most internet gaming sites offer live online, playing realtime with other players all over the world This can be fantastic fun and this is probably the modern day Pen Pal.

Education

Apart from just thrashing somebody the other side of the world, which I might add is great fun,
there are also great education games and brain games to actually help the child learn whilst having fun. Below are a few popular sites Supa Swap have picked out.
Have a look and see what you think.

www.school/games.com
www.schooltimegames.com
www.kaboose.com

Sudoku, or sometimes as it is referred to as Saduko, is a pen to paper game which became an international hit in late 2005, and here in the Supa Swap office we still are crazy about it.

Aim Of The Game

Sudoku is a logic based game where the object is to fill a 9x9 grid with digits so that each row and each column contain 1 to 9 in a box of 3x3 sub-grids where each box needs to contain 1 to 9. So you have a grid of 9 x 9 boxes containing smaller boxes of 3  x 3.

Advanced

Other versions have since been released like Killer Sudoku where this contained 18 x 18 boxes and each box inside contains 1 to 18, double the brainpower is required for this one.

Sudoku

Sudoku was first invented in France in 1886 where a similar version was being played and winners and different versions were printed weekly in the L'Echo de Paris.
The most modern version was brought to book stores and shops in 1979 designed by the famous puzzle inventor Howard Garns, a 74 year old retired Architect from India.
Sudoku then seemed to dye off through the 80's and 90's until becoming a mega hit in 2005 and is still as popular today.
This game is a great way to pass time on the bus or train and keep your brain in action.

Supa Swap reviews this week one of the latest virtual world time pieces to come onto the market, Super Mario in 3D.

3DS

Super Mario dates back to the late 80's, and were as fantastic back then as they are now, the only difference being that the graphics are now, literaly, out of this world, with the latest having incorporated new no glasses 3D technology.

Moving Parts

The first thing I noticed on playing this latest, hand held Mario game is that there is much more going on at once in the moving backgrounds with endless options which makes this classic a lot more enjoyable to follow as you move between levels. Super Mario contains a huge number of hidden buttons and levers which takes you on a whole new game experience every time you play the game, and I'm sure there are hundreds I have not yet discovered, but am excited to find them.

3D technology

Virtual world games like Super  Mario and Legend Of Zelda seem to come alive with 3D graphics technology compared to 2D technology. You find yourself trying to grasp at different moving items and can see behing the objects and move them around the screen. With 3D it almost feels like you are inside the console itself, and all this can be seen without wearing 3D glasses.

Overal

Overal we here at Supa Swap feel this is a real winner, excellent 3D graphics, endless levels of busy brain stimulating missions and hidden secrets whilst still keeping the "classic" feel of this virtual magical land game where we can all escape to once in a while. The best parts have been kept and the rest just gets better.

 

10/10 in our games rating.

Supa Swap's Top Ten Party Games to complete any party.

10. Tug Of War, can be played in the garden, a large piece of rope and equal people on each side of the rope, ones to pull the most wins.

9. Catch The Balloon, sit in a circle and everyone has a number, put the highest number in the centre, they are then called "it", "it" holds a balloon and calls out a number whilst dropping the balloon onto the floor, that number needs to catch the balloon before it hits the floor or they are out the game.

8. Buzz Balloon, everyone blows up a balloon and lets it go towards a chosen target, the one closest to the target wins.

7. Back to Back Balloon Popping, stand in pairs with a balloon between your backs, the ones to pop the balloon first is the winning pair.

6. Treasure Hunt, hide some items around the garden and leave clues and questions to take them to the next target, this game takes a bit of planning but can lead to hours of fun and you can make it last as long as you like.

5. What's My Line, place the children in a circle on the floor, one must leave the room, whilst they are out the others must decide what they do as a job, when they return they have to ask what they need to buy, the others have to give clues what type of clothing and things they need to buy to do this job, until they guess what they are!

4. Pass The Sand, line up in 2 lines in the garden and the first of each line grabs a handful of sand, passing this back through the line, at the end the last person places what sand is left in their hand on a plate, the most sand left is the winning team.

3. Poor Kitty, sit in a circle with a blindfolded person in the centre, they then must grab one from the circle who will say the words "poor kitty" in a strange voice then start meowing if the one with a blindfold can not identify the "prisoner" then the game continues until they identify their prey.

2. Charades, sit in a circle and one has to act out a film or a book and the others have to guess, remember no speaking!.

1. Pass the Parcel, must be one of the most classic party games, wrap a present several times and pass it around a circle or people, every time the music stops and unwraps a layer, the one to peel off the last wins the prize.


Supa Swap wishes you a Happy Party!

Scattergories was invented by Hasbroin 1988, and in 2011 seems to have made a huge come-back with the new revised version, Supa Swap has discover.

What Is It?

Scattergries is a word game with categories that can be played between 2 and 6 players, you play against the clock and the aim of the game is to score the most points by naming the object in each catergory beggining with a given initial. The game is played in 3 rounds, then a winner is declared.

The game is designed for ages 12 and up, but there is a junior version available. This is a great game for the whole family to play, super for learning and brain teasing.

We found it is very similar to Trivia Persuit but a little more interesting and challenging, the only downside is it is very expensive, around £45 for the board game.

Fun For The Whole Family

You will get hours of fun at the same time as educating yourself and the family. Board games have seemed to of gone out of fashion since the internet was born, but for family bonding there is nothing better than a good old fashioned board game.

History

Nintendo released the DS in 2004, and ever since has been one of the top selling hand-held gaming consoles. In 2006 Nintendo released the popular Wii, which has now had record sales and 5 years on still has not been modified in any way, which is the sign of a good design.

Supa Swap would now like to announce that Nintendo have now released the Nintendo 3DS.

3D Technology

This is a hand-held gaming console in 3D, without the need for glasses. With hundreds of games now available for the Nintendo 3DS, this really is the best choice you can make.

Features

The 3DS gives better visual concept to the games and better way of judging distance in all important jumping games like Jumping flash and Super Mario 64, as features in our www.supaswap-ps3.com Blog this week.

The Nintendo 3DS comes with 3.5 inch top screen and a 3.02 inch bottom screen, which is touch sensitive. It has 3 cameras which enable it to take 3D pictures. It also has a motion sensor, a gyro sensor and a slide pad that allow a 360 degree analogue input. This console really is the best on the market and comes in at a price of around £149.99, a real bargain in our view.