Funny Halloween: Toronto Thumbs: By Canadian Gamers

By Jorge Figueiredo - November 28th, 2012

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We are currently in the thick of the holiday shopping season (and have been since the day after Halloween). If you’re looking for some great, family-friendly entertainment-based gift ideas, then you don’t need to look too far. There are tons of ideas within easy reach and we would like to share some suggestions with you. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be lobbing some ideas your way to help out those of you that might be looking for inspiration. Today’s theme? Disney!

Brave

Pixar has always done a great job of entertaining us over the years. With movies like Toy Story and Cars (to name a couple), they have made us laugh and cry thanks to great stories and awesome voice casting. Some of the videogames based on Pixar movies have been fantastic; Toy Story 3 was amazing, as was Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure.

Their latest movie, Brave (now on blu-ray and DVD), is a bit more “grown-up” than their usual fare but is still great for kids. There are a few blu-ray sets that are pretty awesome and can probably be found for a decent price. If you’re lucky enough to live in the United States, Target has a really great deal that nets you the blu-ray, DVD, digital copy all in a story-book case for about twenty bucks.

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Be brave in Brave.

The Brave videogame is also quite fun, allowing you to re-live the movie. Great for families (co-op play, with decent graphics and sound, it is a charming little number. We reviewed it earlier this year; both Smallest Thumb and I got a kick out of it. At this point, it is most likely attainable for less than what it retailed at even just a month ago.

Where’s My Water?

A fun iOS physics puzzler, Where’s My Water is a great game for older kids and older-older kids. The story is cute, following the adventures of an anal-retentive alligator who likes to take baths but finds that his water supply cut off. Your job is to guide the water to him by carving out paths for it to follow to his bathroom.

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Clean alligators are the weirdest.

Early levels are dead easy – but later levels are fairly challenging. While smaller kids can probably play this, there is a chance that they might get frustrated. Of course, they might also just enjoy playing a game with cute graphics and funny-looking characters, affording parents with a little peace while they get stuff done. You really can’t lose.

Epic Mickey 2

Epic Mickey was a neat title that had you painting )or thinning) up a storm. Casting Mickey Mouse in a fairly adventurous role, the developer took a bit of a gamble and it paid off. While the game wasn’t perfect, it was charming and easy to pick up. A rich gaming world full of puzzles and platforming, Epic Mickey was definitely a solid game.

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Mickey could kick major ass if he really wanted to.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two addresses some of the issues from the first one and adds cooperative play in the form of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Everything about the game has been improved and let me tell you: it is pretty awesome so far*. If you’re looking for a great co-op game with some great puzzle elements, look no further. The game is worth it to play even to see how many major and incidental characters you can spot throughout the game.