PixlBit

I’ve noticed that many of my most recent reviews lately at GamerDad.com have been games for little kids.  And I’m OK with that!  Kids deserve good games, too, and it’s great when companies make games just for them.  And I love reviewing them, too, for some reason.  Anyway, please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe even post a ‘like’ or comment or two.  I’d appreciate it.

Paw Patrol: On a Roll (Switch)

The Nick Jr. block of TV programs for very young kids have had many popular shows over the years.  Some I’m sure you’ve heard of, like Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer.  Clearly the most popular one now is Paw Patrol.  It’s a CG cartoon about a boy who has a group of puppies, each one represented by a government-minded job (police, firefighter, etc.) and together they help people in their community and beyond.  The video game it’s based on is a simple 2-D platformer for the very young, but it’s still pretty cute, just like the show.  Usually these types of games have been only on mobile devices lately, so that shows you how popular Paw Patrol is if they put it on a console!  The only problem I have with Paw Patrol is that it is clearly made to sell toys, as everything in the show just screams, “make a cool toy out of me.”  But the show is so cute and has good messages so I can let that slide a little bit.  So who is your favorite Paw Patrol pup?  Let me know in the comments section.  Mine is Rocky the garbage dog, because when I was a kid, I was fascinated by the garbage truck when it went by every week, for some reason.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers (Switch)

This is your standard kart racer featuring Nickelodeon characters, like SpongeBob, Rugrats, Hey, Arnold, and TMNT.  Much inspiration was taken from Mario Kart 8 and Sonic Racing Transformed.  I do like how they implemented green slime in the game.  I do wish they had characters from other Nick properties like Invader ZIM or Rocko’s Modern Life, although I do think it’s cool that Reptar is in this.  But really the worst offender in this game is that there are no voices.  Characters react with text on the bottom of the screen.  I know that may not be a game changer for most people, but it really just cheapens the game and takes away from what would’ve been some potential personality.

Crayola Scoot (Switch)

This is just Tony Hawk meets Splatoon.  But it’s a great extreme sports game for kids so I’m OK with it.  When the Tony Hawk games were first popular, I didn’t understand why.  But one of the first games I reviewed at GamerDad.com was a GameCube game called Disney Skate Adventure.  It was like a Tony Hawk game with Disney characters and settings.  In fact, it was made by the same folks who did the Tony Hawk games!  And it was pretty good, too!  Crayola Scoot isn’t as good as Disney Skate Adventure was, but I can understand now why people like these kinds of games at least.

Cartoon Network Party Dash (iPad)

In this free mobile game, you control Cartoon Network characters as they run and dash through a downward vertically scrolling 2-D platforming challenge.  Play control is awful and the game isn’t very good.

Salary Man Escape (PS4)

This is a unique physics based puzzler where you must move blocks so that a business man has a safe path to a door.  So it’s a bit like Jenga.  The Japanese music and humor make me think of other games like Katamari Damacy and Intelligent Qube.

Fishing Sim World (PS4)

And last is this really awful fishing game.  I’ve played and reviewed a lot of fishing games over the years, so I know what’s good and bad.  This one has horrible tutorials, and overly complicated controls.  The only good thing is the graphics, but that just makes the wonky reeling movements and three frame boat wake animations even more jarring.  Real life fishing is way more fun, and less complicated, than this.

And that’s all for now!  Thanks for reading and posting ‘likes’ and comments.  I appreciate it.  Later!  --Cary