PixlBit

Hey folks.  I’ve got another batch of games I’ve reviewed lately at GamerDad.com.  Please click on the links and read as many reviews as you can and maybe even post a comment or two here or there.  I’d appreciate it, thanks!

Picross 3D: Round 2 (3DS)

I hate to sound like a hipster, but I’ve liked HAL Laboratory since before they were cool.  Even before Smash Bros., before Kirby, I was a big fan of them.  I even knew who Iwata was before he was president at Nintendo.  So I can say they are no slouch when it comes to puzzle games (also pinball games, but that’s off topic).  In fact, one of the first games that introduced me to the company was Adventures of Lolo, a popular block pushing puzzle game on the NES and was kind of HAL’s mascot before Kirby came along.  Even before all of that, I was enjoying a near arcade perfect Pac-Man clone on my Apple ][+ called Taxman, and it was made by a HAL Laboratory, although I’m not sure it’s really the same one or not.  Anyway, so I was glad to review HAL’s latest puzzler, Picross 3D: Round 2.  It’s like regular Picross, but with 3D shapes, and I find it much easier to play than regular Picross for some reason.  I had so much fun with this game.  I even got so wrapped up in it one time that I let my 3DS battery run out on me, and I never let that happen!  Only problem I had with this game is that it’s download only, and in Japan I think they got a cartridge version of it.  I know, I know, you’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming into the digital age.    

Reader Review: Style Savvy: Fashion Forward (3DS)

One of my good friends sometimes writes game reviews that I post on the GamerDad.com site as a Reader Review, and his wife loves the Style Savvy games on the 3DS.  So when I got the opportunity to get a review copy, I decided that she’d be better at reviewing it than me.  So go check it out.  I read it has amiibo support and one of the items is a Kirby purse.  If I were a lady, I’d totally carry around a Kirby purse.  I remember when the first Style Savvy game came out, they did a promotion where you could download a set of clothes called the Gracie collection, which was promoting the upcoming release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf.  The clothes had dot and giraffe animal print patterns like Gracie the giraffe.  I almost wanted to play Style Savvy because of that, but I still didn’t.  So I still have my ‘man’ card.  Well, I WOULD have my ‘man’ card, but I just drank a glass of water out of a Hello Kitty cup.

Kubo: A Samurai Quest (iPad)

I’m glad I finally got to see the Kubo movie.  I’m a big fan of stop-motion and clay animation, and I even took a class about it once so I have a lot of respect for the people who do it.  So I like to keep up with what Laika does because of that.  While the Kubo movie’s plot was very predictable, it was still visually stunning.  Unfortunately, the game tie-in is just a match three puzzler.  Battling origami monsters with your own gives it a bit of a Puzzle Quest vibe, but that’s about the only good thing I can say about it.

George of the Jungle: Owie Owie (iPad)

I’m a big fan of Jay Ward Studios and even knew someone who used to work there.  They made the famous Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons as well as many commercial characters, like one Cap’n Crunch.  They also made George of the Jungle, which has one of the catchiest cartoon theme songs ever (you’re singing it right now, don’t deny it).  Unfortunately, many years later there were a couple of really bad live action movies and a new cartoon based on the franchise.  I tried to watch the new cartoon a few years ago and couldn’t make it all the way through.  But when I heard of a George of the Jungle iPad game, I was mildly curious.  Sadly, the game is based on the new cartoon, not the one from the 60’s.  And it’s pretty awful, too.  Like a clunky cross between Doodle Jump and Angry Birds.  I think I only reviewed this game so I could talk about Jay Ward Studios.

Shadow Archer (Wii U)

It looked like an interesting 8-bit throwback game when I first saw it, but it was a bit disappointing after playing it.  You play a dark elf who shoots arrows at spiders in a forest clearing.  I think they got a little lazy since the graphics look like they were lifted directly from NES Zelda.  The music is also just 8-bit versions of classical tunes, which is both disappointing and accurate at the same time, since a lot of old games used classical pieces as their music.  Many old games were made by just a few people and they might’ve not had been composers.  Classical pieces were already written and most in the public domain, heck, even titles like Gyruss and Mario Bros. used classical pieces as their music.  At any rate, Shadow Archer is like a game I would’ve rented once on the NES and that’s it.

Solitairica (iPad)

At PAX West I met with some folks who made a Solitaire game with RPG battle elements, so I reviewed their game later, too.  It’s pretty good, but I think I like Pocket Card Jockey better.

Woody: Endless Summer (iPhone)

When I read in the press release that this game stars a wakeboarding dog, it caught my curiosity.  But the game is just something that you’d find in a bonus stage in a regular 2-D platformer, really. What’s weird is that when I downloaded this game on my iPad, it only downloaded on my iPhone, and I couldn’t even find it on my iPad.  That was weird.  I’ve reviewed lots of games on my iPad and I’ve never had that happen to me before.

Fancy Cats (iPad)

And finally is this match three puzzler where you spend your winnings on things to feed and dress up cats.  I only downloaded it because a Facebook friend of mine (who also frequented 1up), draws these characters calls Fancy Cats, and I thought it might be the same thing.  But I don’t think it is.

And that’s it for this batch!  Thanks so much for reading my reviews and commenting on them.  I really appreciate it!  Later!  --Cary