Playmation

Disclosure: The game system below was provided compliments of Playmation!

I was extremely skeptical after seeing the commercials for Playmation. They made it make it look so good and so fun that I was sure it was an over-hyped game that my kids would play with for a day and then forget about. But I have to admit, it’s super fun, and I’m going to end up buying some of the expansion items because my kids love it so much.So what exactly is Playmation? Playmation is the next step in the evolution of play, where digital gets physical and imagination gets real. Inter-connected products with embedded content let players step into the world of Marvel’s Avengers! Control the adventures with wearable gear that lets users feel the battle and puts them at the center of the action. That’s right, a new age game, that gets your kids up off the couch, away from the television screen and moving around. Our experience started off on a not so awesome foot. The Repulsor (which fit both our 4 year old and my 32 year old husband) and the Power Activators 12 AA batteries that are not included! We ripped the pieces out of the box in excitement the second we got it, only to have to find a screwdriver and install batteries. The kids were up my butt the entire time, which made the whole  process a head ache. Do yourself a favor, open the box with no kids around, install the batteries and make sure you have extra batteries on hand.After installing all the batteries I taunted my kids more by trying the Repulsor first turned on the Repulsor and the accompanying activators loaded with the included Capt America and Iron Skull figures on top of them. JARVIS immediately started talking to me and told me to do a few things. I raised my had in the air and jumped from side to side like he asked me to do. Each time I did it, he reacted and moved onto the next step of my training. The seamless integrated technology was a huge plus side for me. Playmation just works, no configuring at all. You just start it up and go!Getting my kids up and moving was my favorite part. When fighting against the activators, you can ‘dodge’ enemy fire by either jumping out of the way or ducking behind cover. JARVIS will also tell me if I am too close to the activator, or too far away. The activators are just as smart, if not smarter than the Repulsor.  They tell you when they have been hit or when they are about to fire, plus they change colors (green means about to shoot, blinking means shooting, red means they were hit by you, and blue means you froze them with your freeze cannon). When you finally defeat an enemy, the figurine pops right off the activator, as if dead!! Doesn’t get much more interactive than that!The more you play, the more action points you get, which upgrade your weapons and give you new options. As you play levels, you open new levels, and everything is narrated for you. It’s like listening to an audio book, but you have to actually perform activities to progress. Ethan (who is 8) played this game for four hours yesterday. I watched him for awhile and listened to JARVIS tell him to run, jump from side to side, jump over things and blast down a door. He got really into it and later that night while he was talking to his Aunt, he told her the entire story of what he did.Playmation is very portable. It can be played inside or outside because there is no wifi or electricity required. The Playmation Marvel Avengers Starter Pack includes all the core products you will need to carry out your first missions and fight alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the battle to defend the world from Ultron! The Starter Pack comes with 4 locations and 25 missions so that players can jump right into the action! Buy It: You can purchase PLAYMATION online from Toys“R”Us. You can also check your local store for exciting offers on Duracell batteries that you will need to make the PLAYMATION device operate.