Manic Mechanics (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
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Posted on April 29th, 2024 by
Repair cars as quickly as possible in this madcap multiplayer game. Manic Mechanics takes a lot of inspiration from other games of this ilk, especially Overcooked. But instead of being in a kitchen cooking food, you’re in a garage fixing vehicles. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Pepper Grinder (Switch, PC)
Posted on April 24th, 2024 by
Pepper is an adventurous girl who gets shipwrecked, and pirates steal her treasure! Luckily she finds a drill that she can use to bypass obstacles and defeat enemies. Anyone remember a Game Boy Advance game called Drill Dozer? It was made by GameFreak, who also made a game series you might know of called Pokémon. Anyway, Pepper Grinder kind of reminds me of that game mixed with some Dig Dug style fast action. It’s also a 2D platformer for Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Unplugged: Monkey Business (Boardgame)
Posted on April 23rd, 2024 by
Monkey Business is a bit of a mash-up of the classic games of charades (where you pantomime something) and werewolf (where you’re trying to discover the odd person out in the mix. All but one player (or all but two, if there’s more than 6 players) are given the same activity to perform while the odd ones out, the “scammers” have to just play it by ear to cover up the fact that they don’t know what they should be doing. After a few moments of acting, players then all must accuse a player to be the “scammer” – the one who was just copying everyone else. Players who are correct keep their card, scammers win half of the remaining cards. After six rounds of play the game ends and the player with the most cards is the winner. Monkey Business is a fun little party game that gets people moving. It won’t carry an entire evening of gaming but is good for a short distraction, perhaps to loosen up a group of people who may be taking themselves too seriously.
Monkey Business
Publisher: Add-A-Game
Players: 4-12
Ages: 8+
Time: 15 min
(review copy provided by publisher)
Crypt Stalker (Switch, PC)
Posted on April 22nd, 2024 by
When I was a kid during the NES heyday, Castlevania was huge! Most of my friends either had it or rented it a lot, same with the sequels. Simon Belmont from Castlevania was even a character in the Captain N cartoon (albeit a bit silly). I was never a big fan of Castlevania myself. I wasn’t really into the horror themes and Simon Belmont controlled like he ate a big breakfast before deciding to kill Dracula. But I did get the Castlevania Collection a few years ago (mainly for Kid Dracula). So here comes a retro styled game that was definitely inspired by the Castlevania series. Crypt Stalker has you playing as a female undead slayer, who beats up baddies with her whip and gun. While Castlevania games had a more Victorian horror theme, Crypt Stalker is more Egyptian, with levels set in the desert and pyramids, and enemies like mummies, Anubis monsters, and hopping bugs. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Reader Review: Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on April 19th, 2024 by
Most of my younger brothers LOVE Warhammer. It’s an RPG board game where you play with these intricate figures that you can even paint yourself. I’ve never gotten into it myself, just too complicated (and expensive) for me. But then, anything more complicated than Hungry, Hungry Hippos and my eyes glaze over! Ha ha! Anyway, one of my brothers, Jeff, loves Warhammer so much that he works at a store that specifically sells that stuff! Another one of my brothers, Ben, has a huge collection of figures that he paints (very well I might add). So I thought it would be fun to have Ben review this Warhammer game. It’s available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here. –Cary
Match Village (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on April 17th, 2024 by
Place houses, fields, and other structures on a hexagonal strategy board game-like grid to create your own little town in Match Village. When you set three or more of the same structure together, they’ll match up and upgrade to a better building so you can get more points. This chill and laid back puzzler is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Master Maker 3D Ultimate (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on April 15th, 2024 by
Make your own 3D platforming levels with Master Maker 3D Ultimate. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Orion Haste (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Posted on April 10th, 2024 by
In the future, evil aliens have taken over a space base and it’s up to you to stop them. Orion Haste is a 16-bit style 2-D run and gun that plays similar to Contra. It’s available on all current consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Cricket Through the Ages (Switch, PC, Mobile)
Posted on April 8th, 2024 by
There’s a really popular kids’ show that I like called Bluey. The show is made in Australia and is set there, and in one of the newer episodes, the characters play a game of Cricket. It’s a really good episode, but a lot of it went over my head because living in the US myself, Cricket just isn’t as popular of a sport. We’re all about our football over here, and not the soccer kind. So when I had the opportunity to review Cricket Through the Ages on Switch, I thought it might give me a good chance to learn more about the sport, especially since the game looked pretty whimsical, too. And it certainly is, but did I really learn anything about Cricket from this game? Well you’ll have to read on to find out!
10 Seconds to Win! (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on April 3rd, 2024 by
Help a little athlete reach a trophy by running, leaping, wall climbing, and dashing in this 2D precision single screen platformer. As if those types of games weren’t hard enough, now you must reach the trophy in 10 seconds or less! The game is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
