Best of Princess Peach
Princess Peach is one of the most popular Mario characters and she’s recently getting her own game on the Switch called Princess Peach Showtime! And that’s not even the first time she’s gotten her own game either! And even though she spends much of her time as a damsel in distress waiting for Mario to save her, there are plenty of other times when Nintendo lets her shine and be a hero. So in honor of her new game, I thought I’d go back and look at Princess Peach’s best moments.
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{Star || Hero} Realms Digital Sale!
One of the earliest deckbuilding card games, Star Realms has players attacking with space ships in a head to head battle to defeat their opponent. Designed by professional Magic:the Gathering player, Robert Dougherty, the game maintains a large following and has also made the jump into digital space. Not only can one play against the AI or an online opponent, there is an excellent series of solo challenges linked together to form a bit of a story-based campaign. By now, there are oodles of expansions available and each expansion has additional campaigns to play. Expansion cards are usable in regular games too, of course. The app has been out for a long time but I wanted to mention it today as, for the next few days, almost all the content is at a 50% discount. They have also managed to set things up so that any expansion purchase on one platform (iOS, Android, Steam) unlocks the same expansion everywhere else. Something I’d love to see happen in other digital games. Wise Wizard Games also has a spin-off game called Hero Realms that uses very similar mechanics but spins it into a full on RPG-style campaign game where one’s deck and abilities change and improve from game to game. It can be played head to head or cooperatively against set encounter challenges. Most of the Hero Realms expansions are also on sale. Be sure to check them out. More details on both games below (along with a note on the deckbuilder boardgame – Robot Quest Arena…)
Virtual Reality Gaming – Quest 3 and Quest 2
The world of VR (virtual reality) headsets continues to evolve. While the pricey Apple Vision Pro was just released, last fall saw the release of the Quest 3. The Quest 3 is around 6x cheaper, and more importantly for this site and article, is far more focused on entertainment than business/work. I jumped on the VR bandwagon with the first PlayStation (PSVR) but sat out the next generation (PSVR2 and Quest 2) but with the release of the Quest 3 I thought I’d test the waters again. The primary reason was to be able to play multiplayer games with friends that also owned Quest headsets. After a few months of play, it seems like a good time to share my thoughts on the system in general and some of the newest games. Today, we’ll look at the headset and mention a few games. In the coming weeks we’ll evaluate some of the games in more detail.
Unplugged: Legacy of Yu (Boardgame)
While fans of wargaming have been playing both sides of a battle for decades, the idea of playing a boardgame solo has recently seen a large uptick in broader gaming circles. Many boardgames advertise a “solo mode”, allowing gamers to play even if, for whatever reason, they are unable to arrange for a meet-up to play a game. A few games, like Legacy of Yu, take things a step further and are designed solely for one player. Designed from the ground up as a solo game it has an advantage over other single-player options since it isn’t just an add-on option (perhaps an afterthought) to a multiplayer game. Legacy of Yu does a stellar job of providing an interesting solo experience that manages not to outstay its welcome through the use of an ongoing story arc that slightly adjusts the difficulty between games.
Unplugged: D&D Toys and Tabs
Kid Robot has once again paired up with Dungeons and Dragons licensed Wizkids to create some stuffed toy creatures with a D&D theme. This time around they’re even smaller. You can find a 3” tall plush charm featuring a Mind Flayer, Tarrasque, Intellect Devourer, or a Flumph suitable for latching onto your backpack (or briefcase if you’re daring?) This is apparently the third wave of 3” creatures but the first set I’ve encountered (provided by the nice folks over at Wizkids.)
In terms of Tabs, Wizkids is producing a set of non-permanent sticker tabs for use with one’s main D&D books. The first set has been released with sticker tabs for the Player Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. Upcoming sticker tab sets will be available for
Rulebooks Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, as well as the beginner-adventure Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk.
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The Many Games of Mini Mario
This month, Nintendo is releasing Mario vs. Donkey Kong. It’s a re-release/remake of a game on the Game Boy Advance that came out about 20 years ago! It’s also the first appearance of the Mini Mario characters, an army of little wind up Mario toys. These little guys would go on to star in their own series of spin-offs. But those games kind of all run together because many of them look and play similarly. So I thought in honor of the new game’s release, I’d go over each one and see what makes them special, if only for a little bit. This Mario vs. Donkey Kong series also has quite a few games in its belt, more than what you might think. And the history of these games stretched back farther than what you might expect, too! So let’s check ‘em out!
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Cary is Looking Forward in 2024
Happy New Year! Around this time of year, I like to make a list of games that are releasing in the coming year that I’m looking forward to. Of course, this isn’t a full complete list, as there will assuredly be titles announced throughout the year that I may get as well. But anyway, here’s what I know now, for the most part, so let’s take a look at what games I’m looking forward to in 2024!