March of Reviews

On 03/12/2013 at 08:21 PM by Cary Woodham

Well it’s another batch of reviews I’ve been writing recently for GamerDad.com this time, folks. Please click on and read as many as you can, I’d appreciate it.

It actually really helps when you all click on and read my reviews. Those of you from 1up.com have heard my woes about not being able to get a media pass for E3 this year, even though I’ve had no trouble in getting a pass for the past 15 years I’ve been writing game reviews. But this year, apparently, they want your site to have an ungodly amount of hits before they consider you, and the GamerDad.com site doesn’t get enough hits from them, even though the site’s been around in some form or fashion for nearly ten years. But at the suggestion of E3 media staff, I may ask them to reconsider at the end of March, so maybe I can have enough hits by then? Who knows? Worth a shot, anyway.

And for those of you on PixlBit, you can see my reviews on my intro page as well. I do wish they would allow you to make things have clickable links on your profile, though. Maybe that’s something the web site fixer-uppers can do someday. I did notice we can do private messages now. I have to say that I have enjoyed my first few weeks here at PixlBit. Definitely looking like it’ll be my new 1up.com.

So let’s get on to the reviews!

Angry Birds Easter Egg Decorating Kit

Not really a review, but I found this at Target the other day and since it is video game related, I decided to make a post about it. I think it’s pretty funny. And since I didn’t know where to put it, I also put a picture of an arcade fighting joystick I saw that was pretty cool. It was Street Fighter X Sanrio. I’m not really in the market for a fighting joystick, but if I was, this would be the one I would get. Sure it has Hello Kitty characters and is pink, but they’re dressed as Street Fighter characters! How cool is that?

Star Wars Pinball (360)

It’s a pack of 3 tables based on Star Wars properties for Zen’s pinball hubs (like Pinball FX2). There are three tables: The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett, and The Clone Wars (based on the CG cartoon). They’re all pretty neat, but I wish they would’ve just done three tables based on the original trilogy since the Empire table is the best. I don’t go ga-ga over Star Wars or anything, but I like it pretty well since it was so popular when I was a kid.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Decade Duels Plus (PS3)

When my brother Jeff was a kid, he was really into Yu-Gi-Oh. When I started playing this game, I waded through a couple of the tedious tutorials and then said, ‘screw it, I’m just going to play.’ And I had no idea what I was doing, even though I’ve reviewed Yu-Gi-Oh video games in the past. Then Jeff popped in and won the first two rounds effortlessly. So you have to know what you’re doing to enjoy this game. I gotta hand it to kids today; they can learn to play some pretty complicated stuff. They’re smarter than what we give kids credit for a lot of times. Jeff says that Yu-Gi-Oh is even more complicated than the Magic card game! I guess Yu-Gi-Oh is still popular if they still make games about it!

When Jeff was little, I bought him a lot of card packs for Yu-Gi-Oh. But I gave him one rule that if he got any cards based on classic Konami characters; he had to give them to me. I was hoping to make a deck of nothing but video game characters. Sure it would’ve sucked, but I didn’t care. Not like I was going to play it anyway. So I got Vic Viper, Options, and Big Core cards from Gradius, the paper airplane stick guys from Parodious, and Sasuke and Lady Ninja Yae from Goemon. Except in the Goemon games, Yae is short and squatty, and on the Yu-Gi-Oh card she’s all sleek and sexy. Does anyone know if there are any other Konami game character cameos in Yu-Gi-Oh card form?

Brain Age: Concentration Training (3DS)

This is actually a pretty big review, and I was considering posting it as a blog here, too. But I decided to keep this one on the GamerDad.com site. I actually have a strong interest in educational games for some reason, so I like to review as many as I can. When E3 was new, a lot of educational game developers would attend, and I loved visiting their booths. I miss those days sometimes.

Bit.Trip Runner 2 (Wii U)

I talked about Bit.Trip games a lot in my last blog, so I won’t overdo it here. The sequel to Runner is very good, although it’s a bit hard. The graphics aren’t retro anymore, which I miss, but the new graphics are still charming and quirky. You can unlock retro themed levels, though, and they look like Adventure Island to me. Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario, does an announcer voice for this game, so it adds a bit of charm and polish to an otherwise great game. If you love the Bit.Trip titles and challenging games in general, give this one a whirl.

Penumbear (iPad)

This is a puzzle platformer where you play as a bear and can walk on shadows like platforms. So puzzles involve switching on and off lights that cast shadows you can use to bypass obstacles. The touch screen controls are a little wonky, but otherwise this is a pretty clever little oddity.

Dollar Dash (360)

In this multiplayer game you run around a top-screen viewed playfield and try to get the most cash while thwarting the other players. It’s really only fun if you have other human players, as the CPU is brutal. It really just reminded me of an extension of a few Mario Party games, though, so I wasn’t as impressed. It did make me think of a game I played a lot on my Apple ][+ back in the day, though, called Spare Change. Anyone remember that? No, I didn’t think so. I’m old.

Conclusions

And that’s all for now! Next time on my blog, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re going to take a look at one of gaming’s most famous green-clad heroes. Can you guess who it is?

I can’t really think of what you can comment on in this blog, but I did get Wreck-It Ralph on Blu-Ray recently (pause the movie and see what happens, it’s pretty cool). So I started thinking about what game world I would best fit in. And I couldn’t decide. So you get to pick one out for me. What video game world would I be a best fit for, and tell me what game world you’d like to be in, too! Later! --Cary

Aboboisdaman

03/12/2013 at 08:38 PM

I clicked on all your reviews Cary.

There's only one game I think you would be perfect for. Good ol God of War lol. Just kidding. Pac Man for you! I don't think you could ever possibly guess what game I'd like to be in.

Cary Woodham

03/12/2013 at 08:43 PM

So in Pac-Man, would I be a ghost? You know, my grandfather's name was Clyde, and my grandmother's name is Sue.

You'd like to be in Double Dragon? Sounds dangerous! I like the Neon game, though. 80's cheese rocks!

03/12/2013 at 08:49 PM

I was thinking you could be Pac Man. I didn't know that about your grandpa though, so a ghost makes sense. My grandma's name is Sue too!

03/13/2013 at 05:36 AM

I actually like the ghosts just as much, if not more than, Pac-Man himself.

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/12/2013 at 08:59 PM

The fixer-upper in chief is Nick Dimola (I really hope I spelled that right), he's been doing a fantastic job of updating this site since us 1uppers got here, and he welcomes suggestions. Just keep in mind he and the rest of the people that run this site have day jobs, as I don't think Pixlbit is a huge revenue source, so be patient, but he seems to crank out solutions in no time, so I definitely think it's worth bringing to his attention.

And now, to click and comment on your links.

03/12/2013 at 09:46 PM

Ok, comments are there now. Glad you got Wreck it Ralph. Didn't see your conclusion before, could Link, my avatar, be the one of whom you speak? lol I changed to him for March.

As for game world, I think you'd fit best in the Mushroom Kingdom, I'd imagine you being Toad or one of Toad's friends.

I don't know what game world I'd belong in, really.

03/13/2013 at 05:39 AM

Oh I don't expect any of my suggestions to be implemented right away if at all. I really don't expect PixlBit staff to read my silly blogs at all. They probably have more important things to worry about.

Thanks for commenting on my reviews! That's super awesome!

Nope, the green clad game hero in my next blog is not Link. Keep trying! Hint: think of a game coming out soon...

Yeah, I'd love to help guard Peach in the Mushroom Kingdom. I think I'd be good at that.

03/13/2013 at 12:56 PM

Luigi, got it. lol I think, anyway.

03/13/2013 at 06:37 PM

Well it ain't Lara Croft. :)

Jamie Alston Staff Writer

03/12/2013 at 09:30 PM

Cary, I have got to get my hands on a Wreck-It Ralph movie. I let it slip by while it was in theaters, but now I'm ready for it. I've heard that its a really good movie.

03/13/2013 at 05:42 AM

Oh I can't believe you haven't seen it yet. You'd really like it. It may not be Pixar quality, but it's stil lots of fun for gamers!

Matt Snee Staff Writer

03/12/2013 at 09:50 PM

I did my clicking... I'd like to belong in the FFIX game world. That would be nice.

Penumbear looks nice, it's too bad the controls are wonky.

If we lived in the FF9 world, we'd be the tallest people there. :)

leeradical42

03/12/2013 at 11:34 PM

Yu Gi Oh decade duels is an awesome game im 47 and beat kids and adults alike I love card games and I got this on XBLA and play alot good read i must say thanks.

03/13/2013 at 05:43 AM

Wow I can't believe so many people still play Yu-Gi-Oh!

Serraxor

03/12/2013 at 11:44 PM

Runner 2 is the best game I've played this year. Could be my GOTY, and that's a sentiment I'm sticking to!

03/13/2013 at 05:44 AM

Runner 2 as Game of the Year? Wow, that's a pretty bold statement, even for me. Right now my favorite game of 2013 is Ni no Kuni, but Animal Crossing: New Leaf comes out in June...

03/13/2013 at 10:43 AM

Neither of which have grabbed me interest-wise. I was done with Animal Crossing back on the gamecube and Ni No Kuni is just not my speed.

03/13/2013 at 06:39 PM

Oh I love Animal Crossing. I play each version for about a year before getting tired of it. The GameCube AC game is one of my top five favorite games of all time. I'll probably be a raving maniac when the 3DS one comes out.

03/13/2013 at 07:26 PM

Yeah, the GC version was tops. I was in heavy competition with my wife to get all the fish. I won.

03/14/2013 at 05:44 AM

I got everything in the museum in the GC version except for a couple of bugs. The bee and one of the dragonflies were hard to catch!

mothman

03/13/2013 at 11:59 AM

Definitely Animal Crossing. You could be one of the residents.

Oh and I clicked on all your reviews. Even *shudder* Angry Birds.

Yeah but it was about an Angry Birds Easter Egg kit, that's pretty cool, right?

Thanks for reading my reviews!

03/13/2013 at 06:56 PM

Even seeing pictures of Angry Birds makes me an Angry Moth. LOL

Easter Eggs are cool though. :)

03/13/2013 at 06:59 PM

One of my co-workers has a four-year-old daughter, and one time at the store, she told me her daughter said, "I don't want an Angry Bird, I want a Happy Bird!"

03/13/2013 at 07:01 PM

LOL. That's perfect. Kids are so honest.

03/14/2013 at 05:45 AM

And who doesn't want a happy bird?

03/14/2013 at 02:11 PM

Maybe someone who trains birds to hunt and kill. No wait, that would be Hungry Birds.

03/14/2013 at 07:18 PM

Ravenous Birds

You know, birds in video games are usually pretty mean.

Ranger1

03/14/2013 at 10:09 AM

I will go to GamerDad and go click-crazy if it helps get you to E3. I like the site anyway and recommend it to all my friends with kids.

I can see you in Ni No Kuni.

03/14/2013 at 07:19 PM

Not as Drippy, I hope! :) Ha ha!

03/15/2013 at 12:00 AM

No, more like yourself.

03/15/2013 at 05:36 AM

You know, a couple of years ago I had a dream one night that I was in a Final Fantasy game, and the storyline in my dream was more interesting than most modern FF games today!

Nick DiMola Director

03/14/2013 at 10:19 AM

The requirements for E3 have gotten completely out of hand. We still haven't applied yet because we're waiting for the uptick in viewership to register and hopefully that gets us a couple passes.

Last year we were just flat out denied for any passes and only got one the year before that. I'm not really sure how many sites out there are really posting the numbers they expect. My guess is that they want more passes for paid attendees (i.e. exhibitors) and as such have snubbed a large portion of the smaller gaming media.

Sadly, I think this has really filtered up to the exhibitors and I don't think E3 has maintained the same presence it once had. These days it seems like all of the big news is released in private press events for a select group. Furthermore, the really big deal stuff at E3 is all demoed privately for the big sites who are "judges." One day I need to write a Rage Quit on the absolute BS of the politics of this industry.

Of course, I don't do this for a living, so it's not like it's a huge deal for me from a monetary standpoint, but a lot of the joy has gotten sucked from being enthusiast press in this day and age.

03/14/2013 at 07:20 PM

I'm glad E3 has strict rules on getting in, but I think they should look more than just site hits. Like experience, for instance. They KNOW I've been going since 1997...

03/14/2013 at 07:32 PM

Yeah, absolutely agreed. There should definitely be more criteria for acceptance, but I don't get the impression that the folks who did the admittance are exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. Furthermore, they seem to look primarily at data from compete.com, which is honestly complete and total garbage. But whatever, it's not even worth complaining any more. /endrant

03/14/2013 at 07:37 PM

Yeah I thought about writing a whole blog ranting about the whole situation, but eh, I probably won't. Hopefully I'll still be able to get into PAX Prime!

smartcelt

03/14/2013 at 09:08 PM

GamerDad looks like a terrific site. Will definitely be checking that out later tonight. Great reviews!

03/15/2013 at 05:37 AM

Thanks! I hope you can continue to visit in the future, too!

03/15/2013 at 10:24 AM

I will do that. My son and I game each day. Have for a long time now. He's now 21 but we still enjoy our time together and share similar taste in games.

03/15/2013 at 10:33 PM

That's great that you still share the same tastes in games. As my little brothers grew up, so did their tastes in games and now they don't want to play the silly, kiddy games I still enjoy.

PixlBit