Tag Archives: udraw

Game Review: uDraw Pictionary: Ultimate Edition

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uDraw Pictionary: Ultimate Edition is a faithful video game recreation of the classic game and creates a modern twist on family game night. While drawing with the uDraw tablet peripheral isn’t as natural — or as fast — as drawing on paper, it adds a twist to the game that many players will enjoy. It’s certainly better than using the controls on a typical game device — even the Wii.

The game offers several gameplay modes to cater to a wide audience and stays true to its family roots by offering different difficulty levels of clues for kids. Some of the wacky things that can happen in the harder Pictionary Mania mode include the lights going out as you draw, the drawing surface rotating, and you are given a limited to the amount of ink to use. The game’s biggest failing, though unavoidable, is that clues appear on the TV screen. Some players might be tempted to sneak a peak while others have their eyes closed. And in a game whose fun lies in guessing and bad drawings, that could spoil some of the fun. If you and your family can resist that, though, this is one of the most family friendly titles on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Game Review: uDraw Studio: Instant Artist

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The expansion of uDraw to the PS3 and Xbox 360 brings a very family friendly option to both systems and opens up the artistic side of both. This game (which is also available as a standalone title for the Wii) is broken into three parts, each of which emphasizes self-expression in a different way. Art Camp lets kids participate in a half-dozen activities, such as paint-by-numbers and dot-to-dot pictures — as well as an arcade-like game where you whack aliens who fly across the canvas. (It’s a cute idea, but not a lot of fun.)

Art Studio is literally an open canvas, letting players use the game to create whatever they’d like via the peripheral. And Art School is a very thorough tutorial full of instructions on how to improve your art skills, covering all of the basics of art and design. The interface keeps tools on screen; and players can share and send images. While it’s a wonderful artistic tool, the peripheral isn’t perfect. The cord feels short and users will fight against it from time to time, which can be annoying — and drawing on a peripheral in your lap, while watching it appear on screen isn’t any easier than it was on the 2010 Wii game of a similar name. (Should you own that one, there’s more to this game, but probably not enough to justify paying full price.)

Read more at Common Sense Media

For EA and THQ, Is a Turnaround in Their Future?

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The last couple of years have been rough ones for Electronic Arts and THQ. Rapid changes in the video game landscape and an unlucky string of underperforming titles has taken its toll on both companies’ stock prices.

This week, though, both companies showed some signs of life as they reported earnings, giving investors hope that the long awaited turnaround for each company might be about to begin.

Read more at CNBC.com