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.

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.

January is here, and the weather seems to be at its worst.

You look down and realize all the chocolates and turkey over the festive season has stayed on your waist line.

Fear not as after a few simple exercises and you will be back into shape for summer and not even have to leave the house.

Supa Swap want to talk about the Wii Fit, and how it works.

What is Wii Fit

Wii Fit is a board placed on the floor which you stand on, and it measures pressure points and replicated your movements on the screen. Games include Yoga, Aerobics, Strength test and Balancing games. It has been used in various health clubs around the world and is fantastic for the elderly. It also designed for weight loss and provides exercise from the comfort of your own home.

How it works

Nintendo Wii Fit was designed as an exercising game using a balance board and a television screen,  where one person copies and exercises  to on-screen movements and dances.

It is the third best selling workout game in the World with a whopping 22 million copies sold to date. Some Wii Console’s include the Wii Fit, free.

 

Cost

Wii Fit costs around £25.00 and a wide range of accessories and games are now on the market. So treat yourself and get into shape for the summer.

This This week Supa Swap would like to talk about fun games that the whole family can play from home at nearly no cost at all.

January is cold and bleak, the Christmas and New Year parties have dried up, money is tight and going out as a family costs too much money, so why not try playing some simple games at home, invite the neighbours and the kid's friends. Great for a Birthday Party or just a get together!

Below is a list of Five most popular games.

1: Place around 10 random items on a tray, (pencil, watch, comb, etc.) and cover with a cloth. All sit around in a circle and remove the cloth for 1 minute, getting everyone to remember the objects. Replace the cloth and in turn everybody needs to name an object on the tray, each one needs to name the previous items mentioned and one new one. The one to fail is out. Remember the more people the more items and the harder the game.

2: Put several small items into a paper bag, blindfold one person and hand them one item from the bag, ask them to guess the item, if they fail they are out the game. Remember to use food items too.

3: Wrap a treat in paper, then wrap it another 10 times or more if there are lots of you. Sit in a circle and play some music, handing the present around slowly, when the music stops, the person unwraps a layer until they win.

4: Items needed: Water Balloons. Make 2 rows of people facing toward each other at least ten feet apart. One row starts the game by tossing the ballon to the person in-front of them, they must catch without it popping, when it does they are out. The winners are the side with most people left, also raw eggs can be used!.

5: This is an old favorite, one less chair than people. Play a piece of music whilst all running around a ring of chairs when the music stops you all sit down, only there is always one less chair, every time somebody loses another chair is removed, continue and the last man sitting is the winner.

Microsoft have just launched the Kinect, a hands-free interactive gaming tool with movement sensors and built in video camera.

Hardcore gamers have queued for hours as this revoloutionary new gaming tool is set to change the way we play computer games for ever, due to its clever no touch movement sensors and video camera movements.

No Controller to Hold

Unlike the Wii, this new Xbox add-on allows you to play the game without holding a remote, it monitors your moves from the camera and infared sensors.

Priced at $129.99 it does not come cheap, however at SupaSwap we think it is worth it, but like anything new onto the market the prices are higher, so maybe wait a few months and you should get a good discount. Pop it onto your Christmas wish-list or in the new year go onto www.supaswap.com and see if you can get one to swap, you never know your luck.