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Wii U Christmas Gift Ideas for a 6-10 Year Old
LEGO City Undercover
One of the Wii U's most impressive games, Lego City Undercover tells the story of undercover cop Chase McCain as he hunts down the notorious, plasticy, and recently escaped criminal Rex Fury, who's been revealed to be the brains behind a crime wave that's tearing through Lego City. With a huge open world to explore, packed with secret objectives to complete, tons of collectables to find, and plenty of things to see and do, you'll be borrowing cars, chasing after bad guys, and taking in everything from the rural mountaintops to the bustling Chinatown as you explore the city and discover the secrets it has to offer - and that's before you even start on the story! As is always the way with Lego games, though, when you first start playing, there'll be plenty of things you don't have the right disguise, or the right ability to use - and it's through playing the story missions the city will open up. Completing the levels, which are the usual blend of smashing everything in sight, beating up bad guys and solving simple puzzles will net you new disguises and abilities - for example, a farmer can glide through the sky holding onto a chicken, while a burglar can force open locked doors and safes - and these in turn can be used to access locked parts of the city. With a suitably LEGO sense of humour, a decent story, and a bustling metropolis waiting to be discovered, this is a great pick for those in the 6-10 age range - although it is worth keeping in mind that a decent reading ability will be a definite advantage, and somewhat oddly, this is also the first Lego game since Lego Star Wars to not support split-screen co-op, which is something to be aware of if you're buying it for a family. That said, with plenty of fun to be had by just sitting, watching, and advising, this is a still well worth a look.
Buy this if they like: Lego, Dressing up, Policemen
For more, read our full review or for more on the suitability, read our Parent's Guide
Buy LEGO City Undercover from Amazon
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Starting out life as an excuse to round up all the coolest Marvel super heroes and villains and plonk them into a single game, Lego Marvel Super Heroes takes the popular co-op oriented brick 'em up to a whole new level. The tale here is fairly simple - with some incredibly powerful Cosmic Bricks having fallen to earth, S.H.I.E.L.D's Nick Fury springs into action, rounding up every super hero he can find, from the Hulk to Iron Man, from Spiderman to, er, Rocket Racoon, to round up the Cosmic Bricks before they fall into the hands of Doctor Doom, Galactus and the rest of the baddies. With each character having their own special ability, the emphasis here is on teamwork, as you'll need to work together with another player, or a computer controlled team-mate to solve the puzzles in the game's levels, whether you're kick-starting electrical appliances with Thor's hammer, hacking electric panels as Black Widow, or firing explosive arrows as Hawkeye. With plenty of slapstick comedy in the cutscenes (including the Hulk ripping his trousers), and the usual Lego staples of brick-smashing, block-building and bad guy-bashing all present and correct, this is a game that kids will have a whale of a time with. With fully voiced cut-scenes and minimal reading required, this one could be a game for the less confident readers - and with support for two player co-op, it's a great one for the family to play.
Buy this if they like: The Avengers, LEGO, Co-op
Buy LEGO Marvel Super Heroes from Amazon
Scribblenauts Unlimited
It may have been a long time coming, but the silly word 'em up fun of Scribblenauts Unlimited will finally be making it's way to the Wii U this Christmas. Essentially a puzzle game that revolves around a magical notebook, Scribblenauts Unlimited sees you take on the role of Maxwell, a young boy who seems determined to help out anyone and everyone he can. Whether a dog wants to look more like a fire dog in order to work at the fire station, a doctor needs to heal a patient, or you find a car that's parked illegally, Maxwell will come across a wide range of people, animals and objects in various situations - and it's up to you to make things right. With no "official" way of doing things, you're left to solve the various conundrums in Scribblenauts Unlimited by using your imagination - all you have to do is pull out your magical notebook, and type the name of any object, for it to appear in the game world. And you can even use adjectives, too. Whether you're filling the appetite of a starving beggar with a delicious steak, rotten apple or a simple burger; putting out a fire with a hose, rain cloud or a bucket of water; or inviting a disapproving mother-in-law to a wedding, whether you take the serious or silly route, it's entirely up to you how you help the people of Scribblenauts - and that's what makes it so much fun. Given the game's emphasis on words, a strong writing and reading ability it pretty much a necessity, although you will likely notice an improvement in both after a few hours of summoning chansaw T-Rexes, zooming around on a flying tomato, or creating giant craters with their exploding keyboard cats. When it comes to encouraging creativity, Scribblenauts is a game like few others.
Buy this if they like: Creativity, Experimentation, Flying cars
Check back soon for our full review
Buy Scribblenauts Unlimited from Amazon
