Video Game Themed Hallmark Keepsake Christmas Ornaments 2020
2 Comments
Posted on December 4th, 2020 by
Hallmark always has a wide annual selection of new Christmas ornaments and series, and in the past few years they’ve even done video game related ones! This year they had more than ever, and I got most of them, so I thought I’d share them with you here. Most are from Nintendo games.
Cary Ranks the Paper Mario Games
Posted on November 27th, 2020 by
Of all of Nintendo’s game series, the Paper Mario titles have probably had the most ups and downs. On one hand, you have what many consider to be one of the best RPGs ever made! And on the other end, you have what others, including myself, believe to be one of Nintendo’s worst games! Ouch! The newest game in the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King, came out earlier this year, so I thought it might be fun to rank them.
Kirby Dolce Collection
Posted on November 13th, 2020 by
Hey I thought I’d share something cool I got recently. A while back I ordered a “Banepresto Box” which is kind of like a loot crate except you know what you’re getting. This one had Kirby items and it was called the Kirby Dolce Collection. Not sure why it was called that but it was food related and a good deal at only 25 bucks or so. And you all know how much of a Kirby fan I am! Anyway, let’s take a look at what’s inside.
Two RPG Hero Smash amiibo
Posted on October 30th, 2020 by
Got a couple more amiibo figures recently. This time they are of two RPG characters who have appeared in Smash. They are the main hero from the latest Dragon Quest game, and Joker from Persona. Let’s take a look.
Video Game Lottery Tickets
Posted on October 23rd, 2020 by
Got a couple of video game themed scratch off lottery tickets I thought I’d show you all. These are from the Texas Lottery, so if they’re not in your state, they may be soon or have already appeared.
Spiel.Digital 2020 in Essen
Posted on October 22nd, 2020 by
The largest gaming convention in the world is not GenCon or PAX. It is Spiel (literally “Game” in German) an annual gathering in Essen Germany. Typically it is housed in six huge halls in the Essen convention center. Publishers from all over the world attend, many of them using the convention to make their holiday season releases. While there is obviously a very strong German presence (boardgaming has been a popular family activity for many years,) gamers from all over Europe and the rest of the world flock to Essen to get a chance to be the first to see (and buy) these new games. Obviously, a huge in-person convention is just not going to happen this year, so the organizers have created a virtual convention Spiel.Digital that is absolutely free and runs 24 hrs a day from Thursday, October 22nd through Sunday, October 25th.
Super-Skill Pinball (Boardgame)
Posted on October 1st, 2020 by
Super-Skill Pinball is a great example of how a boardgame’s mechanics and theme can be interwoven to produce a gaming experience that gives the “feel” of the original theme. Playing the roll and write boardgame Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade feels like playing a pinball. Someone rolls a pair of dice and then players use either die to record the movement of their pinball on their personal dry-erase game board, marking off locations as they are “hit.” Eventually, a player will “lose” their ball off the bottom of the board and will need to start again. After everyone has played through three balls, players total up their accumulated points to record a winner.
PAX Online 2020
Posted on September 25th, 2020 by
The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short, is one of the largest video game conventions open to the public. Unfortunately, the flagship show, PAX West in Seattle, had to be cancelled this year because of COVID. So instead, they created PAX Online, which was all last week. Virtual showgoers could watch videos of upcoming games, and even try demos of some of them on Steam and Xbox Live. I got a virtual press pass to the event, so here’s an article about the show.
Minecraft Creeper Crunch Cereal
Posted on September 18th, 2020 by
You know you’ve hit the big time when you have your own breakfast cereal. And Minecraft has definitely hit the big time ten times over. It’s one of the most popular games ever made. I’ve never played it myself, but that’s only because I’m purposely staying away from it as I’m afraid I would get addicted to it. I’m bad enough as it is with Animal Crossing! I would especially like to try Minecraft now that there is a Pac-Man update to it! Anyway, so when I saw the very last box of a Minecraft cereal at Wal-Mart, I knew I had to get it and review it! I wonder if this stuff is hard to find now, like the Mario cereal used to be?
Unplugged: Pandemic – The Boardgame
Posted on September 12th, 2020 by
The world-wide Covid-19 pandemic has been ever present over the past year, forcing many families to stay home together for extended periods of time, perhaps putting a strain on relationships for all those cooped up together. While a cutthroat game of Monopoly might just make things worse, perhaps a cooperative game (where everyone wins or loses together) might be in order. Pandemic burst onto the boardgame scene in 2008, with its success spawning an entire line of Pandemic-themed cooperative games where players must work together to protect the world from an encroaching disaster. While the theme of a Pandemic may be too close to home for some, the games respectively deal with the issues at hand and may serve as a surrogate way for gamers to put themselves into an active role in the game’s fictional pandemic.
