{"id":9113,"date":"2013-01-16T00:01:03","date_gmt":"2013-01-16T00:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=9113"},"modified":"2013-01-16T00:01:13","modified_gmt":"2013-01-16T00:01:13","slug":"horsing-around-with-the-my-little-pony-ipad-game-and-cartoon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/16\/horsing-around-with-the-my-little-pony-ipad-game-and-cartoon\/","title":{"rendered":"Horsing Around With the My Little Pony iPad Game and Cartoon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PONY_BOX\"<\/a>One of Hasbro\u2019s most popular and well-known toy lines for girls: My Little Pony, has gotten an extra boost in recent years thanks to a fairly new cartoon based on the toys that\u2019s surprisingly a higher quality show than what you may expect (there are reasons for that which we\u2019ll go into later). So in honor of the release of the My Little Pony iPad game, based on the cartoon and toys, here\u2019s a blog featuring a review of the game and overview of the cartoon show!<\/p>\n

Pre-Pony Preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n

But before we get started with all that, I figured I\u2019d explain myself a bit. While reading this blog, you might ask yourself, \u201cWhy is Cary so knowledgeable about this girly cartoon and game, and how does he know a lot about these things in general when he\u2019s a guy?\u201d I review a lot of girl oriented games, and I don\u2019t feel the need to explain myself, but in this case, I think I will.<\/p>\n

I know a lot about girl cartoons because as a kid, my mom watched other neighborhood kids while their parents went to work. So even though I was an only child when I was young, it didn\u2019t feel that way because there were always kids in the house. Anyway, there were two kids that were there longer than any other. One was my best friend, and the other was a little girl who played with us a lot. She played Star Wars and Transformers with us, so when she wanted to do something like watch Strawberry Shortcake or Care Bears, we let her. Why? Well, because we weren\u2019t jerks. Believe it or not, there are kids out there who are thoughtful and generous, and I think we were like that with her. My friend and I didn\u2019t necessarily like the shows she enjoyed watching, but we knew it was only fair to let her do what she wanted sometimes. Although the Purple Pieman villain in the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon was pretty awesome.<\/p>\n

Sorry to go off on tangent, but I have to tell a funny story. When I was a kid, He-Man was a very popular cartoon, and there was a girl version of it called She-Ra. One day when I was outside playing with a neighbor kid, he asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s your mom\u2019s name?\u201d When I said, \u201cSheilah,\u201d his eyes got real wide and he yelled, \u201cWhoa, your mom is She-Ra?\u201d When I told that story to my mom, she cracked up. Now when she plays a video game where you can name your character, she always keys in She-Ra.<\/p>\n

So why do I know about girls\u2019 cartoons and games today? Well, I consider it my job. You see, I have two \u2018jobs.\u2019 One of the jobs I have is reviewing video games. Since I write for a site that\u2019s generally family oriented, I consider it my duty to know about what licenses and properties are popular for both boys and girls. Now, I don\u2019t get paid for that job, but for my REAL day job where I do get paid, I still consider it important for me to know about that kind of stuff, too. You see, I work at a place that sells supplies to mostly hospital gift shops. Anything you can think of that you can find in a gift shop, we probably sell. That includes toys and kids\u2019 items. Even though I don\u2019t like my day job very much (but I do like the people I work with), I still want to do a good job so that\u2019s why I try to know about girls cartoons and toys.<\/p>\n

Friendship is Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n

All right, now that that\u2019s out of the way, let\u2019s talk a bit about the My Little Pony cartoon. There used to be a My Little Pony show in the 80\u2019s, and it was surprisingly dark. The new cartoon isn\u2019t quite as dark, but I hear it does have elements and stories from the original show. I think what makes this newer cartoon good is because it has a lot of people working on it who helped make shows like PowerPuff Girls and Foster\u2019s Home for Imaginary Friends. Not only that, but it seems like they made a cartoon with well-developed characters and plots, not just a cartoon based on things they think girls like. Even the obligatory lessons are well thought out. None of this \u2018believe in yourself\u2019 stuff that most cartoons of this ilk rely on that doesn\u2019t have any applicable use in real life. The lessons are more practical and real, and deal with things like how to be assertive without being a jerk, showing concern for your friend\u2019s problems even if they don\u2019t seem like a big deal to you, or how to handle bullies.<\/p>\n

And no, before you even ask, I\u2019m not a \u201cBrony\u201d or Brohoof\u201d or whatever it is they like to call themselves. You see, the new My Little Pony cartoon has become fairly popular on the Internet, and apparently, guys who like the cartoon call themselves \u201cBronies.\u201d But not me. I prefer to choose what I like by my own judgment, not what the Internet says. And I\u2019m not going to spout quips like \u201cAny-pony.\u201d But I tell you, this show is so popular that they make retail items just for this group of people! For instance, around Christmastime I was in the mall chain store Hot Topic. In the cartoon there are a group of ponies that are the equivalent of the Blue Angels. Well, at Hot Topic they sold a jacket with the emblem of the \u2018Blue Angel\u2019 ponies! And there were a bunch of other products geared towards these fans, too! Sheesh!<\/p>\n

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic iPad Game<\/strong><\/p>\n

All right, I want to talk a little bit more about the characters in the cartoon show, but first I want to do a little review of the iPad game, which inspired me to write this blog in the first place. The My Little Pony app is a free-to-play iPad game, and at first glance looks a lot like FarmVille, or other social simulation games. But this one has a story! You see, one of the My Little Pony antagonists, Midnight Moon or whatever her name is, has covered Ponyville in darkness and all the ponies have run away. So now it\u2019s your job to rebuild Ponyville, push back the darkness, and stop the bad horse\u2019s evil plans.<\/p>\n

In the game you must build houses for the ponies to live in, and shops to earn more money so you can build more things. You can also spend your earned coins (called \u2018bits\u2019) to clear away patches of darkness so you can have more room to build. In some darkened areas are special pedestals. When you push back the darkness where pedestals are and spend a certain amount of special gems called Harmony Stones, you\u2019ll activate that pedestal. When all the pedestals are activated (about five or so), then you\u2019ll thwart Midnight Moon\u2019s plans!<\/p>\n

Build houses to bring in new ponies, and build shops for them to work in so you can make money. Each shop sells different items (usually stuff horses eat such as carrots and apples), and to get your ponies to sell higher earning products, they\u2019ll have to be at a certain level. To raise their levels, you\u2019ll have to play mini-games with each pony character. These mini-games are simple fare and include activities like catching falling apples, bouncing a ball back and forth, or flying through clouds in a game similar to Jetpack Joyride. Similar to FarmVille, in order to play these games, or earn money from shops, or finish building a structure, you\u2019ll have to wait a certain amount of real time and come back to the game later.<\/p>\n

One of the best things about this game is the production values. The game uses music and characters from the cartoon show, and even the voice actors lent their talents to the game! Even minor characters show up (yes, that includes Derpy-Hooves, or the \u201cInternet\u2019s favorite\u201d as the game calls her). The graphics are fantastic, and each pony walks around town doing cute things, and you can even tap on them and they\u2019ll wave to you! I could imagine a little girl pony fan just loving this game.<\/p>\n

\"PONY_SCREEN\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the free-to-play nature of these kinds of games rears its ugly head eventually. You see, at first, the game is really fun. You can use real money to buy coins, gems, or Harmony Stones so you don\u2019t have to wait in order to play or build. But if you\u2019re patient, you can still do all the requirements of the game and not have to spend any money. However, even that ends eventually. You see, every so often there are these little parasite bugs that will eat anything you try and build, and the only way to get rid of them is to tap them on screen and spend one Harmony Stone. But after a certain point in the game, those parasite bugs just keep coming, and things start getting ridiculously expensive, too. So after a certain point, there\u2019s no way to get any further without spending undisclosed amounts of real money. You can give and trade items with other players online, but the way that\u2019s done is wonky and didn\u2019t seem to work right with me.<\/p>\n

Rather than be a free-to-play game, I\u2019d prefer this game be one that you buy whole and download as a self-contained game. In fact, if it were that way, I MIGHT\u2019VE bought it, if anything to tide me over until the new Animal Crossing game comes out. But because the nickel and diming thing ruined the game for me, I ended up taking it off my \u201cBest RPG\/Simulation\u201d list when I did my Game of the Year article. Not only that, but after this article is published, I\u2019ll be permanently deleting the My Little Pony game from my iPad for good. It\u2019s such a shame, too, because the game started out so fun and well-made.<\/p>\n

My Little Pony \u201cMane\u201d Characters<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sorry, I just had to make that pun. I wanted to conclude this blog by listing the main characters you\u2019ll meet in the cartoon show and iPad game. I gave each of them nicknames, because I can\u2019t remember their real names all the time. But later I felt bad so I did some research to know what their real names are, so I put them in parentheses. OK so let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n

Purple Pony (Twilight Sparkle)<\/strong><\/p>\n

She\u2019s kind of the main character of the cartoon, and many of the plots revolve around her. According to what little I know about the background story, she used to live in a pony castle, but the princess sent her to live in a small town so she could learn about friendship. Purple Pony is a unicorn, and in the show, unicorns can use magic. Which makes it easier for animators to figure out how they can pick up things when they only have hooves. Purple Pony is the straight A student type: smart, loves to learn, but hates to fail.<\/p>\n

Annoying Pony (Pinkie Pie)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other reason why I gave the ponies nicknames is because there\u2019s only so many times a man can say \u201cPinkie Pie.\u201d I\u2019m sorry, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Annoying Pony is a hyper chatterbox who loves to have fun with her friends and nothing else.<\/p>\n

Cowboy Pony (Applejack)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This hard-working pony works on an apple farm with her extensive family. Last year I got to review Dead or Alive 5, which was the first DOA game I\u2019ve ever played. One of the DOA characters, Tina, sounds EXACTLY like Applejack. It\u2019s not the same voice actor, I looked it up, but now every time I play DOA5 as Tina, I think of My Little Pony. And vice versa when I watch the cartoon. And I really don\u2019t want to associate the two together honestly.<\/p>\n

Drama Llama (Rarity)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This girly unicorn is all about being pretty, wearing fancy clothes, and admires rare gems and jewelry. She hates getting dirty or doing anything that could ruin her hairdo. And she overacts when anything goes wrong, hence the nickname I gave her.<\/p>\n

Puny Pony (Fluttershy)<\/strong><\/p>\n

True to her name, Puny Pony is shy, quiet, and meek. But she can be strong when her friends are in trouble. She takes care of the animals in the forest. Speaking of animals, each of the main ponies has their own pet. Puny Pony\u2019s pet is a little rabbit named Angel, but is anything but. \u201cAngel\u201d will demand the fanciest foods, and then kick the plate away when served, among other things. So yeah, Angel is definitely a jerk bunny, and needless to say, one of my favorite characters in the cartoon for the irony!<\/p>\n

Rainbow Dash (Rainbow Dash)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah I couldn\u2019t think of a nickname for this one. She\u2019s a Pegasus and has a rainbow mane, and is the jock of the group, as she is very competitive and athletic. A few weeks ago when I was in the toy aisle at Target, a couple aisles over I heard two little girls bellowing, \u201cRainbow Dash is my favorite!\u201d \u201cMe, too!\u201d It made me sad that I knew what they were talking about. Rainbow Dash\u2019s pet is a turtle, ironically.<\/p>\n

Spyro (Spike)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"SPIKEICON\"<\/a>I call him Spyro because he\u2019s a little purple dragon. So what else would you call him? Anyway, Spike\u2019s my favorite character in the cartoon because he\u2019s the only guy main character. Plus he looks like he belongs in a Bubble Bobble game. He also eats gems, which makes me think of Spyro again since he collected gems in his old games. I hear the old My Little Pony cartoon from the 80\u2019s had a Spike dragon character, too, but looked nothing like the new one.<\/p>\n

Other Characters<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a ton of other minor characters in the cartoon, too. So many I can\u2019t list them all. I call the ruler of Canterlot Castle (yes) \u201cPrincess Uber-Pony\u201d because she\u2019s both a Pegasus and a unicorn and is pretty much God in the pony world. Many of the main characters have little sisters and other younger ponies who have their own adventures. Even the Internet named one character. In one episode, there was an animation error on a background pony and her eyes were all mismatched. Internet fans fell in love with this mistake and called that character \u201cDerpy-Hooves!\u201d They used that character in later episodes as a clumsy comic relief pony, but couldn\u2019t call her \u201cDerpy\u201d because censors didn\u2019t want a kid\u2019s cartoon where they were making fun of a clumsy character. Silly reasoning, I know, but that\u2019s how things go sometimes in cartoons.<\/p>\n

Canterlot Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s all I care to talk about My Little Pony for now! Believe it or not, this was actually a pretty challenging blog for me to write! Speaking of challenges, I have a task for all you guys out there. If you have a little girl in your life, such as a daughter, niece, or little sister, I challenge you to watch the new My Little Pony cartoon with them. I promise you won\u2019t throw up, and they will think it\u2019s cool that you\u2019re doing something they would like to do. And since the cartoon makes jokes and references about everything from Metal Gear Solid to The Big Lebowski (yes, really), you might even actually like it!<\/p>\n

In the comments section, let me know if you like the My Little Pony cartoon and why. Or you can just tell me how insane I am for writing this blog in the first place (but that goes without saying). Next time on my long-winded blog, I\u2019ll talk about my favorite Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films in honor of the upcoming release of Ni no Kuni! Later! –Cary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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