Heavenly Harmony Karaoke - Fun for the whole family!

Well, it has been a while. I think the with everything we have had going on, and the daunting task of reviewing "Redemption", I have just not had the time needed to do it justice. That being said, I will move to something else - Heavenly Harmony Karaoke!

We finally got Heavenly Harmony Karaoke for my daughter (who loves to sing) for Christmas. This is a really cool game. It is essentially a Christian game version of "American Idol". You start out by selecting one of the 25 songs you want to sing. You then select your character, which you can change attributes such as hair, clothes, etc. Now select your venue (we will talk about that later) and your ready to sing!

The game comes with a microphone that plugs into the computer, which relays, via their pitch recognition technology, your pitch accuracy on a visual musical score. Each word of the song scrolls along this visual score, and as you sing, if your pitch matches the correct note, you score points. It is simpler than it sounds! And, since you can see several words ahead, you can adjust your pitch. Now this can create some funny sounds. For instance, someone can actually get a better score than you, but not actually sound better (if that makes sense).

Now, each time you sing a song, the computer is rating you: Shower Singer, Choir, On Tour. The more notes you hit the further along the scale you move and the more points you score. At the end of each song, depending on how many points you score, you are awarded a Bronze, Silver or Gold record.

As your singing skills improve, you get to sing at different venues. Funny thing is that you start out singing in the garage. You can hear crickets outside and the garage door is closed. If you really start to score points, the garage door opens and a couple of people will be standing outside watching. The better you get, the more people that come. As you improve, you get to sing outside and at concerts.

Again, this game is fun for the whole family and can really help with the little ones who have a musical ear or just love to sing. The disc also has some mini games to improve your singing, although I have not tried those (maybe I should?).

We also bought her the Christmas Classics expansion pack, which has 20 great Christmas songs!

Give it a try, and let us know what you think. And be sure to give us some props, especially when you go On Tour! (lol)

Don't call it a comeback ...

OK, after a long hiatus, I am back. We have had some family sickness and my wife had a conference she was speaking at, so I apologize for the lack of blog info.

My next review will be a monumental one - Redemption, the collectible card game (ccg). They have just relesed a new expansion set, Faith of our Fathers! This is the 11th expansion set and a great Christian substitution for other ccg's like Pokemon and Magic the Gathering (MTG).

Champions of Faith

Well, since my inclusion on Yehuda's Blogroll, I felt compelled to make my next review on one of several new Christian board games that are out right now, Champions of Faith!

As I have stated, finding new Christian games is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But that is only due to lack of - marketing budgets, secular retail space, and suprisingly - Christian retail space. I guess that is where I come in (lol), maybe there is a new job there for me? Well, back to the game. I found this at a local-owned Christian bookstore that seems to take a chance on newer stuff.

Champions of Faith, published by BibleQuest, is an interesting board game, based around the lives of six Bible heroes - Moses, David, Abraham, Noah, Joseph and Joshua. Each player selects a character card, which has "key" requirements that must be completed to enter the "Hall of Faith". This is done by moving your character's pewter figure around the game board and facing encounters either on the board space or trial cards. Each character also has varying levels of - leadership, wisdom and endurance. These stats can be increased as you complete encounters and gain tokens (these are really cool pieces). You want to have plenty (max of 10) of each stat before you move to the inner circle and the Hall of Faith to try and win the game.

This is a fun game for the family to play. It also helps to introduce kids to characters in the Bible in a more interesting way, and the spaces on the board are real places and trails that each person encountered during their lifetime (that's a long time for Noah, lol).

They really did a good job designing this game. From the cool artwork to the pewter figures to the cool tokens. They also have set up jamming website that encourages you to learn more about biblical history and archaeology.

Again, check it out and let me know what you think!

Online Christian Game - The Missionary Game

Ok, well this is a little different! This is the first online Christian game that I have found, except David and Goliath (which you have to subscribe and download). The Missionary Game plays completely online and my kids are having a blast.

The game sets you as a missionary in third-world type country. You have the option to play a boy or girl character (so my daughters think it is cool too), but you can change at any time because they are working together. You start out in the city with a map that shows the other cities and villages. Your goal is to reach as many villages as possible within 30 days. Sound simple? Well, while in the city you have to stock up on supplies (i.e. bibles, food, water, blankets and medicine), the you must map your route that will be most effective with the supplies you have. Once you choose your path, the game turns into a side-scrolling adventure with "dangers lurking on the path between villages; hungry predators, wild rivers and poisonous plants." You avoid these obstacles by jumping and manuvering around them, but sometimes you have to use prayer!

When you reach a village you are met by the "chief" and your character hands him a bible and appears to witness to him. You will then see a church appear in the background. But not only do you need to meet their spiritual needs, but you meet the physical needs they have, again food, water, supplies...

This is a neat game with cool graphics, but the gameplay is the best attribute. It helps you to think - think about people, their needs, using your time and supplies wisely, and most importantly the need for us to reach out to the lost - not "just" with words, but as the Hands and Feet of Jesus!!

Let the kids try it out, and let me know how it goes!

Deliverance: Moses in the Pharaoh's Courts

Here we have another game that, if it was available any console system, would be a hit. Deliverance: Moses in the Pharaoh's Courts is an action adventure game that has awesome graphics, great gameplay, and a cool biblical storyline (complete with awesome video clips) that most kids will be familiar with.

The game sets the player as Moses, and sometimes Aaron, called by God to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Moses uses his staff to defend himself, and conflict resolution ends with enemies simply disappearing without any blood or gore.

Deliverance is played on your pc and can be played completely using the mouse. Like I said earlier, this is the type of game that would work great for a console. It has the graphics, gameplay and feel that would carry over very easy.

Check out their website and let me know what you think!

Timothy & Titus: Saints, Martyrs, Heroes

White Knight Games has just released a great game, Timothy & Titus: Saints, Martyrs, Heroes.

This game has great graphics and gameplay. You can toggle between both characters, who each have different abilities. In this 3D action adventure, you will explore 4 expansive levels while searching for the missing scrolls.

Although their website says the game does not have a release date, it is out. And I was shocked when I found it at Lifeway Christian Bookstore (but of course, on the end cap of the bibles - not in the kids or software/games section?) It also comes in a cool, thick, box-like dvd case!

Let me know what you think.