Hey, gamers, and welcome to my New Year’s Special here on Cam’s Eye View. I am not going to do something elaborate, like my back-to-back Batman Christmas Special, but I do have something for you boys and girls to get on the PSN and XboxLive that, well, isn’t holiday-based. I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but I kind of ran out of time, and I decided to do a special DLC Domination that was released in October, decided to keep it locked up for New Years. Don’t ask me why, but here is Costume Quest! The first downloadable title by Double Fine Productions is definitely ambitious. Yes, these are the creators of two of my favorite games of all time, Brutal Legend and Psychonaughts. It definitely has the Double Fine feel with a creative premise and smart humor, but does it fully deliver as their first downloadable title? G! et your noisemakers out and put in your favorite holiday movie and get ready for my New Year’s Special of Costume Quest. Costume Quest stars two twins named Reynold and Wren who are new to the neighborhood they moved into. Their parents suggest they use Trick-or-Treating to make new friends in the suburbs, and the player can choose to play either kid. The only thing that changes is the starting costume. Reynold is a robot and Wren is a unicorn. While trick-or-treating, one of the kids gets kidnapped by a sweet tooth monster, and it is up to one of the kids to save the other, along with two other kids, using the power of their costumes to fight evil and save the holiday! It’s a creative idea and it’s a game made for kids so don’t take it too seriously. The gameplay featured in Costume Quest often feels like a homage to old RPG-style games, like Final Fantasy and, more importantly, Earthbound. You travel along a couple of areas from the neighborhood, the mall, to a vi! llage in the countryside, collecting candy and completing side! quests like bobbing for apples and finding kids who are hiding in the levels. The main goal is to stop at every place that has lights on and knock on the door. Some result in people giving you candy, and some result in a random encounter. When you encounter enemies in battle, it switches to you transforming into whatever your costume is, like a robot, knight, spaceman, unicorn, Dracula, and you get the idea. Each suit mainly has different abilities, but some share the same abilities. The battle system is turn-based, but when you plan an attack, there is a timer, like pressing a specific button at a specific time. There is also a charge meter, where you can use a special attack depending on what costume you are wearing. There is also a timer when an enemy attacks, where you can take less damage if you press the button fast enough. There are no potions or phoenix-downs, so be prepared to watch the screen for which button to press. The suits also have abilities outside of battles, lik! e the robot suit will make you go faster, the knight will protect you from stuff falling from above, and the spaceman suit will light your way through dark areas. The suits are not so easy to find, since you need to search the levels for most of the stuff required to make specific suits. Don’t worry though; you can teleport to specific levels to finish some stuff that you might have missed. Oh, and one more thing, you can also sneak up behind enemies and whack them on the back of their heads, so in the beginning of the battle, they lose a bit of health, which is pretty cool. The graphics for the game definitely get some extra points for charm, with a Wind Waker and Earthbound-style look that has a lot of charm. The music is also well done with creepy yet silly intense music for exploring the different areas on the game. The humor is also very funny and clever since this is Tim Schaeffer and Double Fine we are talking about, so it isn’t really a surprise that the lines a! re very funny. Though this game isn’t perfect by all means, ! there ar e a few things this game has working against it. While the game is fun, it’s pretty short. I got through most of the game in a day and I also think it’s because of the easy difficulty. Granted, the timing during the battles can be challenging at times so I won’t blame the difficulty too much on the game. However, this game can get a little repetitious since you basically do the same thing every level with the only things that change are the bosses and enemies. I just wish this game was a little longer because I was really enjoying it, and in the end, is a bit overpriced since it cost 15 dollars to download this game. The issue could also be that it was aimed at kids, so it isn’t as time consuming as games like Final Fantasy 6 or again, Earthbound. I mean, I am all for making creative and fun kids games that are not shovelware that you can find on the Wii, but at least make them pretty long, like 10 to 12 hours. I think the other thing I would have liked to see in the! game is a map. The places aren’t long, but when you are trying to find the last lit-up house, it can become a chore to find that one house since you don’t have a map. Yes, the game is pretty gimmicky with its Halloween themes, and there are some small faults with the game, but I think it’s a really good downloadable game. It’s 15 dollars, but it is definitely a better buy than Blade Kitten and Deadliest Warrior: The Game. (Seriously. Who thought those two games had potential?). Either way, this is definitely another great title put out by the genius minds of Double Fine and I would recommend it fully for families or for Double Fine fans. Oh, and if anyone has a spare Earthbound copy, please send it to me. This game gets an 8 out of 10
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"Magic is always impossible," said the magician. "It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in between. That is why it is magic."What if? Why not? Could it be? When a fortune-teller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchenne knows the questions that he must ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortune-teller's mysterious answer (An elephant! An elephant will lead you there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it is true.Title: The Magician's ElephantAuthor: Kate DiCamilloIllustrator: Yoko TanakaPublisher: Walker Books, $16.95 RRPPublication Date: November 2010Format: PaperbackISBN: 9781406322514For ages: 9 - 12Type: NovelThis book is available online
When triplets Gwen, Nel and Rain turned thirteen, they expected cake, balloons and presents. What they got was family secrets, cranky professors, evil shapeshifters and some shocking news:- Book-worm Gwen discovers she's a witch with a destiny - about to collide with magical beings from another world.- Fashion-loving Rain finds out she's a vampire (does this mean she'll never be able to do a daytime shoot?).- Nel loves animals and wants to be a vet, but how does she feel about being... an elf!The three feisty sisters have to juggle homework, school rivalries, magic lessons, and defy the evil plans of the greate! st witch of all.The first title in an engaging, funny, trilogy! for twe ens.Title: The Littlest WitchAuthor: Martine Allars Publisher: Pan Macmillan, $14.99 RRPPublication Date: May 2010Format: PaperbackISBN: 9780330423571For ages: 8 - 12Type: NovelThis book is available online
There are surprises and adventures in store for Willow and Freddie when they go to stay with their Auntie Suzy by the sea. They love the special Hoozle toys she makes in her shop, but never would have guessed that they're magical toys! It's the start of lots of adventure and fun for Willow, Freddie and their new Hoozle friends - plus a fair bit of trouble courtesy of Croc the naughty Hoozle...Title: The Hoozles Book 1: My Magical TeddyAuthor: Jessie LittlePublisher: Faber, $8.99 RRPPublication Date: September 2010Format: PaperbackISB! N: 9780571247912For ages: 5 - 7Type: NovelThis book is available online
Every year, twelve boys and twelve girls are chosen to take part in the Hunger Games. Watched by the entire nation, this is action-packed reality TV at its most exciting - and most dangerous.Katniss Everdeen has grown up struggling to save the people close to her. Now she faces the biggest challenge of all - the fight for her life. Winning will make you famous. Losing means certain death.Title: The Hunger GamesAuthor: Suzanne CollinsPublisher: Scholastic, $18.99 RRPPublication Date: 2010Format: PaperbackISBN: 9780439023481For ages: 9+Type: NovelThis book is available online
Mr Badger is in cha! rge of s pecial events at a splendid old London hotel. When he and his assistant, Miss Pims, prepare for Miss Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers' seventh birthday party, little does Mr Badger know just what is in store for Sylvia, and for him...Meet Mr Badger and his friends and discover the world of the Boubles Grand Hotel.Title: Mr Badger and the Big SurpriseAuthor/Illustrator: Leigh HobbsPublisher: Allen and Unwin, $13.99 RRPPublication Date: September 2010Format: PaperbackISBN: 9781742374178For ages: 6 - 11Type: NovelThis book is available online
The story of Jacob Reckless' desperate mission to save his younger brother, Will, set between two worlds linked by a mirror: the real world of today and a dark fairytale place, where modern technology has disastrously mixed with magic, ! resulting in war and corruption. For the first time in his life, Jacob Reckless is afraid. For years he's stolen across to another world, a dark enchanted place he's loved for its treasure, secrets and dangers.Until now. Will, his younger brother, has followed him with terrible consequences: the boy will turn to beast; the girl he loves will break her heart and chaos will rule forever, unless Jacob can spin a fairytale to save them.Title: RecklessAuthor: Cornelia FunkePublisher: Chicken House, $29.99 RRPPublication Date: 2010Format: PaperbackISBN: 9781905294855For ages: 9+Type: NovelThis book is available online
In this amazing adventure, Thea's friends the Thea Sisters head to Peru, where a good friend of Paulina's is in danger. There, the five mice climb the Andes mounta! ins in search of a mysterious treasure that's hidden in the Se! cret Cit y of the Incas. Readers will love following the clues to help the Thea Sisters solve the mystery! Title: Stilton and the Secret CityAuthor: Thea StiltonPublisher: Scholastic, $7.99 RRPPublication Date: September 2010Format: PaperbackISBN: 9780545150613For ages: 7+Type: Junior FictionThis book is available online
Farticus Maximus, Greatest Gladiator of All Time, has got away! Evil Emperor Bullius won't have it-Farticus and his old foe (now friend) Gassius Brutus must be found and punished. Will the gladiators stay one smelly step ahead, or will they end up butterfly-kissed, never to break wind again? Also featuring the explosive stories of a stinky stepmother to be, a competition in which the whoopee cushion comes up a winner, a series of SBDs' that are enough to foil a rob! bery, and plenty more!Title: Farticus Maximus: Bottom Burps of BritanniaAuthor: Felice AreaPublisher: Scholastic, $14.99 RRPPublication Date: 1 October 2010Format: PaperbackISBN: 9781741698237 For ages: 7+Type: Junior FictionThis book is available online
Everyone in the class at Yabby Creek school is bringing a pet to meet the famous TV star. All except Joe. But wait till he meets Crikey!Mates - Great Australian Yarns are the only full-colour Australian junior novels. Perfect for the new national curriculum but also perfect for young readers.Title: Crikey!Author: Jane and Zannah CarrollIllustrator: Chris EdserPublisher: Scholastic, $11.99 RRPPublication Date: 1 September 2010Format: PaperbackISBN: 9781862918245Fo! r ages: 6 - 8Type: Junior FictionThis boo! k is ava ilable online
Kids Book Review is delighted to welcome new author Rochelle Killiner with a post about writing her very first picture book.My high school English teacher would vehemently disagree, but I’ve always loved creative writing. Although if I think back far enough, publishing my own book was a dream long before then. As a kid I spent many hours writing poetry, recording what seemed at the time a very trying and tragic childhood. In retrospect the only trying part was the poetry and the tragedy was that I inflicted it on so many people!But fast forward to 2009 and my dream was still the same. Life had given me a lot more material to work with, including one significant wedding, one significant funeral and one significant little girl named Ava. But busy was an understatement and my love for writing was quickly replaced by my love of s! leep. 
Then one very chaotic day while folding what seemed like a mountain of washing and fending off a feral toddler I discovered self-publishing while watching TV. A young woman had self-published a book about her experience with bi polar disorder. I had never heard of self-publishing before, let a lone considered it â€" but this I could do. So after some rampant googling I found a website for self-publishing called PublishMe and thus began the journey of Goodnight Mouse. The story itself came to me pretty quickly as my daughter was having difficulty settling for bed at the time. I wrote incessantly for about a week until I had all my pre-requisites for a great bedtime story… A sweet story with a little rhyme, a few white lies for imagination’s sake and not so many pages that I’d need a bookmark. After roughly nine months working with the illustrator! my dream of publishing a children’s book finally became rea! lity thi s year. The experience for me was a positive one that I enjoyed. Self-publishing allowed me to work alongside the illustrator and publisher to create the exact look and feel for the book that I wanted. Aside from that I also enjoyed learning about the illustrating and publishing processes which I knew nothing about.I highly recommend self-publishing for anyone considering it. Holding a published copy of your book for the first time is such an exhilarating feeling and well worth the effort and costs involved.I wrote Goodnight Mouse for my two-year-old daughter Ava, a mini astronomer obsessed with the Moon who believes that all living things that depart this world reside among the stars. 
little Ava reading her bookRochelle Killiner is based in Wellington, New Zealand where she lives with her husband Blair, dau! ghter Ava and their two furry friends, cats - Radar and Fluffy. See her website for more.
In Harry's Hat, a young boy, Harry, heads to the beach with his hat right where it belongs - on his head. But it doesn't stay there for long, with the wind claiming it and whizzing it away.The hat travels to all sorts of places, being used by a magpie, a kangaroo, a pelican, and more - before finding its way back to Harry on the beach.This is a fun introduction to different animals, complete with beautiful Steve Parish photography. A great story to read with your early reader; more difficult reading pages alternate with simple sentences, such as 'Tess bit the hat', which will help to give kids more confidence in their reading ability.T! he magpie finger puppet is also a good little project to work on together, helping to bring the story to life.Title: Harry's HatAuthor: Sue and Kerry KitzelmanPhotographer: Steve Parish Publisher: Steve Parish Publishing, $6.95 RRPPublication Date: 2010Format: SoftcoverISBN: 9781741935400For ages: Early readersType: Picture bookThis book is available online
Gus the glider has a gap, right between his two front teeth where everyone can see it.None of the other gliders has a gap - and he wishes he could look just like them. He dreams of life without a gap between his teeth... but to his surprise, it isn't as good as he had at first thought. Maybe having a gap isn't so bad after all.This story follows in Steve Parish Publishing's tradition of creating stories for! children about Australian animals, combining fun with little ! snippets of information. And this one is great for those learning to read, with each page providing a simple sentence especially for kids to read by themselves.Best of all, though, is the Gus the Glider finger puppet. Cut it out, fold it as directed and let your finger puppet act out the story - so great for creating interaction and developing more interest in reading and telling stories, as well as for using your imagination to create other stories with a glider (and the other animals in the series).Title: Gus Has a GapAuthor: Sue and Kerry KitzelmanPhotographer: Steve Parish Publisher: Steve Parish Publishing, $6.95 RRPPublication Date: 2009Format: SoftcoverISBN: 9781741934366For ages: Early readersType: Picture bookThis book is available online