DIGITAL EDITION
January/February 2017 $6.99 USA $8.99 CANADA
Super Mario and Super Mario Run are © & ™ of Nintendo.
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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
DIGITAL EDITION
little player
®
Why gaming on the go is bigger than ever! It’s no secret that the mobile platform is now the biggest space for gaming. With almost 5 billion available devices worldwide, you can count on the fact that you or someone you know is gaming on a smartphone or tablet. Mobile gaming has grown quite fast in the past few years making the platform 50 times bigger than traditional consoles. In fact, most younger players have had their first gaming experiences on their parent’s smartphone. Many players relate gaming experiences with the mobile platform more than they do with consoles. As smartphones and tablets get more and more powerful, they can render higher quality graphics and offer exciting new ways to play. Big publishers such as Nintendo have noticed this trend and that’s the reason we can now play Super Mario Run on iOS and eventually Android in 2017. In this issue of Little Player we did something different and focused only on mobile gaming. Our Editors tell you about their favorite mobile games and perhaps many of the games they like are favorites of yours too! We also have a special section highlighting what we feel are the Top 20 “must play” mobile games for kids. I hope you really enjoy this issue and remember always check with a parent before downloading any new games to your devices.
Martin Alessi Publisher / EIC
Video Game Magazine for Kids A Massive Impact, Inc. Periodical
Jan./Feb. 2017, Issue 5 1st Printing
Publishers Martin Alessi & Shelly Alessi Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director Martin Alessi Managing Editor Tim Wilkus Content Editor Jason Kaplan Associate Editor Nathan Alessi Junior Editors Isabella Ocampo Brody Patterson Hannah Friedman Aiden Friedman Contributing Editor Steve Sopoci Copy Editors Jenny Kaplan Sam Alessi 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 2017, 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
Have more fun with 3 different game modes!
World Tour
Play through 24 action packed levels in this exciting single-player mode. Learn new techniques and strategies to unlock Princess Peach when you defeat Bowser in the final castle. 4 Little Player Magazine
Toad Rally
Compete with players from around the world and perfect your techniques and strategies. Collect as many coins as possible in each stage and claim the top spot. Recruit Toads to unlock more playable characters. DIGITAL EDITION
Kingdom Builder
Customize your kingdom with special objects and new buildings. Build special homes for unlockable characters once you have earned enough Toads and coins to play as them.
Play as your favorite characters!
“It’s-a me, Mario! A hero who grows when he grabs a mushroom, Mario’s always ready to go!”
Mario
“Mario’s twin brother is shy and easily scared, but that won’t keep him from jumping a little higher!”
Luigi
Princess Peach
AVAILABLE AT START OF GAME
UNLOCKABLE 150 Green Toads, 150 Purple Toads and 1000 Coins
UNLOCKABLE Play through all 24 levels in World Tour and defeat Bowser
Toad
Toadette
Yoshi
UNLOCKABLE Connect the game to your MyNintendo account
UNLOCKABLE 200 Toads of each color and 1000 Coins
UNLOCKABLE 30 Red Toads, 30 Yellow Toads and 1000 Coins
“The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach can travel great distances with a floaty jump.”
“This resident of the Mushroom “Her pink pigtails set her apart “Yoshi is Mario’s loyal adventurKingdom faithfully serves Princess from other Toads. She’s also the ing buddy. He can Flutter Jump, Peach with impressive speed.” and he’s got no fear of spikes!” referee for Toad Rally.”
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little Editor’s Mobile Choice 1
Isabella Pac-Man 256 Android, iOS
This game is a modern twist on the original Pac-Man games, stuffed with goodies such as new enemies, power-ups, and a ferocious glitch wall to keep you on your toes. It hypes up the fun with good graphics and smooth colors to keep players interested. It can keep you interested for hours, seeing how many points you can get before your Pac-Man’s untimely demise. It’s definitely a keeper.
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Lara Croft GO Android, iOS
5 Angry Birds Android, iOS Temple Run Android, iOS 16 Little Player Magazine
Super Mario Run iOS (2016), Android (2017) DIGITAL EDITION
little Editor’s Mobile Choice 1
Brody Pac-Man 256 Android, iOS
Pac-Man 256 is an easy and simple game where you have to make it through a ghost-filled maze. A kill screen eats up the map behind you. There are power ups that aren’t your traditional power pellets but can be used to stop ghosts from getting to you. All of the ghosts have different patterns so you’ll have to figure each of them out to get better and earn the high score.
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Super Mario Run iOS (2016), Android (2017)
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Galaga Wars Android, iOS
Pixelgrams Android, iOS
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Pin Out Android, iOS Little Player Magazine 17
little Editor’s Mobile Choice 1
Hannah Subway Surfers Android, iOS
Subway Surfers is a fun and challenging “endless runner” that is my absolute favorite mobile time waster. The best part of Subway Surfers is that there are no levels and you can keep going and going. You can buy characters with the coins you collect as you play, no need to spend real money. Another reason I like it is there are missions you can play to get free prizes for the game. I hope you try this game and enjoy it as much as I do.
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My SInging Monsters Android, iOS 18 Little Player Magazine
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Where’s My Water Android, iOS
Toca Lab Android, iOS
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Crossy Road Android, iOS
little Editor’s Mobile Choice 1
Aiden Clash Royale Android, iOS
Clash Royale is a real time multiplayer card game featuring the characters from Clash of Clans. This is my favorite mobile game because you can do online and friendly battles. The game teaches you strategy. You can level up your troops and you can donate your troops to other people. My personal favorite troop is the prince and the mirror. I recommend this game for people who like to battle with friends.
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3 Clash of Clans Android, iOS
5 Hill Climb Racing 2 Android, iOS Subway Surfers Android, iOS DIGITAL EDITION
Pokemon Go Android, iOS Little Player Magazine 19
BLAST.FROM.THE.PAST!
Nintendo delivers the power of great game play on the go! By Martin Alessi
Nintendo has a long history with gaming on the go. They originally released their Game & Watch series in the early 1980s. The immense impact they had on portable video games can be connected to the release of the Game Boy handheld console in 1989. It featured a black and white screen and a similar button setup to the NES. It also had a headphone jack and featured stereo sound. The Game Boy hit the shelves with just a handful of launch titles and was an instant success. The system itself came bundled with Tetris in the USA and this little Russian puzzle game was the star of the show. Another game that contributed to the wild success of the Game Boy was Super Mario Land, Mario’s first portable adventure! In total, the Game Boy has sold approximately 118 million units since it’s release making it one of the most successful consoles ever developed. 20 Little Player Magazine
Game Boy Handheld Console released in 1989
Tetris DIGITAL EDITION
Super Mario Land
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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
MARTIN ALESSI
AIDEN FRIEDMAN
No fan of winter, Shelly’s been staying inside and entertaining herself with mobile games. She loves playing Candy Crush, Clash of Clans and Super Cat Bros. She can’t wait for the new Super Mario. Over the holidays Jason spent too much time gaming on his new Pixel phone for this issue. In his free time he has been playing the original Legend of Zelda in anticipation of Breath of the Wild on the Switch.
Tim is enjoying catching up on some of last year’s biggest games for the PS4, XO and WIi U. He is very excited to see what 2017 has to offer and can’t wait to get his hands on the Xbox One Scorpio!
Martin has been busy mastering Super Mario Run and putting together the player’s guide. Although his thoughts are on mobile games lately, he is excited for more details on the Nintendo Switch.
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After the holidays, Isabella has some serious gaming to do with Super Mario Run and Super Cats Bros., her favorite games this issue. This time of the year she enjoys gaming by a cozy fireplace. Hannah has been playing My Singing Monsters on her new tablet. She went to St. Louis over Christmas break and also visited the Lincoln Memorial in Springfield, IL. She also had a great time seeing the movie SING.
Brody has been playing a lot of mobile and 3DS games as he prepares for a class trip to Washington D.C. in 2017. He hopes he might be able to bring the new Nintendo Switch along with him!
Aiden has been playing Subway Surfers and his favorite Clash Royale this month. When he’s not mobile gaming he’s playing basketball at the park district during the winter months.
BIG & little Reviews Super Mario Run
Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Systems: iOS, Android (2017) Players: Single-player Release Date: December 15, 2016 ESRB Rating: 4+ Content Descriptors: N/A
8.9 BIG REVIEW SHELLY
8.0
The graphics and music are great in this game, keeping to the retro themed Super Mario Bros. style. The controls took some getting used to. At first, I didn’t like that you couldn’t stop running, or go backwards without a special block. Overall a very fun game, I could play it over and over again.
BIG REVIEW MARTIN
little REVIEW ISABELLA
9.0
Super Mario Run has a simplistic concept that’s easy to pick up and play and an addictive style! You will find yourself mesmerized by the quick motions of Mario as he bounds across six diverse worlds. I was really absorbed by the smooth gameplay and rapid-fire action. There are plenty of bonus features to keep you interested.
8.5
A phenomenal first mobile game from Nintendo! Excellent graphics and sounds that are truly console quality combined with simple, easy-to-learn game play make this a winner. There’s tons of hidden technique and strategy too. Don’t be shy of the price, this game is worth every penny and has tons of replay value.
Average Score
little REVIEW BRODY
10
Super Mario Run is an easy to learn game. Mario runs automatically and you have to get to the end of all kinds of different places. I like the game because it is really easy to learn but still fun and challenging. It starts out free but once you get to the first boss it asks you to pay for more. The game is so fun and worth it. DIGITAL EDITION
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