The Smurfs: Dreams (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
In the distant past, long before streaming services and 24-hour cartoon channels, there was a thing called Saturday Morning Cartoons. Kids back then, me included, looked forward to this time because it was one of the only times TV was made just for kids. And as a child of the 80s, one of the most popular of these cartoons I remember was The Smurfs. Originally a European comic strip, The Smurfs gained popularity in the US from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon. I was never a super big fan of it, but I watched it anyway because, one, kids will watch pretty much anything. And two, it came on right before the Pac-Man cartoon. In recent years, The Smurfs have had a bit of a resurgence with a handful of computer animated movies and specials, and a new series on Nickelodeon. And that begat a few Smurfs games, too. I’ve reviewed quite a few of them, which include 3D platformers, kart racers, and even educational titles. The Smurfs: Dreams is a fixed camera 3D platformer, so it plays most like Super Mario 3D World. In the game, the evil Gargemel has sprinkled a magic potion on the Smurf Berry bushes, so when the Smurfs have breakfast the next morning, they instantly fall fast asleep and get lost in their dreams. You play as a Smurf who has to enter the dream worlds to rescue the others, and the game is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
8-bit Adventures 2 (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Back in the 16-bit days when I was a teen, I loved RPGs and couldn’t get enough of them. Not so much now, but I do like it when someone makes a new retro inspired RPG that plays like the ones I used to enjoy. Such is the case with 8-bit Adventures 2. I’ve never played the first game in this series, so I don’t know what’s new, different, or improved. It doesn’t do anything new or break the mold in any way, but it does feel like something I would’ve rented and played back in the day. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Rogue Sentry (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
In the future, robots have taken over and imprisoned all the humans in a maze-like fortress. You are a rogue sentry robot who abandons your post to rescue all the humans and escape the stronghold. Rogue Sentry is a twin stick shooter featuring black and white retro graphics that remind me of old arcade games from the 1970s. For some reason, the game also makes me think of the early 80s arcade classic Berserk, too. Rogue Sentry is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Ultimate Holidays (Switch)
Truck Star (Mobile)
A while ago, my stepdad asked for me to check out a mobile game called Truck Star. He’s driven trucks and car haulers most of his life, so he wanted to know if I think he’d like this game. He showed me an ad on Facebook he saw for this game, and in the ad, it shows a behind the wheel view of driving a truck. Another truck cuts you off and you hear someone yelling out “F-you!” and then the truck crashes and explodes. And then the video showed scenes of you putting trucks together and repairing and customizing them. So it was a big surprise for all of us when I downloaded this free to play mobile game (reviewed on iPad here), and found out it’s just a pretty standard match three puzzle game! You do get to repair and customize all kinds of trucks by playing the puzzles, though, and you’ll get to work on haulers, flatbeds, and even monster trucks! But there’s no behind the wheel driving, cursing, or explosions!
Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU (Switch)
There is a music synthesizer called Vocaloid that can replicate singing voices, and in Japan, they’ve created characters to go along with those voices. Probably the most popular of those characters is Hatsune Miku, an anime styled girl character with long blue pigtails. She’s been in a lot of other video games as well, and I’ve even reviewed a couple of them here and here. And now she’s appearing in another video game, and this time strangely enough, it’s the Fitness Boxing game series on Switch!
Mika and the Witch’s Mountain (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Mika is a young girl who aspires to be a witch like her mother, so she enrolls in Witch School which is held at the top of a mountain on an island. But when she gets there, for her first lesson the witch on the mountain pushes her off! Luckily Mika lands safely, but her broom breaks and she can’t fly high up to the top of the mountain anymore. She meets an artist who can repair her broom, but it’ll cost money so Mika gets a job in town delivering packages to people while flying on her broom. To say this game is “Ghibli-inspired” would be an understatement, as there is a Ghibli Studio cartoon movie called “Kiki’s Delivery Service” that has nearly the exact same plot. Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is a 3D action adventure game and it’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Moe Waifu H Genius (PS4, PS5, Switch)
Well I’m not sure what the “Moe” means but “Waifu” is what you hook your internet up to, right? Nah, I’m just joking. I know it means like a pretend girlfriend or something. Anyway, in this game you can unlock pictures of fantasy anime ladies in different outfits by playing a memory game. They’ll play a pattern and you must memorize and repeat it. So yeah, it’s pretty much Simon. It’s available on current PlayStation and Nintendo consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Yars Rising (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
As you all may know, I love retro gaming. Heck, I grew up during the Atari and NES days, so it’s part of my childhood. But I do have one retro game that’s on my ‘wall of shame’ because up until now, I never figured out how to play it. And that game is Yars’ Revenge. Oh sure I’ve tried many times to figure it out, especially when I would get a new Atari collection that it was on. And I understand the significance of the game, as it was the best selling game on the Atari 2600 that WASN’T an arcade game first. And the reason why it is called “Yars” is because that’s the name of Atari’s CEO at the time spelled backwards (way to butter up your boss, Howard Scott Warshaw)! But yeah, I’ve never figured out how to really play the game. That is until now, thanks to a new game in the series called Yars Rising. Strangely enough, Yars Rising is actually a “Metroidvania” title mixed with blocky, Atari 2600 style mini-games based on the original Yars. And it was made by WayForward, which really tells you all you need to know about the quality (yeah it’s good). Yars Rising is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Cash Cow DX (Switch, PC)
Help a cow grab all the gold in this action game that looks like it came from the 80s golden age of arcades. This game is kind of a mix of Sonic the Hedgehog (there’s even loops on one stage), combined with the platform gameplay of something like Miner 2049er. Cash Cow DX is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.