Game Review: Rune Factory 2 (DS)
The Harvest Moon series of farming simulation console games have made many improvements and additions over the past ten years, but the basic gameplay idea has always been the same. Grow crops and raise farm animals for money, and make friends in the nearby town and possibly marry and start a family. But something always seemed amiss: action packed battles! Now that void has been filled with Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon for the DS. It’s one of the best Harvest Moon games yet!
Game Review: Neopets Puzzle Adventure (DS, Wii, PC)
2008 GamerDad Holiday Game Guide
Life during the Holiday shopping season is just too busy without having to wade through game review after game review – especially when they aren’t written by actual GamerParents who understand kids gaming habits. Here at GamerDad we believe that there are great games available for kids of all ages – and some games that are more appropriate for one age group than another. Check out each of our Holiday Shopping Guides to see some of the best games we’ve played for each age group.
Unplugged: 2008 Holiday Game Guide
My favorite gaming experiences are almost exclusively multiplayer games. Multiplayer boardgames have an advantage over their electronic cousins as players can face one another as they gather around the game board. In addition to increasing social interaction, boardgames have the advantage of far better longevity. A $50 video game may be in the $10 bargain bin in a few years while a boardgame will retain its value for years to come. Here are some of my favorites I’ve come across in the past year.
Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods – The Gods Must Be Crazy!
I enjoyed making some in-progress notes for Fallout 3, and decided to continue this by taking a first look at the recently released expansions for the Gothic and Neverwinter Nights franchises. I will start by looking at the just-released expansion to 2006’s Gothic 3, called ‘Forsaken Gods’. The original game met with significant criticism due to poor performance, long load-times, and general bugginess. There were also issues with combat that were generally worked out in the patches, but all of these left the game with a terrible reputation. Since then there has been soap opera-level drama between developer Pirahna Bytes and publisher JoWood, resulting in a parting of ways – JoWood hired another studio to work on the expansion and next game in the Gothic franchise, and PB was free to pursue new properties. Despite the loss of the original team that brought us the Gothic universe, many fans were cautiously optimistic that this expansion would not only deliver a thrilling new chapter, but also help redeem the franchise in the eyes of gamers. So how did they do? more…