Nintendo Switch Road Trip Tour Traveling Across The Country

Thanks to Nintendo for sponsoring this post and inviting my family for an evening of fun.

Nintendo switch tour pop up

Calling all Nintendo fans! The Nintendo Switch Road Trip tour just hit the road in Chicago, IL and it might be coming to a town near you! The tour brings demos of the latest games to you with hands-on playtime and a fun Nintendo themed experience you won’t find anywhere else.

Nestled in the giant truck and pop-up tent are over a dozen game play areas. Families can play games like Super Mario Maker 2 (which was just released today!), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and other great games for the Nintendo Switch System. There are even bucket chairs to sit in while you race your friends and family members in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The boys, their father, and I loved playing the games and even baby Emma tried to play!

baby in video game chair

The games available for demo are:

  • Super Mario Maker 2 – Mario fans of the world, unite! Now you can play, create and share the side-scrolling Super Mario courses of your dreams in the Super Mario Maker 2 game, available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch system. Dive into the single-player Story Mode and play built-in courses to rebuild Princess Peach’s castle. Make your own courses or team up with a friend to make some together. And with a Nintendo Switch Online membership, share your courses, access a near-endless supply of courses made by others and enjoy online* multiplayer. If you’re not already a Nintendo Switch Online member, the Super Mario Maker 2 + Nintendo Switch Online Bundle might be perfect for you. It’s available as both a physical and digital release and includes a 12-month Individual Membership for Nintendo Switch Online.
  • MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order – Assemble your ultimate team of Marvel Super Heroes from a huge cast including the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and more! Team up with friends to prevent galactic devastation at the hands of the mad cosmic tyrant Thanos and his ruthless warmasters, The Black Order.MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order will be available July 19.
  • Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon™: Let’s Go, Eevee! – Feel like a real Pokémon Trainer as you travel through the Kanto region in the Pokémon™: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Pokémon™: Let’s Go, Eevee! games with Poké Ball™ Plus. The power of a Pokémon Trainer lies in the palm of your hand.
  • Splatoon 2 – The squid kids called Inklings are back in Splatoon 2 to splat more ink and claim more turf in this colorful and chaotic 4-on-4 action shooter.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Gaming icons clash in the ultimate brawl you can play anytime, anywhere! Smash rivals off the stage as new characters Simon Belmont and King K. Rool join Inkling, Ridley, and every fighter in Super Smash Bros. history. Enjoy enhanced speed and combat at new stages based on the Castlevania series, Super Mario Odyssey, and more!
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 and play anytime, anywhere! Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses.
  • Super Mario Party – The original 4-player Mario Party series board game mode that fans love is back, and your friends and family are invited to the party! Freely walk the board: choose where to move, which Dice Block to roll, and how to win the most Stars in skill-based minigames. Wait till you see the 2 vs 2 mode with grid-based maps, the creative uses of the console, and the series’ first online minigame mode!
  • Overcooked! 2 – Buddy up or go it alone as you cook up a storm, chopping, steaming and frying your way through dynamic and outright crazy levels in Overcooked! 2. Now with online multiplayer for up to four chefs, there is no such thing as too many cooks and the steaks have never been higher as you prepare to save the Onion Kingdom… Again.

kids playing video game

 

 Want to see where the Nintendo Switch Road Trip will be next? Check out the tour page here.

Gift Idea For The Tween Gamer In Your Life

This is a paid post with MomSelect on behalf of Ubisoft. All thoughts are my own as always.

Have a tween on your holiday shopping list this year? If so, I’ve found the perfect gift for them! Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a game that’s a good fit for the 7-12 year old gamer who is at an age between kiddy video games and older, teen video games which means it’s perfect for kids like my two boys who are nine and ten. This video game has the open world play that has become so popular lately but is in a contained environment that’s safer for kids which means it has all of the challenges and adventure that kid gamers are looking for without the unsafe interactions that are common in other open world games.

In the game, tweens can travel seamlessly through the exotic alien worlds of the Atlas star system and discover its seven unique planets, each with its own ecosystem, wildlife and secrets to uncover. The world evolves depending on the player’s actions and choices, and continues to evolve even when they aren’t around. The innovative modular toys that come with the game, and are available as add-ons, allow players to build unique starships which can be customized for a new way to play as players adapt to overcome any challenge they encounter in this epic open world adventure. After they build their starship combo they can see it come to life in the game.


The game is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. I decided to get the Switch version because I like the idea of being able to take this on the go when we travel. The Starlink: Battle for Atlas Starter Pack retails for $74.99 and includes the game, a controller mount (which allows you to connect your starship and pilot your controller), a starship, two weapon add-on’s, and two pilots. The box also contains a poster which they were excited about because they love covering the walls of their room with cool posters. 

The game components were simple enough for my ten year old to set up himself and he liked this unique way of playing his Switch. The game also offers the ability to invite a friend to join seamlessly at any time with the two-player split-screen option which is a nice feature. Jacob has recently developed a love of playing video games with his friends so I like that this game has that option and can see him using it often. Overall, he really enjoyed playing this game and I appreciated the fact that it has a storyline behind it and that it kept his interest for a while.

Would your tween gamer love this game? I’d love to hear your thoughts over on social! You can chat with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Skylanders SWAP Force Game Coming Out Soon

(Disclosure: I am receiving a free Skylanders game truck party but all thoughts are my own.)

My son has been looking forward to a very special day coming up. No, it’s not his birthday or Christmas…it’s October 13th- the day the new Skylanders SWAP Force game comes out. Jacob has just started learning how to play the Wii that’s been collecting dust for the past couple years. He spends the majority of time playing with the figures that go along with the game, as his younger brother does.

They are both really excited that the new Skylanders game means new game figures. They can’t wait to try out the new figures because their top parts come off and can be “swapped” with another character’s top half to create new figures. Swapping them creates over 250 different characters! Learn more about the new game here.

Since they both love the game I jumped on the opportunity to host a Skylanders SWAP Force Game Truck party courtesy of Activision, makers of the extremely popular game. Jacob declared I was the “best mom ever” when I told them and my boys are both so excited about it. Our party isn’t until November but it’s going to be so fun!

Do your children love Skylanders, too?