In a market saturated with grisly and violent video games, finding ones that are appropriate for small children can be a challenge. Thankfully there's a plethora of child-friendly titles on the way in time for the summer and holiday seasons.
Nintendo is set to roll out a solid lineup for its Game Boy Advance (GBA) handheld system. Upcoming titles include Mario Pinball, Hamtario: Ham-Ham Games, Donkey Kong Country 2, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, and Mario Party Advance - a mini version of the popular console hit that will feature sixty mini-games for either one or two players.
The newest Pokemon games for the GBA, Leaf Green and Fire Red, will hit store shelves in September. Like previous games in the series, each cartridge will contain certain exclusive Pokemon. The only way to collect all of the 100 Pokemon will be to trade with friends.
Leaf Green and Fire Red will come bundled with the wireless adaptor accessory, which allows multiplayer gaming without needing to use a link cable. Several other upcoming releases are expected to take advantage of the capability, including Bandai's Digimon Racing, a cart-style racing game where drivers can "digivolve" into stronger forms while competing across 15 tracks and boss levels.
Spyro the Dragon is another familiar face returning this year. Spyro: A Hero's Tail, published by Vivendi Universal, will have five playable characters and a new water-breathe attack for Spyro as he battles the Evil Red Dragon to destroy the light-sucking Dark Gems. A Hero's Tail will be available on the Nintendo Gamecube, Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2 consoles.
The Polar Express, the award-winning children's book penned by Chris van Allsburg that also happens to be an upcoming movie starring Tom Hanks, is getting the video game treatment on Gamecube, PC, PlayStation 2 and GBA. Players can explore the famous Polar Express train and the North Pole while searching for lost Christmas presents.
The majority of children's titles continue to be inspired by well-known movie and television franchises. Majesco's Cartoon Network Block Party features the popular Cartoon Network faces of Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Cow and Chicken, and Edd, Edd n Eddy in a multiplayer GBA party game.
Disney's Aladdin, published by Capcom, is scheduled for release in October 2004 to coincide with the DVD release of the first Aladdin movie. The side-scrolling platformer will star Aladdin and his sidekick Abu the monkey as they ride magic carpets and use the magic lamp to summon the genie and thwart the evil Jafar.
Games specifically targeted towards young girls are carving out a niche for themselves, with Disney's Kim Possible 2: Drakken's Demise, Lizzie McGuire 2, and That's So Raven, all for the GBA.
Rounding out the TV-inspired lineup are Bandai's Digimon World 4 and Digimon Rumble Arena 2, Disney's Lilo and Stitch 2, Nickelodeon's SpongeBob Squarepants: The Movie and Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies, THQ's Power Rangers Dino Thunder and The Incredibles (based on the upcoming film from Pixar Animation Studios).
Majesco has announced its Game Boy Video series, a collection of Nickelodeon cartoons that can be watched in full-colour on a Game Boy Advance. The cartoons come on standard Game Boy cartridges with no extra hardware required. Each cartridge can hold around 45 minutes of video, which amounts to four episodes per cartridge. The Game Boy controls can be used to perform standard rewind, fast forward, stop and play options. The cartridges will retail at around $19.99 (U.S.) each. The May line-up includes ,i>SpongeBob Squarepants, The Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, and Strawberry Shortcake. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Yu-Gi-Oh! should be added to the lineup in June.
And finally, those wanting something a little different will be able to settle down to a nice game of frolf with Bandai's Ribbit King. The game is set in a science fiction universe where the sport of choice is a take-off on golf that uses live frogs instead of balls. Naturally, the frogs hop around after they've been hit, which complicates matters slightly. Up to four players can play a round of frolf together in more than 20 courses. Ribbit King will be available in June for the GameCube and PlayStation 2.