PixlBit

Let’s have some mid-summer fun with more game reviews I’ve recently written at GamerDad.com!  Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe even post a ‘like’ or comment or two.  I’d appreciate it.  OK let’s begin!

Guilty Gear -Strive- (PS4)

While Street Fighter 2 is probably the most recognizable one-one-one 2-D fighting game series, there are plenty of others that have made a name for themselves over the years.  With its anime styled characters and rockin’ soundtrack, Guilty Gear is just one of those series.  Now the newest entry is out, and I have to say I’m a bit disappointed with it.  It moves a bit too slow for my tastes and it’s way too hard, even on the easiest settings.  Plus a lot of my favorite characters are missing from the initial roster.  My favorite Guilty Gear characters are Jam, May, Dizzy, I-No, and Faust.  There is a new character in this one that I like as well.  Her name is Giovanna and she has a ghost-wolf-dog-monster thing that helps her fight.  Who are your favorite Guilty Gear characters?

LEGO Builder’s Journey (Switch)

I have been fortunate enough to review nearly every LEGO game that has been released in the past decade or so (maybe longer).  It’s been a true honor and it’s great because the LEGO games are fun and perfect for both kids and adults to play together!  But there’s only one problem.  Pretty much every LEGO game in the past 20 years has played the same.  So much so that I can basically cut and paste parts of my reviews and change very little to meet the needs of each LEGO game review.  Don’t get me wrong, this format of LEGO game is still tons of fun.  But if you crave something a little different, this next LEGO game has you covered.  Builder’s Journey presents small single screen areas made of LEGOs, and you must solve puzzles with real LEGO blocks in each one (kind of reminds me of Captain Toad in a way).  Originally released on Apple Arcade, Builder’s Journey is now available on Switch and PC.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX (PS4)

We all know Sonic the Hedgehog as SEGA’s beloved mascot.  But did you know that before Sonic came along, SEGA had a roster of other mascots?  One was Opa-Opa, a winged spaceship with feet who starred in the Fantasy Zone series.  Another popular one was Alex Kidd, who starred in a bunch of games for the 8-bit SEGA Master System.  His very first game was Alex Kidd in Miracle World, which was definitely made in response to compete with the more popular NES title Super Mario Bros.  In the game, Alex Kidd uses his giant fist and martial arts skills to save the Radaxian kingdom from the evil Janken in this 2-D platformer.  And now the game has been given a new lease on life with a DX remake featuring enhanced graphics and sound.  It’s available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.  So does Alex make good on his second chance?  You’ll just have to read on to find out. 

Dreamworks’ Spirit: Lucky’s Big Adventure (Switch)

I have a younger cousin who lives in Alabama who just loved horses as a kid.  One time when I came to visit she had a N64 and a copy of Ocarina of Time and wanted me to help her get to the part of the game where she could ride the horse.  So I played to that point and gave the controller to her and that’s all she did!  A few years later when I came back to visit, there was an animated movie in theaters that we took her to see called Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and she loved it!  Bottom line is, kids love horses.  And why wouldn’t they?  Horses are pretty cool animals.  And now there is a computer animated spin-off series of Spirit on Netflix, plus a new movie based on the Netflix show out now in theaters.  And now you can play a game based on the new movie and Netflix series with Dreamworks’ Spirit: Lucky’s Big Adventure.  I imagine most reviewers would’ve bashed this game, complaining about the boring fetch quests and choppy framerate.  But honestly, I don’t think the target audience of this game would mind.  Kids who love the Spirit movies and TV shows, and horses in general, they’d love to play this game and live out adventures with their favorite characters.  So for that, the game serves its purpose.

Beasts of Maravilla Island (Switch)

Boy do I love me some New Pokémon Snap!  I even named it my Game of the Year SO FAR recently.  It’s just so much fun taking pictures of Pokémon.  But what if I told you there was another game where you get to take pictures of mythical creatures, but instead of being on-rails, you’re free to move around in 3-D space!  Well that’s exactly what you get to do in Beasts of Maravilla Island.  In the game you play as Marina, a young woman who was told fantastical stories of a magical island with one of a kind creatures by her grandfather.  When her grandfather passes away, she inherits his camera and journal, with his dying wish for her to photograph the creatures on this island to prove to the world that it exists.  So now she’s off on an expedition in this 3-D photography game that takes elements from titles like Pokémon Snap and the photo mini-games in Beyond Good and Evil.  It’s available to play on Nintendo Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

Mondoku (iPad)

So what happens when you mix Sudoku puzzles with modern art?  You get Mondoku, that’s what!  You know how in Sudoku, you must place numbers on a grid so that no two of the same numbers appear on a row or column of squares?  Well what if those squares were different sizes?  That’s what you have to deal with in Mondoku, and when you finish a puzzle, the squares will be colored in and look like those famous modern art paintings by Piet Mondrian (yeah I had to look that up, I’m not THAT cultured).  Anyway, Mondoku is a free-to-play mobile game, but reviewed on iPad here.  It’s actually surprisingly fun and kept me interested for a long while.

Fishing Fighters (Switch)

Fishing Fighters is a Switch exclusive fishing game with an emphasis on story and multiplayer.  In the main Story Mode, you play as Kaito, a young aspiring fisherman who gets a letter in the mail from his long lost dad.  Inside the letter is a ticket to a fishing tournament, so now he’s off to compete and be the best angler ever.  He’ll meet anime inspired characters like a busty professor lady that teaches him the ropes, as well as a host of other friends and rivals.  Unfortunately the game isn’t very good.  I hated giving it a bad review because the company that published it, Aksys, they’ve been supportive of me since pretty much their existence.  Luckily last year they made a much better fishing game on the Switch called Fishing Star: World Tour, so go play that one instead.

Knockout City (Switch)

Last are a couple of Nintendo Switch Online freebies.  One of my favorite sports video games of all time is Super Dodge Ball on the NES.  In fact, it was my number one favorite sports game until Wii Sports came along.  So when I heard about Knockout City, a 3-D online dodgeball game that’s free to start on the Switch, I was willing to give it a try!  Unfortunately, it’s not that good.  I don’t play a lot of EA games, so I don’t know if this is a typical problem of theirs, but it was a pain in the butt to log in to both my Nintendo account and an EA account every time I wanted to play.  And it wouldn’t work half the time.  Plus the trailer made the game look way cooler than it actually was.  And you spent more time searching for balls to throw than actually playing.  So I’ll just stick to Super Dodge Ball on the NES for now.

RetroGrade Arena (Switch)

Retrograde Arena is a multiplayer twin stick shooter, with a retro vector visual style.  It’s free for Nintendo Switch Online users, so I figured, ‘what the heck, I’ll give it a go.’  Like most twin stick shooters, you move with the left JoyCon and aim with the right.  Fire your lasers with the Z trigger button.  But from what I could tell, most weapons won’t kill you, but push you back farther.  Firing your own weapon does that, too, so you can use that to your advantage to move faster.  What you really have to watch out for are dangerous walls that you can bump into, that can ether bounce you around or outright kill you!  I know Nintendo Switch online isn’t very good, but man this game is slow and laggy!  And you wouldn’t think it would be, due to the simplistic gameplay and visuals!

OK that’s all for now!  Thanks for reading and posting ‘likes’ and comments on my reviews and this blog!  I really appreciate it.  Later! 

PS: Here’s a clue as to what my next blog will be about.  It starts with P and ends with odcast.  --Cary