Holiday Gift Idea: Mario Party Star Rush and amiibo for Nintendo3DS #3DSKidForADay #Partner

***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples and information to facilitate my post. All opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***

It's that time of year, everyone! The Holiday shopping season is upon us! (At least it is if you're like me and get an early start to avoid the mad rush of frazzled, last-minute shoppers in December!) 

For the 2016 Holiday season, I will be featuring tons of great gift ideas for babies, kids, men, women, pets, and even for the person who has everything. We all have some of those on our gift lists, don't we? There will even be loads and loads of chances to win many of the gifts I am featuring. How cool is that?! You can check out my 2016 Holiday Gift Guide at any time from now till Christmas. Make sure to check often, as it will be growing by the day! 

Today, I want to talk about something that's sure to delight the gamers out there, young and old! 

I have to admit, my entire family is basically obsessed with gaming. The hubby likes the more grown-up, "man games". My kids, however, are absolutely addicted to their Nintendo games. We have an original Wii, and several games for it, and the kiddos all have Nintendo 3DS XLs. 

Anyway, my kiddos absolutely love classic Nintendo games like Mario Bros. and all of the related games, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, and more. One thing I've always appreciated about Nintendo is that they offer games that are "tame enough" for younger kids, but that are still tons of fun for adults. We've even played Mario Party games at adult parties and get-togethers. (Try it! It's a blast!) 

So I think it's safe to say, we're definitely a family of gamers here. 

Recently, we got the amazing opportunity to check out Mario Party Star Rush, for the NEW Nintendo 3DS XL. This game is awesome, and takes Mario Party to a whole new, interactive level, thanks to multi-player options and the adorable amiibo characters. (These are sold separately.) 

If you're familiar with the gameplay in previous versions of Mario Party, you'll be ready to rock with Mario Party Star Rush. This game has the familiar map layouts, tons of great mini games, and both single and multi-player options. 

The really awesome part? 

Anyone who has a Nintendo 3DS device can join in the fun! That's right! Multiple players can join using Nintendo's FREE  Mario Party Star Rush – Party Guest Edition from the Nintendo  eShop. This will open up the game and allow others to join in the party! 

There is also another, more limited version, of Mario Party Star Rush. This basic, demo edition still allows access to mini-games, etc. Just make note of which version you download, as they do offer different gaming experiences. 

Another great addition to the Mario Party experience are the amiibos. An amiibo is an adorable, at least in our case, little figure that allows you to add that character to the game! We received this Boo, and he even glows in the dark! How cool is that?! 

Anyway, the fun thing about amiibos are that you can train them to be the perfect sidekick. Since there are so many different characters available, you can enjoy playing a new character whenever the mood strikes! Please note: Not all amiibos are compatible with every game. You can check out this amiibo compatibility chart to see which amiibos work with what game(s). 

Xander and Sophie have been having an absolute blast playing Mario Party Star Rush on their 3DS XL. Here's Xander's face when we gave it to them. How excited does he look!? Seriously, this kid was totally on cloud 9. 

Even though my kiddos are young, 5 and 6, respectively, they had no trouble getting started with this game. They had previous experience with other Mario Party games, though, so I'm sure that helped. 

They absolutely love the mini-games included in this release. Their favorites would have to be Balloon Bash and Toad Scramble.

They also really enjoyed the fact that they have the ability to play together using their own, separate 3DS XL systems. This really opened up a whole new world of adventure for them! 

Overall, we are completely in love with Mario Party Star Rush. I mean, come on....Let's be real. Who doesn't love Mario, Luigi, Peach, and the rest of the Mario Bros. gang? They are good, classic fun. 

If you have a Mario obsessed gamer in your life, whether young or old, I would highly recommend picking up Mario Party Star Rush as you wrap up your Holiday shopping. This is sure to put a HUGE smile on their face! 

Connect with Nintendo :

​You can check out this and all of the other awesomeness Nintendo has to offer on their website. 
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While you're there, check out all of the fun, free activities they have online! This website is tons of fun for gamers, big and small! 

You can also connect on Facebook, on twitter, on YouTube, and on Instagram to stay on top of their latest news, products, and promotions.