Hot New Kid-Friendly Wii Games for the 2010 Holiday Season

1. Just Dance Kids is a kid-friendly spinoff from the popular Just Dance franchise. With more than 40 songs including classics like Wheels on the Bus, rerecorded pop and hip-hop, and TV show songs from Yo Gabba Gabba and The Wiggles, there are tunes for even the youngest dancers. I'm always looking for ways to get my kids moving and this sounds like a fun way. I worry that the song choices will get tiresome and annoying, but for this age group, they love repetition and at least I don't have to worry about less-than-appropriate lyrics.  

2. Epic Mickey looks so cool. I'm sure it's much more advanced than my 3 and 6 year olds are, but I'm still intrigued. It is slated for release on November 30 and follows a sort of alternate reality world for Mickey Mouse. The player "paints" and uses "paint thinner" to make changes in the game and determine Mickey's path. It finally sounds like a nonlinear RPG game that has many paths and many consequences. It's definitely the sort of "kids" game that will appeal to adults. I know my husband sounded intrigued and he's far from a Disney fan. It won the Best Wii Game of E3 this year.

3. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars was originally slated for release in October 2010 but was recently pushed back to February 2011. It's the game I'm most hyped about. If it holds up to the other two entertaining, challenging, brick building/destroying Lego Star Wars games (as well as the other Lego video games like Indiana Jones and Batman), it will be tons of fun and not too frustrating for my little ones. We're big fans of The Clone Wars and are looking forward to playing as Ahsoka, Ventress, and Cad Bane. I just hope there's enough material from the animated series to make a long enough, recognizable enough video game.

4. My kids love the Wii Fit but they can't do all of the activities and they tend to lose interest when the games don't feature cutesy things like sliding penguins or balls with faces. Featuring popular Nick Jr. characters like Dora, Diego, Kai-Lan, and the Backyardigans, this fitness video game features over 30 games and works with the Wii Balance Board. Parents can program routines and track progress while their children will have fun playing games intended to promote good cardio, balance, and strength workouts. Released on November 8, 2010, this game is already getting good reviews online from parents.