Welcome to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. My name is Andrew S. Bub - the GamerDad - and I've been writing about videogames, movies, and children for over 15 years now. After working as a magazine journalist, I switched gears to write about how media violence affects children, educating parents about them, and working closely with magazines, newspapers, major retailers and even politicians. GamerDad is an internationally recognized expert in this field. Games, movies and media are fun, kids and families love them, they aren't going away. So join me in cutting through the hype and lets have a real conversation about the things that matter: Video Games, Violent Media, and their supposed effect on children and families.
Welcome to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. My name is Andrew S. Bub - the GamerDad - and I've been writing about videogames, movies, and children for over 15 years now. After working as a magazine journalist, I switched gears to write about how media violence affects children, educating parents about them, and working closely with magazines, newspapers, major retailers and even politicians. GamerDad is an internationally recognized expert in this field. Games, movies and media are fun, kids and families love them, they aren't going away. So join me in cutting through the hype and lets have a real conversation about the things that matter: Video Games, Violent Media, and their supposed effect on children and families.
MUSYNX (PS4, Vita, Switch, Mobile)
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Posted on July 30th, 2018 by
This is a music game from PM Studios, so you know what that means. Lots of Asian techno tunes, but this one has a little more than that which makes it a little better. Gameplay is similar to Guitar Hero. Icons scroll down lanes and you must push the correct button when they reach a certain line in time with the music. Do this multiple times to increase your combo and your score. And that’s about it, really. It’s available on Sony’s consoles, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Legacy of Dragonholt (Boardgame)
Posted on July 28th, 2018 by
The Legacy of Dragonholt boardgame is essentially a tricked out choose your own adventure. Allowing freeform character generation and spanning multiple volumes, it is more than a simple book. However, despite its boardgame sized box, but it is not a traditional boardgame. If that sounds interesting to you, Legacy of Dragonholt is a great choose-your-own adventure experience with strong role-playing game flavor.
The Games of SEGA Genesis Classics Part 2
Posted on July 27th, 2018 by
Last week we looked at some games on the SEGA Genesis Classics collection out now on consoles. But there were so many games on this collection, that I had to split it into two parts! So here are the second half of the games found on this massive 16-bit collection. Do be sure and read the first part, too, if you haven’t already!
Pearl & Marina amiibo
Posted on July 25th, 2018 by
It’s been a little while, but some new amiibo figures have been recently released, and of course I got them and will share them with you here. It’s Pearl and Marina from Splatoon 2! In the first Splatoon game, Callie and Marie were the game’s hosts, broadcasters, and musicians for the competitions. But in the sequel, they’ve been kind of replaced by these two newcomers, who pretty much do the same thing.
Nintendo Labo Robot Kit
Posted on July 23rd, 2018 by
This past Spring, Nintendo released one of their most creative ideas in a long time for the Nintendo Switch. That was Nintendo Labo, and the sets came with sheets of foldable cardboard and a game that showed you how to build them into toys where you could attach Nintendo Switch controllers to them and play with them. I’ve already gone over the Variety Kit here at GamerDad, and if you haven’t seen it yet, I strongly suggest you follow this link to my Nintendo Labo Wrap Up where I talk about all that stuff. But Nintendo also released a Labo Robot Kit, where you build your own robot suit and tromp around a city as a giant robot in a game! So we’ll go over that one now!
The Games of SEGA Genesis Classics Part 1
Posted on July 20th, 2018 by
Recently SEGA released a collection of Genesis titles on current consoles. I love classic game collections so in this blog we’ll go over all the games on here. Back in the 16-bit days I was a SNES guy so I missed out on a lot of Genesis games so many of these titles aren’t as familiar to me. There also a lot of neat features in this collection like trophies and challenges, online play for certain games, and the whole setup is like you’re in a gamer’s bedroom from the 90’s, complete with SEGA posters on the wall! Speaking of which, the game even comes with a poster with Golden Axe on one side and Streets of Rage on the other. Anyway, since there are so many games on this collection, we’re going to split this blog into two parts. So let’s get started with the first set of games!
Thunderstone Quest (Boardgame)
Posted on July 19th, 2018 by
The fantasy-themed deckbuilder, Thunderstone, has reappeared with some minor improvements and the option of (mildly) story-based campaign play in the form of Thunderstone Quest. Initially launched as a Kickstarter, a second Kickstarter has just begun with previous and new offerings. As with other deckbuilders, Thunderstone has players purchase cards from a central tableau to improve their starting deck of cards, but it also introduces an area for players to use their cards to defeat monsters for additional points. Thunderstone Quest is the third version of the game, polishing up a few rough edges and introducing a story-based campaign mode to link a series of games together.
SEEDS: The Magic Garden (iOS, Google Play)
Posted on July 18th, 2018 by
So there’s this caterpillar/beetle bug thing that likes to grow plants. But his garden mysteriously dies so you must help him grow it back in this free-to-play color matching puzzle game called SEEDS (reviewed on iPad here). The game also gives you a chance to grow a real tree, too! Read on to find out more!
Yoku’s Island Express (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on July 16th, 2018 by
In this game you play as a dung beetle named Yoku who has set out for an island to start his new job as Postmaster. But when he arrives he soon learns that an evil being has scratched and scarred the guardian of the island, leaving it for destruction. Now it’s up to the little dung beetle to deliver summons to the leaders of the island so they can perform a ritual of healing and save the day. But how can a little dung beetle who can’t even jump do that? Well, like all dung beetles, Yoku rolls around a ball of…well, let’s just say it’s sand since it’s all white in this game. This island has pinball-like flippers scattered all over the place, so you’ll flip and toss Yoku and his clump around like a pinball! So yeah, it’s a pinball-platformer hybrid and very similar to Sonic Spinball. So if you enjoyed that one, you’ll definitely want to read this review. Yoku’s Island Express is available on nearly all current consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Runbow (Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One)
Posted on July 14th, 2018 by
Runbow is a fun, hyper-quick competitive platformer recently released on the PS4 and Switch (Switch version reviewed here, you can also read Cary’s excellent Wii U review.) Players (up to 9 online, 4 in local play) are placed down in a short platforming level and must race to be the first to touch the final trophy. It’s main shtick lies in the constantly changing solid color background. Most of the platforms are colored, and if they match the color of the background (essentially becoming invisible) the platform won’t support anyone. Players compete against each other in a series of short races to win the title for that series. Runbow is a fast playing game with minimal controls that manages to provide some great, intense multiplayer competition in nice short bursts.
