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Merry Christmas everyone!  It’s that time of year again when I have my Pretend Christmas Present Party!  You know how it works.  In the comments section, you give me a pretend Christmas present.  It can be anything you want, it’s the thought that counts…literally!  And when I reply, I’ll give you a pretend Christmas present too!  It’s fun when it’s fun.  And I’ve got some other presents for you, too!  Game reviews I’ve recently written over at GamerDad.com.  Just what you always wanted!  Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe post a ‘like’ or comment or two.  I’d appreciate it.  OK let’s begin!

Hallmark 2023 Video Game Christmas Ornaments

Hallmark always has a wide variety of Christmas ornaments every year, and in the past few years they’ve even had lots of video game themed ones!  I got a bunch of them this year as well, as I always do, so let’s take a look at them!  This year has one I’d never expect them to do, but you’ll just to have read the article to find out what it is!

The Smurfs 2: The Prisoner of the Green Stone (PS4)

In the distant past, long before streaming services and 24-hour cartoon channels, there was a thing called Saturday Morning Cartoons.  Kids back then, me included, looked forward to this time because it was one of the only times TV was made just for kids.  And as a child of the 80s, one of the most popular of these cartoons I remember was The Smurfs.  Originally a European comic strip, The Smurfs gained popularity in the US from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon.  I was never a super big fan of it, but I watched it anyway because, one, kids will watch pretty much anything.  And two, it came on right before the Pac-Man cartoon.  In recent years, The Smurfs have had a bit of a resurgence with a handful of computer animated movies and specials, and a new series on Nickelodeon.  And that begat a few Smurfs games, too.  Like a kart racer I reviewed last year, and a 3D platformer I reviewed the year before that called The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf.  The Smurfs 2: The Prisoner of the Green Stone is the sequel to that game.  In this installment, Handy Smurf has invented the Smurfomix, a gun that shoots out pastries and cakes.  But he’s having trouble getting it to work right so he decides to sneak into Gargamel’s Lair to use a magic green stone to help improve it.  But when Handy accidentally breaks the green stone, a mysterious being named Stolas is freed and wreaks havoc and scattered green crystals everywhere.  Now Handy, Brainy, Storm, and the other Smurfs must make a temporary alliance with Gargamel to stop the chaos and save the day.  It’s a bit of a shock, but this game is actually kind of good!

Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission (PS4)

Taito has made a name for themselves with famous arcade titles with worldwide popularity.  Notable ones include Space Invaders, Bubble Bubble, and Bust-A-Move.  Another super popular arcade game they made was Operation Wolf.  It was a light gun game with military themes, and while it certainly wasn’t the first light gun game, it really helped boost that genre’s popularity.  It spawned many ports and sequels, like Operation Thunderbolt.  Fun fact: In the movie Wonder Woman 84, when she is beating up the bad guys in the mall, you can see an arcade in the background and an Operation Wolf machine!  Of course, the movie was supposed to be set in 1984 and Operation Wolf didn’t come out until 1987, but I guess I’m the only one who would notice that.  Anyway, now there is a new game in the series with Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission.

NASCAR Arcade Rush (PS4)

Get ready for the craziest NASCAR game ever!  I think this game just got the license to use the NASCAR official track logos and that’s it, because the rest of the game is its own thing.  You’ll race around official tracks like Daytona and Talladega, but these aren’t just your typical ovals.  No, these circuits have twists, turns, boost pads, and more!  It’s more imaginative and based on fantasy and is very arcade-like. 

Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures (Switch)

For nearly every little girl who loves to play with Barbie dolls, the ultimate dream is to own Barbie’s Dreamhouse, a giant dollhouse for Barbie and her friends.  And now your little girl can have that dreamhouse without having to put in a second mortgage and spend all night putting it together with Barbie Dreamhouse Adventure.  It’s basically a virtual dollhouse for the Switch. When I first popped this review copy into my Switch, the game seemed vaguely familiar.  Turns out I reviewed this game five years ago when it was just a mobile app.  But this version takes out all the in-game purchase crap and adds a bunch of new things, so that’s good.  As a 47 year old man, I don’t have any interest in Barbie, but the franchise sure did get a boost of popularity this past year with that new live action movie that just came out (never saw it myself).  But let’s take a tour of Barbie’s Dreamhouse and see what all you can do!

Little Friends: Puppy Island (Switch)

I’m honestly surprised there hasn’t been a Nintendogs game on Switch yet.  Luckily there’s Little Friends: Puppy Island to fill in the gap.  You and your pup are vacationing on an island, watching a house for a friend.  This house has a backyard with all sorts of things to take care of puppies, and as you take yours on walks, you’ll meet new puppy friends to take care of, items to find, and things to build on the trails.

Alive Paint (PS4)

Alive Paint is a virtual coloring book program where when you finish a picture, it starts a little animation. 

Swapshot (PS4)

Help a space lady make it to the exit of each level in this hybrid single screen 2D precision platformer mixed with an action puzzle game.  Your heroine has a gun that when you hit a box with a bullet, you’ll swap places with it.  Use this skill to solve all sorts of puzzles and bypass obstacles in Swapshot.

And that’s all for now!  Thanks for reading my reviews and posting ‘likes’ and comments on them!  I really appreciate it.  And don’t forget those pretend Christmas presents!  Later!  --Cary