All posts tagged 'Misc'

The Games of Atari Flashback Classics vol. 1, Part 1

ATARI1I love classic game compilations, but you don’t see them as much anymore since most of the time you just pay for each game to download on your hard drive nowadays.  So when I saw that there were two physical disc volumes of Atari games for the PS4 and Xbox One, I made sure to snag them when I got my PS4.  So for fun, I thought I’d go over the games on these collections.  We’ll split this into two parts.  First I’ll go over the Atari arcade games, as well as the Atari 2600 ports of those arcade titles.  And in the next part, I’ll go over the rest of the 2600 offerings.  And we’ll repeat the process with Vol. 2 as well.

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PAX South 2017 Part 2: Modeling, Masquerades, and Miscellany

So at PAX shows I attend a lot of meetings with game companies showing off their new games, and that’s why my Part 1 article was mostly about.  But I also take a lot of pictures that aren’t related to any of that stuff, but are still cool.  So we’ll be looking at all that stuff in Part 2 of my PAX South 2017 article.

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PAX South 2017 Part 1: A Switch for the Better

The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short, is one of the largest video game conventions open to the public in the US.  It started out in Seattle, then expanded to another show out East in Boston, and for the past three years, they’ve also had a show in San Antonio with PAX South.  Since that’s only a few hours’ drive from where I live, I decided to go again this year along with my dad and several of my younger brothers.  Last year’s PAX South was a little underwhelming for me, but this year was much better, thanks to more interesting indie games, a brand new lobby area just built at the convention center, and my first chance to play the new Nintendo Switch console!

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Cary is Looking Forward in 2017!

YOOKA_BOXA new year brings promise of new video games, so I thought I’d write about which ones I’m looking forward to this year.  Of course there will probably be some announcements of new games throughout the year (like at E3), as it’s a bit early.  And of course some things may be delayed, too.  But anyway, let’s take a look at what I’m looking forward to playing and reviewing this year.

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Unplugged: D&D Minis – Monster Menagerie II (RPG)

Traditional RPGs are games of the mind, but it doesn’t hurt to have spiffy little plastic figures on hand to help set the tone and sort through the complexities of battle. Figures can be bought unpainted or, for a bit more cash, they come prepainted. As a busy parent, I easily fall into the latter category. While any figurines aren’t cheap, they can add a bit of fun as players can see the unruly monsters gather around their poor characters, eager for a kill.

 

 

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Dragon Quest Builders and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt Team Up for a Promotion!

DQ_BOXMenchie’s Frozen Yogurt is teaming up with Square-Enix to give you a chance to get goodies for their new PS4 game Dragon Quest Builders, and you can enter a sweepstakes, too!  The promotion ends at the end of January, so sorry that I posted this a little late in the game.  But feel free to click here for more details and to see how my local Menchie’s decorated for the event.

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Cary’s Best Games of 2016 Awards Show!

TERRA_BOXIt’s that time of year again!  It’s the Cary’s Best Games of 2016 Awards Show blog!  Keep in mind that no outside opinions went into the making of this list.  It’s just my own picks.  And if a game is missing from my list, it either didn’t appeal to me as much, or I just simply haven’t played it yet.  Can’t play all the games out there, you know!  Plus I do apologize if this list leans toward the Nintendo side.  I don’t have an Xbox One, and I just got a PS4 at the end of November, so you’ll just have to deal with it.

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Unplugged: HABA Games 2016

cliff cardAs a parent looking for games to play with my kids, I am always impressed at the quality and durability of titles from HABA.  With quality cardboard and wooden parts, they sometimes aren’t cheap (although these titles are relatively inexpensive) but components are first rate.  While my oldest child is now able to play more strategic games with dad, he still enjoys playing these when we get together for a family gaming moment with the entire family.  Here’s a few HABA games I’ve played in the past few months, starting with my favorites.

 

 

 

 

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Nintendo Socks

SOCKSFor my birthday a few months ago, I got some Nintendo themed socks.  I meant to post pictures of them, but I’ve been busy and just now finally got a chance to do it.  Click to see a larger picture!

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Unplugged: Holiday Guide 2016

It’s time once again for me to preach to the masses on the greatness of boardgaming. Nothing beats the social aspect of in-person gaming with friends. Last year’s run-down  remains a great list of recommended games. Here again are some great examples of boardgames to get you and your family gaming. You might not find all these titles at your local mega-mart but many can be found online or in a friendly local game store. Some may argue $50+ boardgames are expensive, but compare that to videogaming (and where multiple copies are required for multiplayer play) and the economics of boardgaming shows their true value. Good boardgames are timeless, just as good today as they will be years in the future. They will provide many more hours of entertainment than most video games. In that vein, feel free to delve into some past year’s guides for 2014, 2013, or 2012.

For each game I’ve provided the number of players, an approximate MSRP (you might find it lower), and expected time for one game.

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