Bakugan Battle Trainers game for Nintendo DS

My boys are seriously into Bakugan (if you don't believe me, check out my post on their 6th birthday party), so as soon as they knew that a Bakugan Battle Brawlers game for the Nintendo DS existed they began pestering me for it. So it was a happy coincidence that Activision invited me to review their newest Nintendo DS Bakugan game, the Bakugan Battle Trainer. Here's what we thought of it:


The Basics
Bakugan Battle Trainer was released in Spring 2010. It is Activision's second Bakugan title and builds on the wildly successful Bakugan phenomenon. The game takes players through training exercises; the more training they have their electronic Bakugan undergo, the greater the G-power they obtain. As higher level play ensues, they get to do battle against some evil battle brawlers who have captured other Bakugan and hold them hostage.


Here's a description of the game from Activision:
In Bakugan Battle Trainer, aspiring Bakugan trainers will find out first hand what happens before and after the brawls. Players will master the secrets of training their Bakugan while choosing how to improve their skills and abilities with an in-depth training mode that helps their Bakugan excel at all aspects of battling. Ultimately, players will send their rigorously trained creatures into battle with a mission to free their imprisoned brethren from the enemy's hold. Beyond this ingenious style of play, the classic elements of Bakugan are in place -- collect up to 30 creatures, intense battle action, and the ability to improve your rant by defeating opponents.


The Bongga
3Po and Jammy love the Bakugan toys, but since they've only just started reading, they have never really gotten into the Bakugan brawls. So they really like Bakugan Battle Trainers since it's not focused on the battles -- you can have a fun time taking your Bakugan through the training exercises that occur between battles.

The training facility consists of gathering tokens, mini-games, quizzes, and an assortment of other actions that can be carried out such as bouncing and petting your Bakugan. It's a lot more low-key and much more my boys' style.


The Blah
Since this is the second Bakugan game, I was hoping there would be some multi-player functions (i.e. two kids each with a Bakugan Battle Trainers game on their Nintendo DS would be able to battle each other over a WiFi connection).


The Bottom Line
Bakugan Battle Trainers is a great game for young Bakugan fans because it takes the classic Bakugan strategy game to a whole new dimension!

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.