Jump Start Pet Rescue for the Wii Review

My boys absolutely love playing the Wii. I have to admit, I like it too! Their favorite games have to do with exploring worlds and beating levels. Oh, how they love to beat levels! Any levels! Oscar goes around the house telling me how he couldn't do something that I asked him to do simply because he needed to beat the level first. What level is he talking about? I have no idea what levels have to do with brushing your teeth or getting dressed but Oscar certainly has it all planned out in his head. I guess I'll never know whats going on inside that six year old brain of his! Seeing as the Wii rules as one of our favorite daily activities I was thrilled when Jump Start offered my boys the chance to try out their new game for the Wii, JumpStart Pet Rescue.

In a previous post I had my boys review the JumpStart world on JumpStart.com. They loved playing the game so I was pretty sure that a similar game offered for the Wii, which is their favorite gaming system, would be a total hit. Boy, was I right! The day that the game came in the mail the boys couldn't wait to open it and see what it was all about. Oscar played the game first. Getting used to the Wii remote navigation was simple and it took him no time at all to figure it out. He had a great time creating his Jumpee character. He loves changing the looks during his game play too. During the course of the game new outfit and body options are unlocked. Benji loved creating his own unique Jumpee as well. In fact, one day of play they dedicated the entire time to just switching the characters clothes and attributes.

I love that this game plays similiar to other Wii favorites like Mario Galaxy and Mario Party but is educational. When the boys play this game that they have a ton of fun discovering new areas of the game and rescuing their pets. JumpStart Pet Rescue has two different modes of play, Story Mode or Explore Mode. In Story Mode the boys find the missing pets by completing missions and unlocking storybooks. In the Explore Mode you can visit any part of the JumpStart Pet Rescue to play any part of the game. In total JumpStart Pet Rescue has 30+ games and adventures, 50+ learning lessons and 75+ fundamental skills for the boys to learn. The skill levels are perfect for my boys because the ages that this game is geared toward are for 3-6 year olds. This game has been rated by the ESRB, the Entertainment Software Rating Board, and given the Early Childhood rating. JumpStart Pet Rescue is the first educational game on the Wii for this age range.

Because this game is directed towards children that most likely do not know how to read the game tells the child what they need to do. Games directed for older children always have subtitles that need to be read. One of my biggest pet peeves is having to stop what I am doing every three seconds to read to the boys the directions that they are supposed to follow. JumpStart Pet Rescue tells the boys what to do, which in turn prompts an entirely different skill for them - LISTENING. This is one of my favorite parts of the game. If they didn't listen to the directions I make them replay it and listen to the directions.

I have to say that now that both of the boys have had a chance to play I can honestly say that they really enjoy it. Oscar loves the feeling of accomplishment that he receives after he masters a level. They both love rescuing their pets and they loved that they had the option to choose different pets. My biggest concern when they play together though is that they only play their own game slot and not their brothers. Benji has a tendency to ask Oscar to complete levels when things get too difficult for him. I want to make sure that they are both unlocking levels at their own pace so I can monitor more closely where Benji's skill set especially in comparison to Oscar. Because we are a family with two children that love to play they only thing that disappointed about JumpStart Pet Rescue is the fact that it is not two player. The boys love to play together and games that are two player are much easier to play only because they each feel that they are getting adequate time to play and are not losing interest while they are waiting for their turn. Or worse, fighting with the other player because its not their turn. All in all though I would say that this game had been really fun to watch the boys play and I know that they love it too.

Below are some screen shots of the game so you can see just how vivid the characters and the game play is in comparison to other games for the Wii.





Here is a video of Oscar enjoying his turn playing JumpStart Pet Rescue. As you can see he is really concentrating on doing a great job. In this video Oscar has just found the Pet Shop and is trying to teach his dog tricks. The middle three or four minutes of the video he is a little frustrated because he couldn't get the remote in the right direction to get his dog to double roll over. He had a hard time listening and watching the directions on the screen, but figured it out pretty quickly. Once he figures out how it works he takes his pet exploring with him. He is thrilled that his pet goes with him and that he can play fetch with him.




JumpStart Pet Rescue will be available for purchase on September 1st to Walmart and September 2nd to Best Buy, Sam's Club, Fry's and all other retail stores. You can get a copy for your family for only $39.99. To learn more about the the game and its features you can visit JumpStart.com.

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You can win a copy of JumpStart Pet Rescue!

JumpStart is having a giveaway on their blog for 25 copies of JumpStart Pet Rescue. For your chance to win a copy for yourself the entry is easy. Simply comment on the giveaway post with a story of your own as to how you have covertly convinced your kids to do something that they refused and they did it - whether they knew it or not! You know, sometimes as moms we come up with silly ways to get our children to do something that they really don't want to do. I know that I have been known a time or two to tell my kids that if they wanted to grow up big and strong like Daddy they had to finish their plate or they might stay that size forever! It may sound silly but they got really serious and made sure that they ate every last bite! Well, you get the picture. Be sure to visit the JumpStart blog and tell your story for a chance at one of the 25 copies that will be given out. Or, better yet, you can also read what other moms have said to their kids and pick up a trick or two! Good luck!