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September/October 2016 $6.99 USA $8.99 CANADA
Pokémon GO is a © & ™ of Niantic, Inc. Pokémon Sun & Moon are © & ™ of The Pokémon Company.
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Our Mission Statement
Little Player Magazine’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
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Back to School... Time to work hard and then play hard! For most of our readers, this is the time of year when going back to school becomes a reality. In doing so, comes the challenge of focusing on school work in the classroom and at home. In the past, portable gaming was limited to systems that were obviously made just for gaming. More and more, young players are carrying their own smartphones so parents can keep in touch with them and vice-versa. The temptation to play one’s favorite mobile game on the school campus has greatly increased. Getting your education needs to come first and will actually make you a better player in the long run. The more your mind grows and the more you learn, the better you will be at solving puzzles and getting achievements in your favorite gaming adventures. Respect your time (and your teacher’s time) while in school and make homework your priority when classes are finished for the day. All of us (young and old), need to realize that there is a time to work and a time to play. Learning to balance work and play is one of life’s greatest and most rewarding lessons. I hope you had a great summer and first day of school. We also hope you like this issue as much as we enjoyed creating it just for you.
Martin Alessi Publisher / EIC
Video Game Magazine for Kids A Massive Impact, Inc. Periodical
Sept./Oct. 2016, Issue 3 1st Printing
Publishers Martin Alessi & Shelly Alessi Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director Martin Alessi Senior Editors Jason Kaplan Tim Wilkus Associate Editor Nathan Alessi Junior Editors Isabella Ocampo Brody Patterson Hannah Friedman Aiden Friedman Contributing Editors Patrick Scott Patterson Carl Williams Copy Editors Jenny Kaplan Daniel Lofgren 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. DIGITAL EDITION
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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
FEATURE STORY
Publisher: Niantic Labs Developer: Niantic Labs Systems: Android, iOS Players: Single Player, Multiplayer Release Date: July 6, 2016 ESRB Rating: E Content Descriptors: N/A
By Patrick Scott Patterson
Pokémon GO Fever has swept the country and even the entire world. You can go almost anywhere and find people playing the game and trying to catch ‘em all. While it is fun and amazing to play, it is also important to be smart, safe and courteous while hunting for a Pikachu. Here are some ways to play safe and add to your fun while you continue to evolve your latest catches.
Check Your Surroundings The fun thing about Pokémon GO is that you can play anywhere, but some places just aren’t right if you want to become a great Pokémon Trainer. Stay away from places like construction zones, busy streets and unsafe terrain, even if you think there might be a great catch in there somewhere. Whatever might be in there can be caught again somewhere else, so pay attention and choose somewhere safe. If it isn’t the kind of place you’d want to be normally, it is not the best place to seek a Pokémon.
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Watch Where You Are Going Always pay more attention to what is going on off of the screen than what is on-screen. You don’t want to trip and fall or walk into a puddle or pond. You want to be able to check for places like cross walks so you can know when it is safe to move forward. You also want to be able to watch for other people, some of who might not be playing PokÊmon and want to get somewhere. If you encounter a crosswalk or something else going on, put your hunt on hold until it is safe to move on, or find another place to continue your game.
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FEATURE STORY
Catch Pokémon fever all over again with Jason Kaplan these amazing new adventures! By & Nathan Alessi Pokémon is arguably one of the world’s most recognizable series, and Nintendo is back at it again with Pokémon Sun and Moon. There is a lot more for you to do with your Pokémon than ever before, such as changes in training, combat, and exploration. Let’s start with training. You still get to level up your Pokémon the same as before, but now there’s a new feature; Hyper Training. Pokémon grow stronger by leveling up and increasing their base stats. However, their power is still affected by the individual strengths assigned to each Pokémon. With Hyper Training, Pokémon that have grown to level 100 will be able to increase their individual strengths, which has never been possible before. You just need to find Mr. Hyper somewhere in the Alola region and bring him bottle caps, which you’ll be able to find as you play.
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Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Game freak Systems: 3DS Players: Single-player, Multiplayer Release Date: November 18, 2016 ESRB Rating: E Content Descriptors: Mild Cartoon Violence
Experience a cool new way to train your Pokémon with Z-moves! Something else entirely new in Pokémon Sun and Moon is Z-Moves! Every Pokémon can use them, but only once per battle. Your trainer’s and your Pokémon’s wishes resonate together to let them use all their power in battle. Just get a Z-Ring for your trainer and the same variety of Z-Crystal for your Pokémon and you’re all set! It gets even better though! When Pokémon Sun and Moon comes out, you’ll be able to buy a real-life Z-Ring! It’ll sync up to your game and make noises and vibrations to further your experience!
Call for a Poké Ride from a special Pokémon when you get into a tough situation!
When you’re playing Pokémon Sun and Moon, you may reach an area and get stuck. With Poké Ride, that won’t be a problem! You just need to get certain Pokémon to help you out. In the Alola region it’s very common to call a Pokémon for help, but remember these Pokémon don’t actually join your team. They only use their strength to help you get to areas you otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach.
When you need to get somewhere far and fast call upon your trusty Poké Ride and you’ll be there in no time!
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PREVIEW
Two new adventures in the world By Tim Wilkus of the Yo-Kai await you! This fall fans of the Yo-Kai series are in for a very special treat. Two new games will be launching on September 30, 2016; YoKai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls. Over 350 new and returning Yo-Kai will be ready for battle. You will team up with Hovernyan, a heroic cat to travel back in time to save Springdale. Players will assemble a team of 6 Yo-Kai to battle against troublemaking Yokai. You will also solve people’s problems and attempt to end a civil war between two groups.
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Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Level 5 Systems: 3DS Players: Single-player, Multiplayer Release Date: September 30,2016 ESRB Rating: E10+ Content Descriptors: Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence
The only difference between the two versions will be specific game Yo-Kai. Players will use the touchscreen to perform Soultimate moves and heal their Yo-Kai. You’ll be able to travel by train to new worlds, travel back in time to learn the origins of the Yo-Kai, and meet classic Yo-Kai from 60 years ago. Players will be able to team up with up to four players for local multiplayer games. Each player will need their own system and software to do so. Yo-Kai Yo Watch YO-MOTION medals have also been announced and will be launching this fall alongside the game.
Here is a sample of the 350 new and returning Yo-Kai!
Whisper
Kate Hovernyan
Nate
Boyclops
Brushido
Firewig DIGITAL EDITION
Lady Longnek
Pallysol
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BIG & little Reviews Meet the Crew
BIG Players
little Players
SHELLY ALESSI
ISABELLA OCAMPO
JASON KAPLAN
HANNAH FRIEDMAN
TIM WILKUS
BRODY PATTERSON
PATRICK SCOTT PATTERSON
AIDEN FRIEDMAN
Shelly really loves the water and was waiting all summer for ABZÛ to come out. It was everything she hoped it to be and more! She’s a huge Star Wars fan and had a blast with LEGO’s take on TFA! Jason’s really amazed that over 20 million people are playing Pokémon GO!. It really has caught on quickly! He also absolutely cannot wait for hockey season to start up again. It’s just around the corner!
With school back in session, Tim has been busy helping his new students become better readers and writers. Tim still finds time to play some of his favorite games on PS4 and Xbox One.
PSP has been hunting down items from gaming’s past so he can share them with Little Players across the world. He has caught the Pokémon GO bug and really wants us all to play it safe out there.
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Isabella has been quite busy playing through Song of the Deep and Kirby Planet Robobot, her two favorites this issue! She is excited to go back to school and share her summer gaming experiences. Hannah is in her second season of Poms. She loves playing Nintendogs and Disney Crossy Roads. She had a busy summer going on three different vacations. She is ready to see her friends again at school.
Brody is excited to be back in school, bringing with him a summer spent as a Pokémon Trainer. He is looking forward to a new year, new friends and a bunch of upcoming new games.
Aiden is looking forward to his football season starting up again. He is looking forward to seeing his friends at school again. His favorite games this summer are Minecraft and Pokémon Go.
BIG & little Reviews
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Developer: TT Games Systems: PS3, PS4, X360, XO, 3DS + Players: Single-player, Multiplayer Release Date: June 28, 2016 ESRB Rating: E10+ Content Descriptors: Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief, Mild Language
8.0 BIG REVIEW JASON
little REVIEW
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HANNAH
TIM
8.5
I absolutely loved my play through of this game. It had all the charm and humor of the Lego Series games combined with the Star Wars universe. The fact they got the original actors and actresses to do voice work for the characters was brilliant. My only concern is that some of the puzzles can be a little challenging for younger players.
6.5
This game is nice, but I expected it to be a little better. The graphics and music are really good but I did not find the game to be much fun. It is a little too hard in my opinion and I always had to reset it and start over. It’s too tough! Other gamers may like it but I am not a fan of it and got really frustrated.
This is really the best LEGO game to come out in years! There’s tons of stuff to collect and unlock so you’ll have lots to do. A cool new feature is multi-builds, where you have choices of what to build. Sometimes you need to build them all to solve a puzzle and others just one. I had a great time with this game!
BIG REVIEW
Average Score
little REVIEW AIDEN
8
This game is not what I expected because there were some parts when it was not the same as the movie. It was kind of silly in some parts. It was still fun to me, but very challenging at times. I like it mainly because the graphics were pretty good, and the characters from the movie are really cool too.
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