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.
SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium (Switch)
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Posted on February 24th, 2021 by
Game makers SNK and Capcom are famous for their 2-D one on one fighters, and they had a pretty big rivalry between each other for a while. So that’s why it was a big deal back in the early 2000s when they both collaborated in making a few fighting games featuring both companies’ characters pitted against each other. Crossover games like this weren’t as commonplace back then. One of the first of these SNK vs. Capcom games was The Match of the Millennium for SNK’s handheld NEO GEO Pocket Color. It was one of the best games for that system and now you can play it on Switch!
Unplugged: Deckscape (The Curse of the Sphinx)
Posted on February 23rd, 2021 by
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While it may be hard to get out of the house, fans of escape rooms have alternatives that can be played at home. Deckscape, one of several lines of at-home escape room games, is a complete escape room experience in a (large) pocket-sized box of cards. Obviously, it can’t take the place of an in-person, physical escape room, its nonlinear progression through many puzzles may be the next best thing.
Golden Force (Switch)
Posted on February 22nd, 2021 by
In Golden Force, play as one of four pirate characters as you collect treasure and beat up baddies in this side scrolling 2-D hack and slash. It imitates 16-bit classics, right down to the difficulty, and is available to download on Switch.
The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match (PS4)
Posted on February 19th, 2021 by
Game maker SNK is famous for its fighters, and one of their most popular ones is The King of Fighters. It features characters from other classic SNK titles like Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, and even Ikari Warriors, and it’s a series still around today. While they used to do yearly games, a new KOF game will still come out every now and then. There’s even a new one coming soon (I hope I get to review it, too). But in the meantime, you can download an updated version of one of the more popular games in the series on the PS4. Well, actually I’m just assuming it’s one of the more popular ones, as I see sprite art and screenshots from it most often on the internet anyway.
RPG Miniatures – Boneyard
Posted on February 18th, 2021 by
Rather than focus on a particular storyline, the newest entry in the WizKids line of role playing game miniatures focuses on hordes of undead. The common figures span the gamut of typical undead hordes, while some of the rare large creatures are just downright disturbing. (Let the reader decide if that’s good or bad.) Releasing in March, D&D Icons of the Realms: Boneyard is a mix of standard and more unique pieces with which to build your undead army.
TOHU (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on February 17th, 2021 by
TOHU is a point and click adventure with beautiful hand-drawn graphics. In the game, you play as a young girl who lives on one of several ‘fish islands.’ These are giant fish that float in the sky and have buildings and stuff on their backs. Your girl character has the ability to change into a big, strong robot, which you’ll use when you need to lift heavy objects. Change back to the girl when you need to climb obstacles or fit through small spaces. A hooded character has been breaking stuff on the islands, and now the girl must find out what’s going on and fix it. TOHU is available on most current game consoles, PC, and mobile devices, but reviewed on PS4 here.
YesterMorrow (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on February 15th, 2021 by
Yui is a young girl who lives in a fantasy village with her family. One day, during a festival celebrating the light that protects their village and the people who harness it, evil shadow beings come to invade. They capture a bunch of the villagers, including most of Yui’s family. Many years later, Yui is older and lives in the crumbling remnants of her town. One day she stumbles upon living ruins with the power to send her back in time. Now Yui must travel from the future to the past to stop the shadows and save her family in YesterMorrow. It’s a 2-D side scrolling action adventure platformer game, and it’s available on most current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Fruit Ninja 2 (Mobile)
Posted on February 12th, 2021 by
While it may not have movies like Angry Birds, or TV commercials like Candy Crush, Fruit Ninja is still one of the most popular early mobile games. You might’ve even had it for free pre-installed on your first smart phone! I think it was one of the first mobile games I saw at PAX, and I even reviewed an educational game based on the franchise a few years ago! I’ve even seen versions of this game in arcades! And now it’s finally getting a sequel! (reviewed on iPad here)
Unplugged: Strike (Boardgame)
Posted on February 11th, 2021 by
Strike – a simple, quick game of dice-chucking goodness. Players take turns rolling (or throwing) their dice into an arena inlay in the box. Remove any matching dice and leave the rest for the next player. The last player with dice is crowned the winner of the game. The idea is simple and the execution is spot on, making Strike a fine game for the start of a gaming evening or quick break with the kids.
Strike
Publisher: Ravensburger
Ages: 8+
Players: 2-5
Time: 15 mins
(Review copy provided by Ravensburger)
Smashing Zoo (Mobile)
Posted on February 10th, 2021 by
Here’s a weird freebie mobile game. Slingshot cartoon animals into pixel sculptures of objects until they disappear. And that’s all you do! Use the touch screen to simulate pulling back and aiming your critter, and then let go to send it flying. If you can shoot off a big chunk of pixels, they’ll disappear and you get extra points in the form of coins. After you clear one pixel sculpture, which could be anything from a screwdriver, magnet, or a rainbow, you start the process over again.
