Welcome to the Ace Angler Aquarium and Arcade Amusement Park!
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Posted on October 27th, 2023 by
There’s a fishing game in Japan by Namco called Ace Angler, and you view the screen horizontally to the ground like you’re looking into a fishing pond. It’s pretty popular, and I think I even played it once at Round 1 arcade here in the US, or at least an imitation of it. And now you can play a home version of the arcade game on the Switch with Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits. It was available digitally in the US last year, but I imported a physical copy of it because I’m a freak about stuff like that. But the game is entirely in English so there’s no language barrier here. I asked for it for Christmas, but since imports can sometimes take a while, I actually didn’t get it until around Easter this past year. And I finally got around to playing it recently. The cool thing about the Switch game is that they made the arcade game like it has its own amusement park and aquarium. So it’s like a cross between a Namco Museum game (albeit for only one arcade game) and Animal Crossing. You even create your own avatar that looks like something out of Animal Crossing, and since I like the aquariums in those games, as well as Namco Museums in general, this game really ticked off a lot of boxes for me! The game says it’s Ace Angler’s 10th anniversary, which I didn’t realize it had been around that long! But anyway, let me take you on a tour guide through the Ace Angler Aquarium and Arcade Amusement Park found in the Switch Fishing Spirits game!
Rune Factory 3 Special (Switch, PC)
Posted on October 25th, 2023 by
I reviewed the original Rune Factory 3 WAY back on the Nintendo DS around 13 years ago! (Yeah I’m old) Now you can play it again on Switch and PC (reviewed on Switch here) with enhanced graphics and new gameplay modes. The Rune Factory series combines the farming simulation of a Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons game, but also lets you fight monsters in fields and dungeons in real time action based battles.
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 4: Bush Rescue Returns (Switch, PC)
Posted on October 23rd, 2023 by
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, 3D platformer mascot characters were all the rage. One such character was Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. And just like his extinct animal counterpart, Ty hasn’t been heard from in a long time. Until now. Originally released on PC ten years ago, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 4: Bush Rescue Returns has been remade on Switch. And surprisingly, it’s a 2D platformer, not a 3D one! It may be to celebrate the game’s 10th anniversary, or the whole series 20th anniversary. Help Ty and his Bush Rescue animal friends in Australia save the day as he runs, jumps, and uses his boomerangs to attack. Interestingly enough, the makers of this game, Krome Studios, are also based in Australia. They also made Game Room, which I played a lot back on the Xbox 360.
Sprout Valley (Switch, PC)
Posted on October 18th, 2023 by
Nico is a cat who has moved out to a remote island to start a new peaceful country life. Help Nico plant crops and harvest them, as well as ship goods, gather materials, and craft them into new things in this simplistic retro pixel farming sim. Sprout Valley is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Rayland 2 (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on October 16th, 2023 by
In this sequel to last year’s puzzler, you’ll do more of the same reflecting lasers with mirror blocks so they hit certain targets. The sequel just gets tougher quicker and adds new elements like colored lasers and such. Rayland 2 is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Catlord (Switch)
Posted on October 11th, 2023 by
There’s a popular game I’ve been hearing about over the past year or so called Vampire Survivor. It’s a top down retro styled game where you have to fight off waves of enemies, and when you die you can spend your winnings to upgrade your character so you can survive longer next time. And with any popular game, there will be imitators, and here’s one called Catlord on Switch. But instead of a vampire killer, you are a cat and must defeat waves of animals like chickens, dogs, snakes, ducks, etc.
Escape from Terror City (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on October 9th, 2023 by
You can tell the same folks who made the Thunder Kid games also made this one, as they both feature low poly (and rather ugly) 3D graphics. But while Thunder Kid focused more on running and gunning with some platforming mixed in, Escape from Terror City focuses more on aiming and shooting. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
D&D Plushies – The Return of Plush
Posted on October 7th, 2023 by
Last winter, I was sent some Dungeons and Dragons figurines http://www.gamerdad.com/blog/2021/12/04/dd-plushies-cuddly-deadly/ from Wizkids with one key component: they weren’t plastic miniatures, they were stuffed “animals.” A year later and the stuffed line of toys/collectibles (Phunny Plush by Kid Robot) continues, expanding into the Pathfinder and Critical Role brands.
Alchemic Cutie (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on October 4th, 2023 by
Alchemic Cutie is a farming sim that combines aspects from two other popular agriculture games: Stardew Valley and Slime Rancher. You play as Yvette, a young lady who has just graduated from Alchemy School. She lives with her family on their slime farm, and now she’ll use her newfound skills to raise and breed slimes and help out the townsfolk. Alchemic Cutie is available on all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Wildagotchi (Switch, Mobile)
Posted on October 2nd, 2023 by
Travel back to the 90s where virtual pet keychains were the big thing. But in Wildagotchi on Switch, you’re not just limited to taking care of just cats and dogs. In this one, you can care for all sorts of wild animals, like a wolf, panda, giraffe, gorilla, hippo, and even a dinosaur!
