The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
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Posted on December 24th, 2021 by
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 now there’s a new Smurfs 3-D platformer game. In Mission Vileaf, the evil wizard Gargamel has created a plant that can capture Smurfs and lead him to their hidden village. But luckily, Handy Smurf has invented the Smurfizer, a backpack spray gun that can destroy the plants and restore the vegetation that the Vileaf has contaminated. Now it’s up to Hefty, Brainy, Smurfette, and more to use the Smurfizer to de-contaminate their forest home and stop Gargamel’s plans. The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf is available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on November 12th, 2021 by
For several generations, youngsters have enjoyed watching shows on the Nickelodeon cable channel for kids. Heck, even when I was little back in the 80’s, I enjoyed watching Nick shows such as You Can’t Do that on Television, Danger Mouse, and Double Dare. Even more recently I’ve been known to watch shows on that channel like Invader ZIM and The Penguins of Madagascar. My younger brothers would watch shows on Nickelodeon, too, such as Rugrats and SpongeBob Squarepants. And now there is a fighting game featuring Nick’s vast history of cartoon stars. So yeah, it’s basically Smash Bros. with Nickelodeon characters. It’s available on nearly all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Pokémon Unite (Switch, Mobile)
Posted on September 10th, 2021 by
I don’t really play a whole lot of PC games, so I’m not familiar with MOBA titles. MOBA stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, by the way. But when a free-to-play Pokémon themed MOBA came out a while back, I knew I had to try it and review it! In the game you control your Pokémon directly as you work in teams of five to score goals on your opponent’s side. If you wanted me to describe it in my own inexperienced words, I’d say it’s like Pokémon mixed with basketball. I know people would disagree with that description, but that’s how I saw it. Anyway, Pokémon Unite is available for Switch and mobile devices, but reviewed on Switch here.
Dreamworks’ Spirit: Lucky’s Big Adventure (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on June 28th, 2021 by
I have a younger cousin who lives in Alabama who just loved horses as a kid. One time when I came to visit she had a N64 and a copy of Ocarina of Time and wanted me to help her get to the part of the game where she could ride the horse. So I played to that point and gave the controller to her and that’s all she did! A few years later when I came back to visit, there was an animated movie in theaters that we took her to see called Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and she loved it! Bottom line is, kids love horses. And why wouldn’t they? Horses are pretty cool animals. And now there is a computer animated spin-off series of Spirit on Netflix, plus a new movie based on the Netflix show out now in theaters. And now you can play a game based on the new movie and Netflix series with Dreamworks’ Spirit: Lucky’s Big Adventure. It’s available on nearly all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
What The Dub?! (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox X, PC)
Posted on May 14th, 2021 by
You wanna know what my all-time favorite TV show in the whole wide world is? It’s Mystery Science Theater 3000. Man I love that show! In it, a guy and two robot puppets are sent out in a space station by two mad scientists, and are forced to watch bad movies and make fun of them. You might’ve seen this show and not even realized it, because most of it is just the old movie with a silhouette of theater seats and the characters at the bottom talking all throughout the movie. It hasn’t been on TV in a long time, but you can still catch it in syndication and on Netflix. Some of the show’s creators and stars have gone on to do similar works, like Rifftrax, which are great, too. But MST3K is still my favorite. Since I like video games a lot, I always thought it would be neat if they made an MST3K video game. But until they do, What the Dub?! may be the closest thing to that. It’s a party game where you watch clips of old movies, type in missing dialogue in your phone, and vote on the funniest submissions. It’s available for nearly all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Cary’s Favorite Pokémon Spin-Off Games
Posted on April 30th, 2021 by
I’m really excited about the upcoming release of New Pokémon Snap. The original was a special game to me, and I’ll explain why in this blog. The mainline Pokémon games are great, but I haven’t played any of the more recent ones because I feel they are all pretty much the same game. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Why fix what isn’t broken? And with every new generation of Pokémon game comes a new generation of kids to enjoy them, and while they may be the same game to me, it’s new to them. While I haven’t played a new mainline Pokémon game since Black & White, I still like the Pokémon settings and characters and do enjoy a lot of the spin-off games. So in this blog we’re going to take a look at some of my favorite Pokémon spin-off games in honor of the upcoming release of New Pokémon Snap!
Funko Pop Blitz (Mobile)
Posted on November 25th, 2020 by
Those big-headed, soulless black eyed Funko Pop figurines are EVERYWHERE! And pretty much any movie, TV, comic book, even food commercial characters have their own figure. I’ve tried to stay away from them, myself, since I’m already so bad with amiibo figures, but even I have a few of them. I had to have all the Pac-Man ones, because you know I would. Plus I’ve got a couple of other video game related ones I’ve found on sale. And now there is a match three puzzle game on mobile devices featuring Funko Pop characters!
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Posted on November 11th, 2020 by
A couple of years ago I reviewed Nickelodeon Kart Racers, a kart racing game featuring characters and tracks from multiple generations of cartoons from kids’ cable channel Nickelodeon. Now it’s back with a sequel with more characters, more tracks, and just more stuff in general. It’s available on all current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Pokémon Café Mix (Switch, Mobile)
Posted on July 17th, 2020 by
You’re about to open up a café that serves food especially for Pokémon! And the waiters and cooks are Pokémon as well! Help prepare delicious dishes for your Poke-pals in this free-to-start puzzle game for Switch and mobile devices (reviewed on Switch here). Stir around Pokémon head icons to match them and make them disappear. It kind of reminds me of other action puzzle games on mobile like Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble or the Disney Tsum Tsum game.
Pokémon Smile (Mobile)
Posted on July 15th, 2020 by
Pokémon has delighted and entertained kids for generations, and now the little pocket monsters are helping make brushing teeth a little more fun. Pokémon Smile is a brushing app for mobile devices (reviewed on iPhone here) geared towards very young children. Best of all, it’s completely free with no in-game ads or purchases. Not sure how it makes money, but good for them! But will it make kids excited to brush their teeth? You’ll just have to read on to find out!
