Customer Reviews

Wild Planet Hyper Blast

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hyper Blast the new game from Wild Planet sets the bar high with a name that implies frenetic fun. In my experience this active and educational game delivers.

Our completely un-scientific process here at the lab: hand the stuff over to the kids and watch them play. My focus group was my daughter Ri-ri (7), her friend (7) and my youngest, Coop (5).

They were excited about the game from the outset. It only took about 5 minutes of setup and instructions to get the game going. The unit talks to the players, so they might have figured it out even more quickly had I participated less (isn't that always the way).

The basics of play: stomping on the unit shoots five colored and numbered balls in all directions (usually less than 10 feet on carpet). The players then rush to return the balls to their specific spots on the launcher. There are a variety of games that ask the players to return the balls in different orders, under time pressure, or even in answer to simple math questions.

The game is active and engaging. My test group played the game for over a half an hour, left it for another activity and a meal, and resumed play as soon as we returned home. Over an hour of total playtime on the first exposure to the game.

A couple of suggestions: my kids quickly picked up that the shorter the launch, the faster the time, so they competed as to who could tap the launcher the lightest and still release the balls. This makes for a less interesting game -- for more fun, have competitors launch a player's balls for him or her. This means they cover more territory, though it can lead to intensified competition.

You may also want to keep the original packaging -- it's good and sturdy -- so that you can store the launcher and all the balls. Lose one of those, and the thing is a brightly-colored doorstop.

Overall this is a game that gets kids up and moving around, that has clever design and even opportunities to be educational. The play action reminded me of Cranium's Hullabaloo, a household favorite for years. An excellent choice for a birthday present for either boys or girls aged 5-9. Available on Amazon for about $25.

A game from Wild Planet that really is a Hyper Blast.

We are big fans of these "hyper" products and have Hyperdash, Hyperjump, Hyperblast and Hyper slide.
In order of most fun to least the kids (age 13, 10 and the neighbors 9 &7) rank them:

1. Hyperdash (because you can hide the domes all over the place, making it a great hide and seek game that can be adjusted for difficulty)

2. Hyperslide (fast paced, appeals more to the older kids, however only 2 players can play at a time) One can play by themselves but this seems less appealing to them.

3. Hyperblast (fun commands but play is slowed down somewhat by having to get the balls in the proper spots: how far the balls go is dependent on how hard you stomp it, and the instructions specifically caution you not to jump on it with 2 feet, which is tempting for kids trying to get the balls to go farther).

4. Hyperjump (lowest rank since it is more difficult to get it to work correctly, the sensors rely of air going into the sides from tubes, sometimes they do not work well, frustrating the players)

The Hyperdash gets played with the most (it has also been around our house the second longest (Hyperslide was first). We have a version from Christmas of 08, and it has been working fine all year long. From a parents perspective, if you are going to get just one buy Hyperdash, kids can play with it at various ages. The older kids set up "obstacle courses" for the younger ones. Two sets allow them to compete with each other at the same time. If you are buying for kids above age 10ish who play well together I would go with Hyperslide.

I am a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. I bought this toy for a fun but therapeutic break during treatment sessions. The problem that I have with it is that you can't hear or understand the voice calling out the colors or numbers at times. The kids have fun with this game but it can be frustrating for them because they will often get the color/number wrong and have to start over.

This is a cute game over all and my 7 and 5 year old have enjoyed it, but it was a little disappointing on the educational part. I think this should actually be labeled for a younger age. My 7 year old likes the game but is not challenged by it at all. Over all I would recommend it but maybe for the 4-6 year age range. Another negative is the speaker on it is sometimes hard to understand.

I am glad I got this on special because the kids like it enough but it broke the first week.
Maybe our kids are too old for it? They are 5,7 and 8

We already had Hyper Dash for a few months (and played it OFTEN) before we purchased this. This is fun, but not as much as Hyper Dash is. I worry about how well this will hold up since you have to "stomp" it pretty hard to get the balls to launch very far.

UPDATE: After playing the game for only 5 minutes before writing the first review, we tried to use it again today. It does not even work. It will not register when you return the balls to the base. Will have to return it.

The background music is too loud to hear the directions. Also, the balls don't stay in their spots. If you barely move or bump the unit the balls fall out. Hyperdash is much better!

I like this game a lot!

The object is to put numbers in the slot it asks you or sometimes it gives you hints like, "6-1". This is fun!

I highly recommend it!

I had this when I was nine years old. The numbers are really big to see them for my eyes. The clues are easy to figure ou like for instance, if it said, "five minus two, I would put the number three in into the number three slot or if it said "blue" I would put in the number two into the two slot.

It has four levels, four games, and allows you to play one to four players. You can also play a head to head game. It also calls out two digit numbers like "twenty five" and I put two first and then the number five. It could also say, "two hundred fifteen I would put in two one five.

I think this is for little kids because it teaches math problems and I knew all of my math problems. I would highly recommend this game for ages three to five years old. I would give this toy five stars.

My 4 year old loves it and my 19 month old loves it. Adults love it too because we don't have to chase the balls around (the kids do all the work!). Educational and it gets the kids moving.