Calling all family gamers. We need you to vote on the Family Gamer Awards to select the definitive Family Game in each age group, and the overall Family Game of the Year.
Each vote you make enters you in a prize draw to win £200 in PS3 Family Games (open to over-18′s in US or UK). How to vote, progress with voting and more details about the prizes are available on the 2011 Family Game of the Year homepage. Previous winners can be found on the FGA Award Winners homepage.
To Vote:
- Choose: Select your favorite Family Game of the Year nominee from the list below and click to access the review.
- Vote: Add a comment stating why you chose this game and you will be entered to win the Family Game of the Year.
Start: 6th December 2011
Finish: 12pm 31st January 2012.
- Games for Infants (3 to 6 yrs)
- The best games for toddlers, very-young children and pre-school kids from 3 to 6 years old. These games work with the basics of play and should easily engage the super young players in our families. Simple and easy controls and bright colors engage young players in some educational and informative games.
- 2011 Spring Peppa Pig Theme Park Fun: A well designed Peppa Pig tie-in for very young players. Controls and visuals work well and keep things simple, but at the same time there is plenty to challenge developing minds.
2011 Summer Fruit Ninja: The simple premise of slicing up fruit with your hands and feet makes this easy enough for very young players. Add to this the ability for parents and infants to play together and the iPad/iPhone classic game works great on the 360 hands-free Kinect controller.
2011 Autumn Just Dance 3: Although the Just Dance formula (simple accessible dancing and sensibly shaped dancers) has been around for a while, the varied multi-player choreography and four player Kinect features make this another big step forward for casual dancers.
2011 Winter Kinect Sports Season Two: Kinect Sports 2 offers some great mini-games for the very young players in our households, but also challenges others to get involved with better controls and a greater challenge. - Games for Juniors (7 to 11 yrs)
- The best games for primary school, junior and young children aged from 7 to 11 years old. These games provide experiences that connect with a basic joy of discovery and play. Although still simplistic they engage with a wide range of basic principles.
- 2011 Spring Solatorobo: Another massive adventure game squeezed into the DS. But this time the focus is as much on the story and Dogtanian-like characters as the action. Simply exquisite on the DS, and full of intrigue. An engaging game for junior players on the DS, a rare gem.
2011 Summer Kirby Mass Attack: This combines stylus controlled platforming action with great puzzles and surprisingly fleshed out mini-games. Controlling a herd of little pink Kirbys is simply great fun.
2011 Autumn Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure: The quality of the toys and simplicity of using them to save your progress in the videogame make this ideal for junior players. The game-play itself is like a more action focused Lego game, and again, ideally suited for pre-teens.
2011 Winter Disneyland Adventures: Disneyland Adventures captivates junior players with its open world park exploration that ties together some simply magical re-tellings of classic Disney stories. - Games for Teens (12 to 17 yrs)
- The best games for secondary, high-school, teenagers, adolescent kids and young-adults aged from 12 to 17 years old. These games provide thrilling experiences that major on brash, loud (sometimes busty) protagonists and aim to connect with the students in our families.
- 2011 Spring Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars: Well balanced strategy from the creator of Laser Squad and XCOM/UFO. This is the most fully featured 3DS launch game (along with Super Street Fighter IV) and it oozes quality. Perfect for whiling away between lectures.
2011 Summer The Gunstringer: A game that really plays to Kinect’s theatrics. Control a marionette with one hand and shoot with the other, this game turns the living room into a stage. The quality and creativity more than make up for the slightly short play time. A great play with mates game.
2011 Autumn Child of Eden: The combination of music movement and shooting creates an experience perfect for teen and student players. Whether on the more recent PS3 Move release or breakthrough 360 Kinect version, Child of Eden is a rare combination of motion controls and hardcore game-play.
2011 Winter Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics: Teens shouldn’t overlook the cartoony look as this addition to the Mario and Sonic sports games not only builds on previous outings but adds some great four player competitive games.
- Games for Workers (18 and over)
- The best games for those with full time jobs, workers, 9-to-5-ers, employed hard-core gamers 18 years and over. These games provide more of a challenge in both dexterity and problem solving. They are often more about strong single player experiences that hard working hard core gamers. Although these are often longer experiences that are also ideal to switch off and chill out after a long day at the office.
- 2011 Spring Okamiden: An original portable version of the classic Wii PS2 game Okami. Not only does this squeeze the same whimsical game-play and writing into the diminutive DS, but it also looks stunning. Play it on the 3DS for smoother graphics, or on the DS for longer battery, either way a very commute friendly experience.
2011 Summer Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time: The classic Zelda game reborn, but more importantly a console Zelda experience on a commute friendly handheld. The level of graphical reworking, addition of new controls and tips system make this a standout re-release of the definitive Zelda videogame from the 90s.
2011 Autumn Skyrim: It’s the size and scale of this adventure that makes it a great fit for workers. A large amount of disposable playtime spent here delivers an experience that not only lets you progress your own way but also presents endless reasons to keep playing.
2011 Winter Super Mario 3D Land: Mario returns to its 2D feel while retaining a fresh 3D perspective. The simple addictive nature draws from Mario Galaxy and Super Mario World to create a perfect commuting or after work 3DS game.
- Games for Parents
- The best games for parents, mums, dads, carers, aunties and uncles. These games connect with the gamer on a more mature level. Story driven and often open ended, the experiences here provide space to play with complex issues and engage in moral dilemmas. Either that or to escape the grind of the work/home balance.
- 2011 Spring Costume Quest: Our parent gamers took some time to discover this gem. They loved the sentimental childhood setting and sibling rivalry, as will the great writing. But beyond this, Costume Quest is a well honed adventure game played out in miniature and in everyday places – the neighborhood, the mall and back at home.
2011 Summer Driver San Francisco: A game that families can play together. Younger players can help by setting traps for the criminals by connecting the DS to the Wii game. Two older players can control the driving and targeting on the Wii in an experience that enables the toddlers to get in on the action.
2011 Autumn FIFA 12: A new impact system for players, improved tactics and graphics make FIFA 12 stand out. But it’s the history that parents have with this game that will make it one to play with the whole family.
2011 Winter (Provisional) Uncharted 3 Drakes Deception: Something a little more thought provoking that other shooting games. Parents will enjoy be reunited with favorite characters as this next chapter slowly plays out.
- Games for Grandparents
- The best games for grandparents, older, senior, grown-up, mature, retired and wiser people. These games provide a slightly slower, although no less challenging experience. Time and consideration are of the essence as our most senior gamers enjoy interacting with other players and perfecting their approach.
- 2011 Spring Pictionary Ultimate Edition: Like the popular DS version, on the Wii the uDraw peripheral makes all the difference to this drawing game. It becomes an ideal game to share with gamers of different ages, young, old and senior.
2011 Summer Ghost Trick: A steady pace and focus on great character creation make this ideal for older gamers. Although there is a simple puzzle game at the core, it’s the journey of granddaughters, parents and grandparents that make this so hard to put down (not to forget secret agent dogs).
2011 Autumn Leedmees: While other exercise games get players moving with heavy handed incentives, Leedmees gets you stretching, reaching and bending with its simple and addictive game-play. Use your body to move the little Mee men to the exit. Superb Entertaining and aerobic game-play for senior gamers.
2011 Winter Motion Sports Adrenaline: This is a lesser known Kinect game may focus on exuberant activities but it does so in a steady and methodical way. This not only suites the Kinect controls perfectly but also acts a great movement incentive game for older gamers.
