Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects review and giveaway

My sons 3Po and Jammy seem to be entering an extremely physical stage in their development. They've always been live wires, running around 24/7, but now that they've entered kindergarten they're on the go with their friends -- and sometimes they end up punching each other. Alfie says it's nothing to worry about, and he's probably right, but we both agree that we want to limit their exposure to violence in the media.

That's why I appreciate fantasy games like Ubisoft's Battle of Giants series for Nintendo DS -- they recognize that boys are very physically oriented and like to act out power struggles in their pretend and fantasy play, but they don't depict humans fighting and killing each other. The characters in these games clearly belong in the fantasy realm, so my boys are clear about pretend and real. If I'm going to let my boys play a videogame, I'd rather have one of dragons fighting rather than real people!

3Po and Jammy already enjoy the Dragons and Dinosaurs games, and now that Ubisoft kindly sent us a copy of the latest Battle of Giants game: Mutant Insects, they have even more avenues for fantasy play. Like the previous two, Mutant Insects allows the boys to create characters -- in this case, mutant insects like scorpions, spiders and praying mantises -- and put them into battle with each other. The more they play, the more they can build their insect's special powers and attributes.

Here's a description of the game from Ubisoft:
In a far distant future, a gigantic asteroid went out of orbit and collided with Earth. This terrible catastrophe left only ruins in its wake, forever changing Earth’s landscape….and its inhabitants. Insects, the most adaptable form of life on Earth, have mutated to transform into massive giants and become the new rulers of the planet.

As one of four mutated insects, travel through the barely recognizable lands while battling gigantic enemies to find the source of the mutation. Your goal? Become the strongest mutant insect on the planet and survive the chaos!

Now that the boys can read, it's less frustrating for them since the game requires players to read simple instructions. They're really been enjoying this game, and I have even seen them take the mutant insects theme into their pretend-play sessions with plastic insect figurines!


Win a Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects game for Nintendo DS
One lucky winner will receive a copy of Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects for Nintendo DS, courtesy of Ubisoft.

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which insects you -- or your bloodthirsty sons :) -- would most like to see in battle. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.


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The Rules
This giveaway ends at midnight PST on June 5, 2010; I will draw a winner at random on June 6 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received a product sample, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Unless clearly stated, the views and opinions expressed here are my own.