Traveling with your kids can be a nightmare, especially during the stressful holiday season. Sure, it would be nice if you could spend that airport or car time just having pleasant conversation, but truthfully, you just want to keep them busy. What makes the Nintendo 3DS XL perfect for travel is that it has all of the super-cool, hi-def, hi-tech features of an at-home console, but it’s portable. Also, it has built-in sensors so you can play the motion-compatible games on the road, with instantaneous action. Oh, and by the way, there’s an adjustable 3-D option as well. How awesome is that? There’s literally zero chance that your kids are going to get bored…unless you swipe the system for yourself and tell your kids to go read a book or something. Of course, you’ll need to bring along plenty of games, so I recommend getting at least a couple of these (okay, maybe all of them) for your little gamer.
*This post is sponsored by Nintendo.
Nintendo Games for Travel
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Animal Crossing: New Leaf
As mayor of your own cheerful, custom-created town, you call the shots. Designing clothes, constructing and furnishing your home, creating museum displays, and deciding what new facilities the town needs. Whether shopping on Main Street, vacationing at the beach, sitting in the park, or clubbing (yes, clubbing), you have total freedom to create and explore a world of your choosing, with new surprises every day. And with StreetPass on the Nintendo 3DS XL, you can connect with any player that you've, literally, passed on the street, and check out their towns.
Photo: Nintendo
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Kirby: Triple Deluxe
"Pink, puffy, and powerful." That's how Nintendo describes Kirby, the bubbly creature who has serious suck-power. By inhaling the bad guys, he can take on their abilities, like sword-wielding, fire-throwing and ninja skills. In this adventure, Kirby has to save King Dedede from Taranza, who has captured the royal and taken him up the Dreamstalk. The Nintendo 3DS XL offers two screen options, both with high pixel resolution, and that 3D option which makes the colorful graphics even cooler. Plus you can play together with your friends in a new multiplayer mode!
Photo: Nintendo
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Tomodachi Life
Miis, used in many Nintendo games, are like your very own avatars, which you design yourself, from body type and hair style down to nose shape and facial hair. You can even choose personality traits, the sound of your voice, as well as likes and dislikes. If you want a more true-to-life Mii, use the camera on your 3DS XL to snap a picture of yourself, and let that be a base for your avatar. You'll want to create a lot of characters, which you can use to represent the people in your real life. Then, send them to your island in Tomodachi Life and watch as they rap, rock, eat donuts, fall in love, and have little Mii babies. Wait…WHAT?
Photo: Nintendo
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Yoshi's New Island
In this colorful, whimsical game, Yoshi needs to keep baby Mario safe while they look for his captured brother, Luigi. The dino-like Yoshi will eat his enemies, then lay eggs which he uses as weapons. When he moves through the Whirly Gates, he can transform into a helicopter, submarine, mine cart and more. Use the device's gyro sensors to steer him to the goal before time runs out.
Photo: Nintendo
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Mario Kart 7
The latest portable version of this classic racing game is cooler than ever, with new tracks, new power-ups, and new characters. (Your favorites are still in play though.) After pimping your ride (aka, your kart), you don't just speed across land, but you can propel underwater, and fly through the air as well. With the Nintendo 3DS XL's motion and gyro sensors, you actually "steer" the device, and the 3D screen will make you feel like you're actually behind the wheel.
Photo: Nintendo
