L'il Spo reviews Toy Story 3 for Xbox

L’il Spo is the pseudonym for my younger son who contributed this guest review after I received a review copy of Toy Story 3 for Xbox 360 from Disney Interactive Studios.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a huge Toy Story fan. I saw Toy Story 3 with my dad on opening weekend and thought it was one of the best movies ever. When my mom brought the video game home I thought it might suck because like most games based on kids’ movies, it would be too young for anyone my age or older (I’m almost 12.) Then I started playing it and discovered that one of the modes is good, which would be the Toy Box mode. And the other main mode, which is the actual story, I found kind of dull and not as good as the Toy Box mode. The Toy Box mode I enjoy playing because it has lots of open customization. For example, in order to change what the citizens in Toy Box mode wear and look like, you get to throw them in a store and for someone like me that’s just pure PWNAGE!!!!

The one thing about the game that I really dislike is the fact that it has many long and boring loading sequences. Another thing that surprised me was the fact that there are actually some challenging missions that I might find a tad difficult if were younger. Overall though, I recommend this game to any Toy Story fan who enjoys playing video games. Even so, in some cases I would find similarities between the Toy Box mode and games like SIMS because of all the customization.

I rate this game for the original score I give it a 4 out of 5 stars because although I do love the song You’ve Got a Friend in Me, it’s quite repetitive and can get a bit annoying when playing the game. For graphics, I give it another 4. I thought they were good but not anything that blew my mind. And now for the score for the overall game, I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. This is L’il Spo signing off.

P.S. My mom wanted me to tell you this game is also available for the Wii and PlayStation 3.

Full disclosure: Disney Interactive Studios and Xbox are both clients of High Road Communications, my employer. I was not asked to do anything in return for the game.

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Kobo - my first experience with a full-sized eReader

One of the cool things about working in an agency with a consumer practice is some of the fun stuff that shows up in the office – often ahead of it being available in stores.

Kobo eReader is one of those items – it’s the new eBook reader being launched into the Canadian marketplace by Chapters • Indigo next month, just in time for Mother’s Day. When I saw a Kobo eReader box in the office, I asked if I could borrow one for a review because I really wanted to try one.

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Hooked on LÄRABAR

My sister has been raving about LÄRABAR for years because she’s the more athletic one of us. So, when Jess Bennett from Palette PR asked if I’d like to try some, I said sure.

I received a lovely sampler with four different flavours (Cashew Cookie, Coconut Cream Pie, Pecan Pie and if memory serves me correctly, Ginger Snap) in a stainless steel thermos. They’re all made with various unprocessed, uncooked combinations of two to eight different ingredients consisting of fruit, nuts and spices. I’ve tried about six or seven different flavours. My favourite ones are Cinnamon Roll and Ginger Snap although I’d really like to taste Peanut Butter & Jelly and Cocoa Mole.

According to LÄRABAR, three new flavours are coming soon. Although the flavours sound creative and these bars are relatively tasty, I’m not sure I’d go as far as saying they’re “indulgent deserts” – a claim I read on the Wikipedia page.

If you’ve been reading Bargainista for a while, you probably know I’ve eaten a lot of NutriSystem and my favourite items were the bars. LÄRABAR is a completely different type of product. I think it’s designed more as an energy bar than a meal supplement. I really like the idea there are no additives. For those of you who are concerned about various allergies (except for allergies to nuts) and dietary restrictions, you may want to take a closer look LÄRABAR.

Being able to purchase LÄRABAR at many retail outlets including grocery and health food stores make them easily accessible. I’m also comfortable giving them to my kids who want to give them a try as soon as they come home from camp. As for the price, I’ve spent anywhere from $1.99-$2.99 per bar. I’ve found grocery stores tend to be less expensive than convenience stores and health food stores are selling them anywhere within that range.

UPDATE: Costco sells a 12-pack for $15.99 with three flavours - Key Lime Pie, Cashew Cookie and Cocoa Coconut Chew - it’s a great deal. I’d like it better if there were more flavours or at least two combinations to choose from.

Perhaps, like my sister you’re a fan of LÄRABAR. If so, you may want to check out their fan page or tweets.

Have you ever tried LÄRABAR? What are your favourite flavours?

Tip of the Week – Join ChickAdvisor’s Product Review Club

Want to test out cool products for free? All you have to do is join ChickAdvisor’s Product Review Club by completing a survey. From time-to-time you may be selected to test out some cool stuff. In return, you’ll beexpected to write a review on ChickAdvisor within 14 days of receiving the goodies.

So far, I’ve reviewed one product and I’ve just received some skin care products from pHisoderm. I’ll have my review posted on ChickAdvisor soon as well as this blog.

Nestlé Noir keeps me wishing for more

I’m a new member of ChickAdvisor’s product review team. Sometimes I’ll get free samples of new products in exchange for a review on their site. This time around, I thought I’d share...

My first package arrived last week and contained four Nestlé Noir dark chocolate bars:
• Nestle Noir Cherry
• Nestle Noir Intense
• Nestle Noir Eclat Noir
• Nestle Noir Eclat Caramel

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “She’s on NutriSystem, what the heck is she doing?”

No, I haven’t been taste testing these new dark chocolate bars from Nestlé. Instead, I’ve been spreading the Nestlé Noir love around.

Nestlé Noir Cherry
I brought the Nestlé Noir Cherry bar to the office and watched six other women enjoy it on my behalf. Everyone loved the dark chocolate mixed with little bits of dried cherries.

I was expecting at least one dissenter. Her husband travels to Switzerland frequently and he is known for brining home exquisite Swiss chocolate. Guess what? She truly enjoyed this dark, chocolate, cherry treat. I adore dried cherries so watching my co-workers ooh and ahh while enjoying the Nestlé Noir Cherry bar wasn’t easy. Guess I’ll have to wait until I reach my goal weight first but this is on my list new treats to try when I get there - in moderation, of course. ;)

Nestle Noir Eclat Noir and Nestle Noir Eclat Caramel
My husband and kids fought over the other three bars. They tasted each one. I was curious to see their reactions because all of them prefer milk chocolate. I was pleasantly surprised. Each one of them enjoyed Nestle Noir Eclat Noir and Nestle Noir Eclat Caramel, equally. Both are rich, dark chocolate bars with chocolate and caramel crisps respectively.

Nestle Noir Intense
Nestle Noir Intense with 70% cocoa was their least favourite, which isn’t to say each intense bite wasn’t savoured. They unanimously agreed they preferred the bars with crunchy bits more.

One thing is certain, these three samples weren’t enough. I settled a couple meltdowns by promising to buy them more. I’ll just wait for another 8 weeks so I can have a bite next time. ;)