Astronaut Chris Hadfield tests Starlink w/ Star Fox (Switch/Xbox/PS4)

Ubisoft supported our video to interview Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield. We set aside the PJ Masks for a while and spend some time with the new Starlink Battle for Atlas toys-to-life game.

We look at new Switch Star Fox multi-player footage from Starlink, along with appearances from Slippy, Falco and Peppy Hare. We also play the game on Xbox from the start.

Col. Chris Hadfield gave his assessment of the game and analysed each of the ships: Nadir, Neptune, Lance, Zenith.

“As astronauts we live in video-games because simulators allow us to get ready for being on a space ship.”

“A game like Starlink becomes compelling so you can actually imagine yourself doing these things… The whole purpose of these toys, really, is to open the imagination.”

“If it’s just a toy on a shelf that’s one thing but if you can reconfigure it to your own liking, suddenly you’re not just an observer. You’re part of what’s happening.”

“Interacting with a game is like someone kicking a door open that you never thought you could walk through. To allow a young person to imagine a world that doesn’t exist yet and see themselves as part of that change. That, to me, is important.”

The Starlink game will be out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Let’s Play Beast Quest Xbox One – Part 1 Fighting Ferno

This is the first Let’s Play of a new Beast Quest game on Xbox One (also on PS4 and PC). Beast Quest will be on sale on 13th March (US) and 16th March (UK and Europe). Check out http://www.beast-quest.com for links on where to buy.

We had a great time with the game. It not only recreates the Beast Quest world but creates a game that feels a lot like Zelda Breath of the Wild (as some commenters have mentioned). This is a great place for younger players to start in the world of adventure games.

It’s also nice to have the books to go to to expand the world of the game when your child has used up their screen time.

Having played Beast Quest on iPad and read all the books we get our hands on the Beast Quests Xbox One game and it looks amazing. Real open game-play with fierce battles.

Video supported by Maximum Games and Coolabi including access to the game on Xbox console.

MeccaSpider Xbox Thief — But Gets Trapped with Nintendo Switch Bate

The MeccaSpider lands in the garden and sneaks into the house while Ollie is playing Robolox Total War on the Xbox. MeccaSpider steals and hides the Xbox controller.

Ollie manages to set a trap for the MeccaSpider using a basket and a Nintendo Switch controller. Finally the MeccaSpider gets it’s just deserts and Ollie gets the Xbox controller back.

“Completely unique, this 18” x 16” x 7.5” hi-tech spider is made from space-age materials and is controlled via its buttons or with the free app. Draw on concepts used in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math to successfully build it. Then, program the MeccaSpider to customize its behaviour. ”

“It also comes with built-in games to keep you and your friends entertained. Play a round of spider-roulette and see who gets sprayed first! ”

Video supported by Spin Master including access to the MeccaSpider toys.

Essential Family Games 2017 (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, iOS, PC, Android)

Here are our top tips for the best family games this year:

Families are big business for video game makers and each year there are hundreds of games promising to deliver experiences that children will love and parents will happily pay for. However, the real gems are games that get the whole family playing together. These can be harder to find so here’s a comprehensive list of games that will be important to families in 2017.

Knack 2 (PS4)
Sea of Thieves (Xbox One, PC)
Lego Dimensions (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U)
Arms (Switch)
Lego City Undercover (PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Skylanders 2017 (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, Switch)
Gran Turismo Sport (PS4, PSVR)
Spider-Man (PS4)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U, Switch)
Light Seekers (iOS, Android)
Portal Knights (PC)
Fire Emblem Heroes (iOS)
Animal Crossing (iOS)
Alto’s Odyssey (Android iOS)
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles (PS4 and PC)
Football Manager Touch
Halo Wars 2 (Xbox One, Windows)
Yooka-Laylee (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC)
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo Switch)
RiME (Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
LEGO Worlds (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Xbox One Games Packed with Learning and Creativity

We worked with Xbox to test out the best games for family on Xbox One. From Minecraft to Forza Horizon 3 and Skylanders to FIFA we wanted to see how these games educated as well as entertained our family.

Along with the entertaining and engaging nature of each of these games the family were also challenged to pick-up skills like map reading, navigation, planning and strategy. There was also a lot of creativity required in games like Minecraft and Skylanders — where they had to design their own characters from scratch.

We also enjoyed stretching our memory by going back to play the Xbox 360 games supported on the Xbox One with backwards compatibility. Just pop the Xbox 360 disc in and you are ready to go — if you can remember where to go that is.

Video supported by Xbox including access to games and hardware.

Skylanders Crash Bandicoot HD Gameplay, Attacks and Sky-Chi (Wii U, PlayStation & Xbox)

We have a close look at Crash Bandicoot in the new Skylanders Imaginators game. Just announced at the Sony Press Conference this is a nice way to spice up Skylanders Imaginators this year.

In Skylanders Imaginators terminology Crash will become a fully playable Sensei and have his own Skylanders toy. This means he will have his own special Sky-Chi power that sees him use a yo-yo to yank his enemies into a spin attack!

Crash Bandicoot in Skylanders Imaginators
Crash Bandicoot in Skylanders Imaginators
He’ll also have a variety of attacks like his classic ability to jump on TNT Crates to blow them or collect the Bazooka Crate for a rocket launcher. Crash will feature a full move set and upgrade path based around his signature spin attack, as well as callbacks to his beloved past, including moves that incorporate exploding crates with 3-2-1 countdowns, wumpa fruit, jetpack attack from high in the air and more.

Crash will be voiced again by Jess Harnell to underline the authenticity of having Crash in the Skylanders universe.

148 Top Games for 2016 (A-Z) Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC, Mac, iOS, Android

Here’s our huge list of games to watch out for in 2016. These top games include Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC, Mac, iOS, Anbdroid platforms to make sure you know what’s hot for 2016 video-games.

12 Minutes XB1,PS4,WIN,OSX
Abzû PS4,WIN
Adrift XB1,PS4,WIN
Allison Road XB1,PS4,WIN,OSX,Linux
Ark: Survival Evolved XB1,PS4,WIN,OSX,LINUX
Astroneer WIN
Batman: A Telltale Games Series TBA(XB1,PS4,WIN,iOS,Android)
Battleborn XB1,PS4,WIN
Below XB1,WIN
Block’Hood WIN
Bombernauts WIN,OSX,Linux
Call of Duty XB1,PS4,WIN
Check In Knock Out WIN
Cogmind WIN
Courier of the Crypts WIN
Crackdown 3 XB1
Cryptark WIN
Cuphead XB1,WIN
Darkest Dungeon WIN
Dark Souls III XB1,PS4,WIN
Dead Island 2 XB1,PS4,WIN
Dead Realm WIN
Detroit: Become Human PS4
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided XB1,PS4,WIN
Dishonored 2 XB1,PS4,WIN
Disney Infinity 4.0 XB1,PS4,WiiU,iOS,AppleTV,WIN
Divinity: Original Sin 2 WIN
Doom XB1,PS4,WIN
Dragon Quest XI: In Search of Departed Time PS4,3DS
Drifter PS4,VITA,WIN
Due Process WIN
Dungeon Souls WIN
Duskers WIN
Endless Space 2 WIN
Enemy Starfighter WIN
Ernesto WIN,OSX,iOS,Android
Fable Legends XB1,WIN
Far Cry Primal XB1,PS4,WIN
FIFA 17 XB1,PS4,WIN
Final Fantasy XV XB1,PS4
Fire Emblem Fates 3DS
Firewatch PS4,WIN,OSX,Linux
Flamberge WIN
For Honour XB1,PS4,WIN
Fortnite WIN
Gang Beasts WIN
Gears of War 4 XB1
Glitchspace WIN
Halo Wars 2 XB1,WIN
Hellblade PS4,WIN
Hitman XB1,PS4,WIN
Home Free PS4
Homefront: The Revolution XB1,PS4,WIN
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak WIN
Horizon Zero Dawn PS4
Hyper Light Drifter XB1,PS4,WIN,OSX
Hyrule Warriors Legends 3DS
Inside XB1,360,PS4,PS3,WIN,OSX
Krautscape WIN,OSX
LawBreakers WIN
Lego Dimensions Expansions XB1,360,PS4,PS3,WiiU
Lego Marvel’s Avengers XB1,360,PS4,PS3,WIN
Lego Worlds WIN
Lethal Tactics WIN
Liege PS4,WIIU,WIN
Mafia III XB1,PS4,WINOSX
Mass Effect: Andromeda XB1,PS4,WIN
Matterfall PS4
Metroid Prime: Federation Force 3DS
Miegakure PS4,WIN,OSX,Linux
Mighty No. 9 XB1,PS4,WIIU,3DS,WIN
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst XB1,PS4,WIN
Nier: Automata PS4
Night In The Woods PS4,WIN,OSX,Linux
No Man’s Sky PS4,WIN
Obduction WIN,OSX
Overland WIN,OSX,Linux
Overwatch XB1,PS4,WIN
Oxenfree XB1,PS4,WIN,OSX
Paradise Never WIN,OSX,Linux
Parkitect WIN,OSX,Linux
Persona 5 PS4,PS3
Planet Coaster WIN
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 XB1,PS4,WIN
Pokémon GO iOS,Android
Pokkén Tournament WiiU
Quantum Break XB1
Ratchet & Clank PS4
ReCore XB1
Return of the Obra Dinn WIN
Rime PS4
Rising Thunder WIN
Routine WIN
Salt & Sanctuary PS4,VITA
Severed
Skylanders 6 XB1,360,PS4,PS3,WiiU
Speedrunners WIN
Spy Party WIN
Squad WIN
Star Crawlers WIN
Star Fox Zero WiiU
Stellaris WIN
Stephen’s Sausage Roll WIN
Strafe WIN
Street Fighter V PC,PS4
Sub Rosa WIN
Super Blood Hockey WIN
Superhot XB1,WIN,OSX,Linux
Tacoma WIN
Tekken 7 PS4
The Banner Saga 2 XB1,PS4,VITA,WIN,OSX,Linux,iOS,Android
The Climb WIN
The Last Guardian PS4
The Legend of Zelda Wii U WiiU
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD WiiU
The Long Dark WIN
The Tomorrow Children PS4
Treasurenauts 3DS
The Walking Dead: Michonne XB1,PS4,WIN,OSX,iOS,Android
The Witness PS4
This War of Mine: The Little Ones XB1,PS4
Thumper PS4,WIN
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands XB1,PS4,WIN
Tom Clancy’s The Division XB1,PS4,WIN
Tooth & Tail WIN,OSX,Linux
Total War: Warhammer WIN,OSX,Linux
Trackmania Turbo XB1,PS4,WIN
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End PS4
Unravel XB1,PS4,WIN
Vector PS4
Way To The Woods WIN
We Happy Few XB1,WIN,OSX,Linux
What Remains of Edith Finch PS4
WiLD PS4
XCOM 2 WIN,OSX,Linux
Yakuza 6 PS4
Yooka XB1,PS4,WiiU,WIN,OSX,Linux

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens – PlayStation DLC, Open World, Modes, Xbox, Wii U

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens is coming on June 28th release with exclusive DLC on PlayStation. Lego Star Wars Episode 7. Lego Star Wars Episode VII.

We have a look at the announcement trailer and DLC details along with special modes in the game.

Although it had been leaked on retail sites earlier, the confirmation of a new Lego Star Wars game coming this year was still a welcome surprise for gaming and film fans.

The Force Awakens already has content in the toys-to-life space with Disney Infinity so it seemed unlikely that Warner would be able to include the franchise in its Lego Dimensions offering.

This separate game makes more sense though. Not only is there no toy-game cross-over conflict but it also grants TT Games enough space to go to town on the characters, locations and worlds of Star Wars Episode 7.

PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 owners get some exclusive downloadable content for the Droid Character Pack and the Phantom Limb Level Pack. This may well be a timed exclusive like we’ve just seen for Lego Marvel’s Avengers on PlayStation.

It will be interesting to see how the new Lego Star Wars video game relates to the Lego toy lines expected to be fully unveiled in New York. Already the new Lego Mixels, Lego Nexo Knights and Lego Angry Birds — each with a tie-in video-game — have gone down well this year.

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStationm3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS and PC.

Dad Plays This War of Mine The Little Ones – Part 1 (PS4, XBox One)

We try out the game from a parents perspective and get a little more than we bargain for.

This War of Mine The Little Ones shuns video-game’s usual power fantasies, instead asking players to experience the powerlessness of a child.

This War of Mine is a survival video game inspired by events of the 1992–96 Siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. It stands out from other war-themed games because its protagonists are the civilians rather than military.

It was originally released on Windows, Mac and followed later for Android and iOS. This War of Mine: The Little Ones brings the experience to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with new features, missions and characters. Most telling of these is the inclusion of young children as playable characters.

You are in charge of a mixed group of adults and children stuck in the middle of a besieged city. The challenge is not to kill your enemies but instead focuses on the struggle of dealing with a lack of food, medicine and the poor weather conditions as winter approaches.

Last Fight – Arcade Cabinate Hands-On (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)

If you remember Capcom’s Power Stone series, or indeed Final Fight, then this is for you. Lastfight picks up where these games left off while adding in narrative and characters inspired from the French comic book Lastman,

The frantic fighting action was underlined in our demo session with the game running on an old school arcade cabinet. It offers a full list of 10 characters from which four players pick to fight in arena style battles.

Lastfight is planned for release on PC and all consoles in 2016. It looks fantastic not least because the art is by French artist Bastien Vives.