Unplugged: Computer Assisted RPGs
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Posted on May 7th, 2015 by
You can play RPGs on your computer, sitting alone in front of a screen, or you can play face to face RPGs assisted by your computer and enjoy all the fun of hanging with your friends for a casual evening of fun. Ever since computers went mainstream, gamers have tried to find ways to use their computers to make life easier for playing pencil and paper role playing games. We’ve come a long way my friend, and now there are options aplenty. While it seems there is not yet a global panacea for the problem, there are a few applications that can add to your next gaming session.
Unplugged: Evolution (Boardgame)
Posted on May 3rd, 2015 by
In Evolution, players shepherd their species through a progressively more competitive environment. Get your species to live long and prosper, measured by one’s food intake over the course of the game, and you win the game. Limited food, players creating carnivorous species, and subsequent adaptation to avoid them, creates a fun, fast playing game suitable for “serious” boardgamers as well as a family game night.
Evolution
Designers: Dominic Crapuchettes, Dmitry Knorre, Sergey Machin
Publisher: North Star Games
Ages: 10+
Players: 2-6
Time: 60 mins
(Review copy provided by North Star Games)
Hola! Amiibos! (Mario Party Wave)
Posted on April 10th, 2015 by
Got a new batch of Amiibos recently, so here’s a blog about them. Nintendo just released Mario Party 10 and put out a series of Super Mario Amiibos to go with them. Check ‘em out here!
Unplugged: Skylanders Skystones Cereal Box Prizes
Posted on April 3rd, 2015 by
When was the last time you saw an actual prize in a cereal box? I don’t think they really do that much anymore. I’ve seen some that give you codes to unlock things in online games and such, but no physical prizes. When I was a kid, cereal box prizes were everywhere. We’d get things like stickers, cars, those baking soda submarines, baseball cards, rings, flipbooks, candy that we could pack in our school lunch that day, and much more. One time in boxes of Chex, you could even get a computer game called Chex Quest (which I reviewed at The Dallas Morning News back then). Sometimes, as a kid, the prizes were more interesting than the cereal itself. So if I see a prize in a cereal box nowadays, I might notice it a bit more, especially if it’s Skylanders related. And since Skylanders is a big deal here at GamerDad.com, here’s a write-up about the new Skylanders Skystones prizes in certain boxes of General Mills cereals!
Skylanders Fruit Snacks
Posted on April 1st, 2015 by
When I went to the PAX South gaming convention back in January, I attended a Gamer Parenting panel and it was really fun. One of the major topics that everyone talked about nearly half the time on that panel was Skylanders, the hit game series that combines video games with toy collecting. It’s made over a billion dollars for Activision and there are countless products and tie-ins. So since Skylanders was such a big deal at the panel and here at GamerDad also, I’ve decided to write about everything I can that comes along that’s Skylanders related. Even if it’s something small, like new Skylanders Fruit Snacks!
The Fighters of Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late
Posted on March 20th, 2015 by
Recently I reviewed a one-on-one 2-D fighting game called Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late. That’s a really long name! When I first started playing it, I thought the characters weren’t that interesting, because they all looked like typical anime stereotypes. But as I kept playing, some of the characters ended up being a little more interesting than I thought. And since I sometimes like to write about fighting game characters in blogs, I’ll do just that with this game right now. Plus I don’t have any other blog ideas anyway.
Lucky Charms St. Paddy’s Day Edition (Cereal)
Posted on March 16th, 2015 by
Holiday themed cereals are nothing new. I think it all started with Cap’n Crunch’s Christmas Crunch. I remember that as a kid. It was just Crunch Berries with red and green pieces. Later on, other cereals followed suit with Christmas and Halloween editions of cereals like Rice Krispies and, well, I know there are others, I just can’t think of them. Well the next holiday has gotten the cereal treatment and it’s St. Patrick’s Day. And naturally, the cereal that goes along with it is Lucky Charms! So here’s a look at the Lucky Charms St. Paddy’s Day Edition box! (shouldn’t it be St. Patty’s Day?)
Hola! Amiibos! (Wave 3)
Posted on March 13th, 2015 by
Well, I finally managed to get all of the Wave 3 Amiibo figures (well, almost all of them), so here’s a blog about them! Amiibos are Nintendo’s answer to Skylanders and Disney Infinity, but since the Amiibos are based on characters that I actually like, I’ve made more of an effort to collect them. So check them out!
Unplugged: Dice Masters (Boardgame)
Posted on March 12th, 2015 by
Dice Masters Battle for Faerûn
Designers: Mike Elliott, Eric M. Lang
Publisher: WizKids Games
Ages: 14+
Players: 2
Time: 60 mins (I found it to be closer to 30 min)
(Review copy provided by WizKids)
Dice Masters is a line of collectible games based on rolling dice to get monsters and then using those monsters to attack one’s opponent. Dice provide both “energy” (a form of currency) and monsters which (when paid for with energy) are sent out to battle one’s opponent. Perhaps more importantly, energy can be used to purchase additional dice (from a pool in the center of the board) to be used later in the game. The newest release (just arrived) is based around Dungeons and Dragons. Previous editions, based on Marvel superheros, sold out repeatedly so the game is quite popular. Dice rolling (and the randomness that implies) is often fun, but the game also provides options for strategic decisions preventing it from becoming too random. While random rolls of the dice can sway the game in favor of one player, there is some strategy in choosing which dice to bring to the table. The result is a nice mix of chance and challenge. It is only a two player game but is a great fit for parents with kids or even a game between “grownups.”
Cary’s Top PlayStation Games
Posted on February 27th, 2015 by
It’s the 20th Anniversary of the original PlayStation! Well, technically 2014 was, since it was released in Japan in 1994. BUT, I’m counting the US release, which was 20 year ago. So in honor of that, here is a list of my favorite original PlayStation games! Keep in mind that list this isn’t in any particular order, though. All right, let’s begin!
