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DIGITAL EDITION

July/August 2016 $6.99 USA $8.99 CANADA

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Our Mission Statement

Little Player Magazineâ€™s mission is to provide a safe, fun and advertising-free reading experience that parents can feel good about giving to their kids. We also want to inspire and teach kids to make good gaming choices and play what is appropriate for their age group. We only cover and review games that are rated EC, E, and E10+ to ensure that young children are not exposed to content meant for teens or mature audiences. 2 Little Player Magazine DIGITAL EDITION

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The importance of “playing” with technology! A long time ago… when I was much younger, something new and exciting happened to the world of entertainment. Video games became a part of life for millions of young people. Some might even say they became a way of life. Not only were we watching stories and adventures unfoldwe were participating in them and interacting with the images on the screen. Flash forward to 2016… The advances in technology have made video games even more engaging and exciting. Young players are becoming familiar with technology as a whole, and their knowledge and experience has in some cases surpassed the previous few generations. Being able to interact with multiple operating systems as well as navigate the GUI (Graphic User Interface) in their favorite games has quite a few long-term benefits. I know some adults who still fumble through touchscreen menus on Android or iOS while using their smartphones or tablets. I know even more young players, some as young as five, who are using and even mastering this same technology. Why is this good? The next generation of players will become the next generation of workers and they will not fear technology in any way. They might even become content creators and bring their own stories and ideas to life someday. While setting limits is healthy and can curb overuse... the next time you worry your child may be playing too much or involved in too much screen time, think of it as an investment in their future.

Martin Alessi Publisher / EIC

Video Game Magazine for Kids A Massive Impact, Inc. Periodical

July/August 2016, Issue 2 1st Printing

Publishers Martin Alessi & Shelly Alessi Editor-in-Chief Martin Alessi Senior Editors Jason Kaplan Tim Wilkus Associate Editor Nathan Alessi Junior Editors Bridget Bonner Isabella Ocampo Brody Patterson Contributing Editors Jerry Bonner Rob Strangman Copy Editors Shelly Alessi Jenny Kaplan Industry Correspondant Patrick Scott Patterson Art Director / 3D Artist Allen Forbes Illustration Artist Thor Thorvaldson Video Capture Technician Pete Hahn Creative Consultant David Ray Siller Legal Counsel Erich G. Monzon

__________________________ © Copyright 2016, Massive Impact, Inc. All rights reserved. Little Player is published bi-monthly by Massive Impact, Inc., P.O. Box 512, Wheeling IL 60090. Subscriptions are 6 issues for $24.99. Please allow 6-8 weeks before receiving your first issue as well as any subscription changes on an existing account. Little Player is a registered trademark of Massive Impact, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without express written permission of Massive Impact, Inc. Trademark and copyright for all other products and characters contained therein are owned by the respective trademark and copyright owners. For permisson to reuse material from our publication or to use our logo contact martin@littleplayermag.com.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Little Player is published bi-monthly. Domestic rate is $24.99 for 6 issues. NEW SUBS: www.shoplittleplayer.com Subscription Inquiries: 312-574-0499 subs@littleplayermag.com Please send letters and artwork to: letters@littleplayermag.com or Little Player Magazine P.O. Box 512 Wheeling IL 60090 Little Player Magazine 3

DIGITAL EDITION

FEATURE STORY

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. Developer: TT Games Systems: PS4, X1, Wii U, PS3, X360, 3DS, Vita Players: 1 or 2 players Release Date: June 28, 2016 ESRB Rating: E10+ Content Descriptors: Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief

The Force is Strong with this One! By Tim Wilkus

Take control of fan favorite BB-8 in special missions throughout the game!

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an all-new adventure game coming to consoles this summer featuring all your favorite characters from the franchise, both new and old. Characters such as Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, General Hux, and Captain Phasma as well as classics like Chewbacca, Han Solo, and C3P0, will all make an appearance. New fan favorite BB-8 will also assist and use its skills to help out in battle too. The game will feature over 50 characters from the light side and the dark side. The current gen hardware has now allowed the developers to incorporate a great deal of detail throughout each level. You will see Stormtroopers in the distance, Ewoks swooping down from trees, and laser fire from all around. The Lego Star Wars universe has never looked this good.

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Fight back against Kylo Ren and First Order!

Your adventure will take you all over the galaxy to places like the Resistance Base on Jakku, Maz Kanataâ€™s Castle, and the Starkiller Base. Many of these places were absent in the movie or are played from different parts of the planet not seen in the film. Not only will you be playing these levels from different character perspectives, but they will also fill in gaps from the storyline that left the audience wondering. How did Han Solo and Chewbacca end up with the Rathtars? Players will get to experience the hunting mission on the Rathtarsâ€™ home planet and find out. These storylines are opened up by giving away the gold bricks you have collected in the main story missions to characters you will bump into along the way. Hardcore Star Wars fans will appreciate that these are not just generic characters thrown in. They will have actual voice work recorded by the actors and actresses themselves.

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PREVIEW

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Intelligent Systems Systems: Wii U Players: Single-player Release Date: October 7, 2016 ESRB Rating: Pending Content Descriptors: To Be Announced

A colorful new adventure By Jason Kaplan unfolds for Mario! Paper Mario: Color Splash will be the first game in the series to be on the Wii U. From what we’ve seen so far, it’s looking similar to Paper Mario: Sticker Star on the 3DS. In Color Splash, Mario, Toad and Princess Peach must help the inhabitants of Prism Island where all the color is being drained. Fortunately, you’re not going to stand by without doing anything. With the help of the paint hammer you’re going to bring all the colors back to Prism Island. Anything you hit in the game with the hammer will color it with paint. Doing that will bring the island back to life! That even goes for the random Toads you’ll find. Hit them with the hammer to color them in and wake them back up!

Mario can use his Paint Hammer to bring color back to objects or characters on Prism Island.

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Team up with Mario, Princess Peach and Toad on Prism Island!

There are many worlds to explore and paint! Mario, Peach and Toad have a big adventure ahead of them... and so do you! As you progress the map becomes more colorful and you will earn better power-ups and abilities to use in the levels to come. There are many secrets to discover and plenty of challenges await you.

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BLAST.FROM.THE.PAST! Publisher: LucasArts Developer: Sculptured Software Systems: Super NES Players: Single-Player Release Date: November 1, 1992 ESRB Rating: E Content Descriptors: N/A

The Force Will Be With You... Always

By Rob Strangman

Have you ever wanted to step into the boots of Luke Skywalker, use a lightsaber and fight the evil Empire? In Super Star Wars, you can! Fight your way from Tatooine to the Death Star as Imperial Stormtroopers try to stop you from rescuing Princess Leia and getting the Death Star plans to the Rebels. Once you meet Han Solo and Chewbacca, you’re able to play as them too. In special 3D scenes, you pilot Luke’s trusty old landspeeder, and later on, you take control of Luke’s X-Wing Fighter and attack the Death Star. But watch out as you fly down the trench – Darth Vader is waiting for you in his TIE Fighter! Best of all, the fun doesn’t end with Super Star Wars the adventure continues in Super Empire Strikes Back and Super Return of the Jedi! 20 Little Player Magazine DIGITAL EDITION

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E3 2016 PREVIEW Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

System: Wii U, NX Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Players: Single-player Release Date: 2017

Are you excited? You should be! This is like no other Zelda game you’ve ever played before. Other games in the series have had large worlds to explore but none were anywhere close to being this large or this wide open. It’s twelve times larger in size than Twilight Princess! Link can now climb just about anything you’ll come across during the game which is a first for the series. With that ability, you can travel to more places in Hyrule. Link can also make new paths with items you’ll acquire, like chopping a tree down with an axe to make a bridge. You can even interact with the environment now. You can push boulders down mountains to crush your enemies and even set fields of grass on fire to startle other enemies so you can defeat them or sneak by them. Your gear is very important too since some of it will give you special powers like being stealthier or faster. Not only that, but Link will have the ability to make potions and elixirs to aid him on his quest. And if you needed more help the previously released Wolf Link amiibo can be used once a day to give you a wolf companion. 22 Little Player Magazine DIGITAL EDITION

E3 2016 PREVIEW Pokemon: Sun & Pokemon: Moon

System: 3DS Publisher: The Pokemon Company Developer: Game Freak Players: Single-player, Multiplayer Release Date: November 18, 2016

Solgaleo (psychic/steel type) and Lunala (psychic/ ghost type) are the two new legendary Pokemon in Sun and Moon. This game takes place in the Alola Region and you get to choose between three all new starter Pokemon. Rowlet (grass/flying type), Litten (fire type), and Popplio (water type). The Alola Region is made up of four tropical islands and one artificial one with many never seen before Pokemon. Sun and Moon also have a QR scanner function that will let you scan QR codes to see information about different Pokemon, such as their habitat. You can also use the QR codes to register all of your Pokemon to your Pokedex and even find out where they live!

Solgaleo

Lunala

Litten

Possibly the biggest news from Sun and Moon is the new multiplayer mode called Battle Royal. Instead of just battling one-on-one now youâ€™re battle three other trainers at the same time!

Popplio

Rowlet Little Player Magazine 23

DIGITAL EDITION