GamerDad and family 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.
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Sora amiibo

The last new character Nintendo announced for Smash was Sora from Kingdom Hearts.  So of course they made an amiibo figure out of him.  I got it so let’s take a look!

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{Star || Hero} Realms Digital Sale!

One of the earliest deckbuilding card games, Star Realms has players attacking with space ships in a head to head battle to defeat their opponent. Designed by professional Magic:the Gathering player, Robert Dougherty, the game maintains a large following and has also made the jump into digital space. Not only can one play against the AI or an online opponent, there is an excellent series of solo challenges linked together to form a bit of a story-based campaign. By now, there are oodles of expansions available and each expansion has additional campaigns to play. Expansion cards are usable in regular games too, of course. The app has been out for a long time but I wanted to mention it today as, for the next few days, almost all the content is at a 50% discount. They have also managed to set things up so that any expansion purchase on one platform (iOS, Android, Steam) unlocks the same expansion everywhere else. Something I’d love to see happen in other digital games. Wise Wizard Games also has a spin-off game called Hero Realms that uses very similar mechanics but spins it into a full on RPG-style campaign game where one’s deck and abilities change and improve from game to game. It can be played head to head or cooperatively against set encounter challenges. Most of the Hero Realms expansions are also on sale. Be sure to check them out. More details on both games below (along with a note on the deckbuilder boardgame – Robot Quest Arena…)

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Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

Sydney Hunter is a brave, whip-wielding adventurous archeologist.  Think Indiana Jones if he looked like a European comic book character.  One day while exploring a Mayan pyramid, he gets trapped inside and now must collect pieces of a talisman and other doo-dads to stop a curse that’ll release an evil god unto the world.  This game is a retro styled 2-D platformer that looks like something that would’ve been on a late 80s/early 90s computer.  It also gives me Pitfall vibes as well, and it’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Dead End City (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

This is a 2-D vertically scrolling shooter that recreates the look and feel of a 90s arcade game.  The premise is somewhat unique because instead of piloting a spaceship, you’re driving a heavily armed car through desert wastelands and ruined cities in a postapocalyptic setting.  Very Mad Max inspired.  The game is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons (Switch, PC)

There’s a popular type of video game featuring picture logic problems called nonogram puzzles.  But they are more commonly known as “Picross” or a variation of that name.  I enjoy these games somewhat, but I especially like it when they have a central theme, like video game characters.  About eight years ago on the 3DS, I reviewed a couple of them that featured Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (probably can’t play them anymore now).  And a couple of years ago, they had a Picross game on the Switch featuring classic SEGA titles.  And now you can play another one based on the farming sim series: Story of Seasons.  Story of Seasons used to be known in the US as Harvest Moon, but because of rights acquisitions and other stuff, they had to change the name.  But all the games were basically doing what Stardew Valley also does, just decades prior.  Anyway, Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

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Wira & Taksa: Against the Master of Gravity (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

The universe needs saving, and it’s up to intergalactic heroes Wira and Taksa to save the day.  This is a 2-D puzzle platformer where you switch between the two characters to solve puzzles, avoid obstacles, and defeat enemies.  Wira is fast and can avoid dangers easier, and while Taksa is slower, he has a hammer for defeating enemies.  The game is available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

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Froggie: A Retro Platformer (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

Help a little frog defeat enemies and avoid obstacles and hop to the exit in this 2-D precision platformer.  It features black and white graphics and reminds me of the old games I used to play on my Apple ][+ computer.  It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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The Adventures of Panzer Legacy Collection (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S)

The Adventures of Panzer is a series of games made using a special program that lets you make games on the NES easier. In fact, I read that for a while you could even buy cartridges of them. And now you can download the two games on most current consoles (reviewed on PS4 here). Panzer is a knight with a colorful past and boorish anti-hero style personality, and he goes on adventures with his so-called friends. Gameplay-wise, the games kind of remind me of Legacy of the Wizard, but a bit more straightforward and platform action oriented. But let’s take a look at the games on this collection!

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Pretty Girls Klondike Solitaire PLUS (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

Play solitaire to unlock a bevy of busty anime ladies as well as outfits for them to wear and backdrops to arrange them in.  I reviewed this game once before, but the PLUS adds and changes a few minor things.  It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Fit my Cat (Switch)

There is a phrase one of my brothers said once about how cats try and fit into boxes.  “If it fits, I sits.”  And now they’ve made a whole game out of that with Fit my Cat on Switch.  Arrange cats of various sizes and shapes so they all fit into a box to pass the level.  It kind of reminds me of those tanogram games.

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