Welcome to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. My name is Andrew S. Bub - the GamerDad - and I've been writing about videogames, movies, and children for over 15 years now. After working as a magazine journalist, I switched gears to write about how media violence affects children, educating parents about them, and working closely with magazines, newspapers, major retailers and even politicians. GamerDad is an internationally recognized expert in this field. Games, movies and media are fun, kids and families love them, they aren't going away. So join me in cutting through the hype and lets have a real conversation about the things that matter: Video Games, Violent Media, and their supposed effect on children and families.
Welcome to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. My name is Andrew S. Bub - the GamerDad - and I've been writing about videogames, movies, and children for over 15 years now. After working as a magazine journalist, I switched gears to write about how media violence affects children, educating parents about them, and working closely with magazines, newspapers, major retailers and even politicians. GamerDad is an internationally recognized expert in this field. Games, movies and media are fun, kids and families love them, they aren't going away. So join me in cutting through the hype and lets have a real conversation about the things that matter: Video Games, Violent Media, and their supposed effect on children and families.
Welcome to the Pocky and Rocky Shrine!
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Posted on June 29th, 2022 by
You may not know about the Pocky and Rocky game series, but they’ve had four titles under their belt with a new one that just came out! They’re 2-D shooters, but they don’t auto-scroll (think Ikari Warriors or Commando), but it’s the theme that makes them stand out. The games have a Japanese myths and legends motif. They’re really fun games, but also really hard! Or maybe I just suck at them, I dunno. Anyway, since the new game just came out, I thought I’d be your tour guide in this shrine featuring all the games in the series! So let’s begin!
Freshly Frosted (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on June 27th, 2022 by
There’s a story in this game about helping a woman sort out her mind by working in a donut factory, but there really doesn’t need to be a story here other than, “You’re making donuts.” Your job on each single screen level is to make a conveyor belt path so the donuts can get from the oven to all the topping stations, and then to the delivery counter. Freshly Frosted is a puzzle game available on all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
KAO the Kangaroo (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on June 24th, 2022 by
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, 3-D platformers were all the rage. Many of them had popular mascots like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and more. It was kind of like how in the early 90s, 2-D mascot platformers were the big thing, thanks to Sonic. But for every popular character, there are many forgotten 3-D heroes, like Billy Hatcher or Super Magnetic NEO. Another forgotten 3-D mascot was KAO the Kangaroo. First appearing on the Dreamcast, he actually got five games before never being heard from again. Until now. KAO the Kangaroo is back with a new game that’s more of a reboot than a remake, and it’s just like the 3-D platformers you remember, for better or worse. It’s available on all current game systems and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Pretty Girls Speed (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)
Posted on June 22nd, 2022 by
When I was in high school, a bunch of us would always carry around a deck of cards and we’d play games together during lunch breaks and such to pass the time. This was in the early to mid 90s before everyone had cell phones so we had to entertain ourselves somehow. One popular game that a lot of us liked to play back then was Speed, where you had to place adjacent card numbers (higher or lower) on two piles as quick as you can and whoever got rid of their deck first, won. I was horrible at that game, though, so I didn’t like it much. And now you can play Speed against a slew of anime ladies in Pretty Girls Speed. It’s available on PlayStation consoles, Switch, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Wonder Boy Collection (PS4, Switch)
Posted on June 20th, 2022 by
Back in the 80s and early 90s, Wonder Boy was a 2-D platforming series by SEGA and Westone. It was a bit more popular in Japan than in the US, but the Wonder Boy series also has ties with Hudson’s Adventure Island games, which were a bit more popular in the States. For the longest time Wonder Boy laid dormant, but in the past few years, we’ve gotten some remakes and updates of some of the games, like Dragon’s Trap and Monster World IV. Not only that, we also got a full on sequel in Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom a few years ago. And now here’s a collection of some of the Wonder Boy games for PS4 and Switch (reviewed on PS4 here). Let’s take a look at the games on this collection!
Welcome to the Pac-Man Museum+!
Posted on June 17th, 2022 by
Welcome to the Pac-Man Museum+! My name is Cary, and I’ll be your tour guide today. Oh man, wouldn’t it be cool if there really was a Pac-Man Museum and I worked there? I’d be in heaven. Anyway, Pac-Man Museum+ is a collection of arcade and console games featuring Pac-Man. Kind of like the Namco Museums, just with Pac only. It’s available on most current consoles and PC, but I got the PS4 version because it was cheapest at 20 bucks. Plus it was a physical version, which I always like. Although I’m tempted to get it on Switch as well so I could have all those games portable. And I hear it’s also on Xbox Game Pass as of this writing, so if you have an Xbox One or X/S, check it out! All right, so come along with me on the tour of the 14 games on this collection!
Blow & Fly (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Posted on June 15th, 2022 by
Oh what an unfortunate name this game has! And they couldn’t even get the logo right. It looks like it reads Blow Fly &. Anyway, care to take a guess as to what this game is about? Well don’t think about it too hard. So you’re a blowfish out of water, and you use what water you have left in your mouth to squirt and propel yourself around obstacle filled 2-D areas until you reach a toilet to flush yourself down to the next area. And that’s it. The game is available on nearly all current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Remote Life (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC, Mobile)
Posted on June 13th, 2022 by
Remote Life is a twin stick shooter cleverly disguised as a horizontally scrolling classic styled 2-D shooter. You’ll warp to locations to shoot scary space bugs, collect power-ups, and try not to get hit. It’s available on nearly all current consoles, PC, and mobile devices, but reviewed on Switch here.
Rifftrax: The Game (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on June 10th, 2022 by
My all time favorite TV show is Mystery Science Theater 3000. Man I love that show! In it, a guy and two robot puppets are sent out in a space station by two mad scientists, and are forced to watch bad movies and make fun of them. You might’ve seen this show and not even realized it, because most of it is just the old movie with a silhouette of theater seats and the characters at the bottom talking all throughout the movie. Some of the show’s creators and stars have gone on to do similar works, like Rifftrax, which are great, too. But MST3K is still my favorite. I always thought it would’ve been cool if there was a MST3K video game. Last year I reviewed What the Dub?!, which is probably about as close to a MST3K video game as we’ll get. Until now, because the makers of What the Dub?! have teamed up with Rifftrax to make a similar game! It’s available on most consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Biomotor Unitron (Switch)
Posted on June 8th, 2022 by
Back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, game maker SNK released a handheld called the NEO GEO Pocket Color, to compete with Nintendo’s Game Boy Color. I loved that handheld, and I’ve been super happy that over the past few years, many of those games have been re-released on the Switch. The newest one to be re-released is Biomotor Unitron, the first RPG on the handheld and I’ve never heard of it before. And I call myself a NGPC expert! In the game, a meteor crashes on a distant planet, causing powerful crystals to form. A country on this planet uses those crystals to power mechanical battle robots to win a war. Around two centuries later, the people of the planet use those robots, called Unitrons, to battle in tournaments. Biomotor Unitron is a sci-fi fantasy dungeon crawling RPG.
