Jump Rope Challenge (Switch)
It’s Free-To-Play week here at GamerDad.com, with three free-to-play, or at least free-to-start, games you can download. Oddly enough, all of these free-to-play games are published by Nintendo! Or at least related to Nintendo in some way, which is unusual. The first one we’ll look at is Jump Rope Challenge. It’s a little fitness style game that simulates jumping rope, and you can download it on Nintendo Switch.
Darius Cozmic Collection: Console (Switch, PS4)
I’m a huge fan of the Darius 2-D shooter series from Taito. But what is Darius? While it may look like a generic classic space shooter at first, it has some elements that helped split it apart from others in the arcade. One, a lot of the spaceships you battle are designed to look like robot fish. I don’t know why that is, but it gives the game a weirder tinge to it that I like. Two, the original arcade game was three screens long! This was advantageous because you could see far ahead of you and could plan accordingly. It also gave you a bit of elbow room since the game was also two player simultaneous. And three, the music was really good! The stage one theme, “Captain NEO” is one of my all time favorite pieces of video game music. Taito has an in-house band named Zuntata that does most of their game music, which is cool. Anyway, I was super excited to find out that now there are two collection of Darius titles for Switch and PS4. There’s an arcade collection and a console collection, and I’m reviewing the console collection for Switch.
Ultracore (Switch, PS4, Vita)
If Ultracore feels like a long lost 16-bit Genesis title, that’s because it kind of is! There’s a bit of interesting history behind it. Originally, it was called “Hardcore” and set to release on the SEGA Genesis and Amiga in 1995. It was developed by a company called Digital Illusions, also known as DICE, and the game was pretty much completed. Unfortunately, at this time the PlayStation just came out and everyone was interested in 3-D gaming, so this one got lost in the shuffle. A short time later DICE went under and the game was all but lost. But recently it was found again and Strictly Limited finished it up and made it available to download under the name “Ultracore” for Switch, PS4, and even the Vita (reviewed on Switch here). It’s a run and gun game with bits of exploration mixed in as well.
Outbuddies DX (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
You’re an archeologist at sea, but a shipwreck lands you in the ancient underwater fortress of Behlam. Now equipped with a robot ‘Buddy’ you must explore the maze like corridors of caves and underwater lakes in this 2-D platforming adventure similar to titles like Metroid. It’s available on all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classic Wrap Up (Switch)
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics Part 3: Misc. Games
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics Part 2: Card Games
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics Part 1: Board Games
Nintendo recently came out with a collection of board and card games for the Switch called Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics. I wanted to go through all the games briefly and share my personal impressions, but there are so many of them we’ll have to split this up into three parts with a wrap up at the end for the holiday weekend. So first we’ll look at the board games in this collection!
Shantae and the Seven Sirens (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC, Mobile)
I’m a HUGE fan of the Shantae game series. I even still have the original game on Game Boy Color, box and all! But who is Shantae? She’s a half-human, half-genie dancer who can magically transform into different animals to help her get past obstacles in her 2-D platforming adventures. In her newest escapade, Shantae and her friends travel to a tropical island for a much needed vacation. Other Half-Genies will be there, too, so Shantae is especially excited to meet more of her kind. But shortly after she arrives, the other Half-Genies disappear. Risky Boots, the nefarious she-pirate and Shantae’s arch-nemesis, has been snooping about the island as well. Could she be behind all of this? It’s up to you to find out in Shantae and the Seven Sirens. It’s available for pretty much anything you can play a game on, but reviewed on PS4 here.





