First of all, if you expect the attachments to improve your game, put it down and walk away.  The Nerf Sports Plus Sports Pack is designed to enhance your Wii gaming experience by giving you the look and feel of the real thing – the rest is up to you.  I first popped in Wii Sports Resort and tried a round of golf using the golf club attachment.  The added weight of the club gives you a much more tactile feeling.  I always seem to have issues with any golf game that I play probably because I’ve never actually played a real game of golf only mini-golf.  I think I’m better at putting than anything else, especially while taking on a golf stance.  The added weight of the golf club is nice, although it’s probably my least favorite of all the attachments

Next, I tried my hand at some Ping Pong.  Serving was a little difficult, for some reason I was having a lot of trouble with the Tennis Racket attachment on.  So I removed  it and tried serving without it and it worked fine.  Then I had to slip on the attachment really quick and continue playing.  I had to do this several times and occasionally, I would be able to serve without removing the handle.  I also wanted to try Wii Tennis off of the Wii Sports disc for two reasons – to try the attachment without the Motion Plus attachment and to try out Wii Tennis because I have eternally sucked at it.  While I didn’t win the matches, the game felt a lot better and I didn’t have any problems serving which leads me to believe that my problem serving in Ping Pong was user error.  This is probably where I can say that the Tennis Racket is a must. The added weight gives you the feel that you are missing from the tennis game.  I know I said earlier that these will not improve your game, but this came really close.  (Update:  You do not need to remove the tennis racket attachment in order to navigate the menus.  You can use the D-Pad to move the cursor, the A button to confirm selections, and the B button to go back.  In cases where you have to point the Wii Remote at the screen and press A, you will have to remove the attachment to press  the A button but if hit the Pause button right after,  you will be able to put the attachment back on, unpause, and play!  Still a pain, but a workaround nonetheless!)

Then I popped in Mario Super Sluggers to play a few rounds of baseball.  I enjoyed having the Baseball Bat attachment.  Again, this is one of the games where it really doesn’t matter, since it’s easy to pantomime swinging a bat with precision.  The added weight with the attachment gives you a bit of realism and really puts you into the game.

The overall quality of the attachments is pretty sturdy.  There are no small parts which makes it suitable to be around small children.  The attachments are made of the trademark “Nerf” material, so if some one gets hit with one, it won’t hurt too much although we don’t suggest using it as a weapon.  The attachments lock in place so there is no worry about it flying off during your game, so you can swing with confidence, just make sure that you read the directions first and ensure that you have it locked in correctly.  Also, always make sure that you use the Wii Wrist Strap regardless whether or not you are using the attachments.  The extra weight will also tire out your arms until you get used to is, but it’s always nice to get in a hidden workout or two.  The attachments will be fun for kids and adults alike and will make a great addition to your gaming peripherals.  The pack only comes with one of each attachment and come in black, blue, and red.  The set is priced at $19.99 at most retailers.  They also have a Wii Sports Resort pack that comes with a Sword, Ping Pong Paddle, and a Golf Club and also retails for $19.99.

Nerf Resort Swords

Nerf also makes a Nerf Resort Sword 2-Pack that comes with a red and a blue sword – perfect for Swordplay in Wii Sports Resort and maybe even your favorite Light Saber wielding Star Wars game!  The swords pop the same way as the Nerf Sports Plus Sports Pack – using the Sports Handle and locks on tightly.  They aren’t made for real sports play but are probably somewhat durable enough if a swordfight were to break out in your living room.  We suggest keeping it for the Wii games and away from other people so that no one gets hurt.

Each time you start a swordfight in Wii Sports Resort, you have to point the WiiMote at the screen and press the A button.  Since the sword attachment blocks the IR, you will need to remove the attachment and reattach it so if you are playing with someone who is less than honorable, expect them to get a blow or two in!  Norm and I tried playing both with and without the sword attachments.  The swords do add some extra weight so your arm will tire out a lot faster than without the attachment.  The Sword makes a lovely swishing sound as you are playing and for a moment we can all channel our inner Errol Flynn.  Again, the swords are an enhancement to the experience and not a game improvement accessory.  Kids will love them albeit maybe in the wrong way as I’m sure kids will break out into swordfights but the Nerf swords are soft and probably won’t hurt too much if you get hit by one.  The tip is dull so no worries about getting poked in the eye.

The Nerf Resort Swords will work with or without Wii Motion Plus and retail for $19.99.

Nerf Wheel

Nerf also makes a Nerf Wii Wheel, perfect for Mario Kart or any other Wii driving game.  The wheel comes in a variety of colors – blue, red, green, and gray.  We got a black one however, black is not listed on the company’s site as an option.  The wheel is soft as it’s covered in the trademark “Nerf” material.  It’s a colorful alternative to Nintendo’s Wii Wheel. The Wii Mote snaps into the wheel just like it does in the Nintendo Wii Wheel.  The fit of the WiiMote is not as snug as the Nintendo Wheel – it wobbles around a little bit.  It’s not enough to destroy your game but it’s a little distracting at first.  The feel is almost identical although I felt that Nintendo’s Wheel was a little more comfortable.  Overall, the difference is minute and is just a matter of preference.  I think that most kids will not have any issues and will like the multiple color options so that they can claim a color as their own.  It’s pretty durable and soft.

The Nerf Wii Wheel retails for $9.99 which is $5 less than the Nintendo Wii Wheel and it’s definitely worth the extra savings.

Review product was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.

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That is exactly what PDP was hoping for when the marketed their Universal Drum Silencers. I am happy to report that they work exactly as advertised, and in fact, improved my drum set look and feel.

They have a light adhesive on the back of each pad that is strong enough to grip to the drum head, but light enough to easily peel off the top without leaving a mess on your drums. They can be removed and re-applied so if you get them on crooked, it’s a snap to fix. Once on, they look nice and really do cut down the tapping sound.

Most importantly, the silencers do not inhibit the responsiveness of the drums. If they worked well without them, they will work well with them. My red pad has a tendency to not register if you hit too far up on the drum. It still has that problem, but it hasn’t gotten worse. However, the silencers did improve one thing: the top of the red pad was slipping off, so I would have to occasionally tuck it under the rim. The drum silencers have completely fixed that problem by holding the drum head down.

If you love Rock Band but have roommates, thin walls, or family members that are easily annoyed, then you must pick up a set of PDP’s Universal Drum Silencers. They cut down a lot of the noise, but maintain the Rock Band look and performance.

April:

I generally either play the guitar or sing (or both) when we play Rock Band so while I cannot vouch for how well they work, I can vouch for what they do.  Since we live in an apartment, our living room is small and therefore so is our performance area.   We can’t turn the game volume up too loud as it will disturb our neighbors (doesn’t always stop us though) so one thing I always hear is Norm wailing away on the drums. I can’t tell you how much the silencers have muted the sound.  You can still hear them, but it’s a lot quieter than before. The drumming tended to through my rhythm off and when you are playing the guitar and singing, this can be problematic and the silencers help mute the drumming so it is not so prominent.

The silencers smell like they are newly painted so be prepared for that. You won’t notice the smell too much after a few days.  I also tend to not like adhesive add-ons but these really worked well.   I even misaligned one of the pads and was very happy that it came off easily and really at no cost to the adhesive.  The drum pads will be a permanent addition to your drum heads as I tried to remove one a week later and it pretty much tore the original drum head off.  It’s definitely a great way to help protect your drum set as well as squeeze a tad bit more life from them.

The Drum Silencers are priced at $19.99 and are well worth the cost.

Review product was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.

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The charger comes in two pieces in a box.  The charging stand snaps easily into the base and viola, you’re ready to go.  The AC power cord is not big or bulky so you shouldn’t have a problem plugging it into the wall or to a power strip without it taking up too much space.

The Xbox 360 charging station’s sleek design comes in white to match the original white console.  Sorry, no black version for you Elite owners.

The 360 controllers snap in easily to the charging stand.  When a controller is plugged in, the battery indicator light turns on – either red or green – to show the battery’s charge status.  According to the packaging, it takes about 2.5 hours to fully charge the controllers and that time seems accurate although it felt like it took a little longer but not by much.

To start, we had one controller plugged in with the Microsoft Charge and Play battery and the other had a rechargeable battery from the NYKO Charge Station and both types of batteries charged.  Since we go through TONS of AA batteries, Norm and I invested in Sanyo’s eneloop rechargeable battery system and we were pleased to find out that the Energizer Power & Play also charges the eneloop batteries.  The system will also charge any Energizer rechargeable batteries and will probably charge most rechargeable battery brands although the packaging does state that the product may not be compatible with non-Microsoft or non-Energizer batteries.  We didn’t have any other brands of rechargeable batteries on hand to test.

On the downside, the unit only charges two controllers at a time but since we also have the eneloop chargers as well as the NYKO chargers, we are covered in terms of battery charging stations.  It would be nice to be able to keep all four controllers together, but the Energizer station does help keep the area tidier than without it.

The PS3 charging station comes in black and is identical to the Xbox 360 in function and design.  The main difference is the inclusion of two additional USB ports on the side of the unit so the unit charges up to four controllers at a time -t wo in the charging station and two from the additional USB ports.  Since the PS3 controllers are rechargeable without typical replacement batteries, this is the ultimate way to charge your controllers since for some odd reason Sony decided to not allow controllers to charge when the PS3 is off.  You can use the USB chargers for other USB powered items, although my iPod didn’t charge.

I had a little trouble plugging in the PS3 controller versus the 360 controllers at first and I think this was mostly due to the small USB port on the back of the PS3 controller vs the one on the back of the 360 controller.  Also, I tend to be more careful when using something new since I am never sure of it’s quality until I’ve had it for a while.  Now, I have no problems plugging the controllers in and the best part is that when we are done using a controller, we have started automatically plugging the controllers back in.  So now our controllers are always fully charged AND we have successfully eliminated some of the clutter from our TV and our gaming area. Unplugging the controllers requires the use of both hands and a little bit of muscle to pull out.  But the design had that in mind with the tip of the charging unit curving up and out so that you can grip the unit with one hand while pulling the controller out with the other.  Some reviews stated that extra weight would make it easier to unplug controllers but I think that Energizer kept that in mind with it’s design, making it unnecessary to add the extra weight.  Also, the tighter fit ensures the controller is plugged in and won’t fall out of the charging station.

The price point for the units is $29.99 which is a bit high however you can find them priced at $19.99 at online retailers like Amazon.com which is totally worth it.

If you are looking for a way to keep the clutter down and keep your batteries charged, you will definitely want to check out the Energizer Power & Play Chargers for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3.  We have a little rearranging to do but I assure you, these will be a permanent addition to our game console rack.

Our rack BEFORE:

Our rack AFTER:

Review product was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.

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