Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Games!
So we all know that Wallace and Gromit have had lots of stop motion clay adventures on the small and big screen. But did you know they’ve had quite a lot of video games, too? They’re both old and recent and cover a wide variety of genres, too! So to end Wallace and Gromit Week, I thought we’d go over all their video games here. And if there were/are any mobile games or browser games starring them, I won’t be going over those. Either I missed out on them or don’t feel like going THAT deep.
PowerWash Simulator: Wallace and Gromit Special Pack (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
A couple of years ago I reviewed a game called PowerWash Simulator. It’s a game where you use a power washer to hose down all sorts of things. Yeah they’ll make a game out of anything nowadays, won’t they? But since it is a video game, they got pretty imaginative with it, and you could download all sorts of DLC to power wash things like Final Fantasy 7 vehicles, Lara Croft’s mansion from Tomb Raider, Back to the Future vehicles, SpongeBob’s neighborhood, and Shrek’s swamp. All of those are cool and all, but it wasn’t enough to make me want to get them and play the game again. That is, until recently when they added a Wallace and Gromit pack. So I caved in and had to review it. Wallace’s inventions have made a mess of his house and machines, so he invents the WashLad to clean things up! The DLC and the game are available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Let’s Rank the Wallace and Gromit Movies and Shorts!
I’ve been on a stop motion animation and Wallace and Gromit kick lately, thanks to watching the new movie on Netflix a month or so ago and playing new games and DLC based on the franchise. So I’ve declared this week to be Wallace and Gromit Week here at GamerDad! All this week we’ll be looking at Wallace and Gromit films and games, and we’ll start off by ranking the movies and shorts! So grab your cheese and crackers and let’s begin!
The Pizza Pixel Podcast Episode 24: Favorite Anime
On our last few podcasts we’ve been talking about our favorite cartoons. We did one on our favorite Saturday morning cartoons, and one on our favorite adult cartoons and one on kids cartoons. And now we’re doing one on our favorite Japanese anime cartoons! I’m not really that big into anime but this ended up being one of our longest podcasts anyway, so I hope you get to give it a listen please! Just click on the link below!
Catch Pokémon in McDonald’s Happy Meals!
Let’s Get Dangerous!
Late last year, I was a guest star on a cartoon podcast that a few of my friends do. The topic was Darkwing Duck, an early 90s cartoon on The Disney Afternoon. I was really glad to be on it, and I’m very thankful they invited me. So please click on the link below and listen to it if you can. Thanks!
Care Bears: To the Rescue (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
There are many toy lines that came out in the 80s when I was a kid that are still popular today. Some examples would be Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, etc. Another example that I didn’t know about until now was Care Bears. That was huge when I was a kid, and they had lots of toys, plush, several cartoons, and even some movies! I think even I saw the first Care Bears movie when I was a kid (I remember it being surprisingly dark), and that movie even made more money than the Disney cartoon film it was competing against (granted that Disney movie was The Black Cauldron, but still). And now you can play a video game starring those colorful bears! Some bad guys have planted a Bad Seed in the forest where the Care Bears live, and it’s up to them to get rid of the evil purple plants that have taken over. Care Bears: To the Rescue is a four player simultaneous 2D platformer, and it’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
The Smurfs: Dreams (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
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. I’ve reviewed quite a few of them, which include 3D platformers, kart racers, and even educational titles. The Smurfs: Dreams is a fixed camera 3D platformer, so it plays most like Super Mario 3D World. In the game, the evil Gargemel has sprinkled a magic potion on the Smurf Berry bushes, so when the Smurfs have breakfast the next morning, they instantly fall fast asleep and get lost in their dreams. You play as a Smurf who has to enter the dream worlds to rescue the others, and the game is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
The Pizza Pixel Podcast Episode 22: Favorite Adult Cartoons
On this episode of The Pizza Pixel Podcast, my brother Jeff and I talk about our favorite cartoons with more adult humor and themes. Most of the time our podcasts are fairly family friendly, and this one is, too. But we do talk about some cartoons that younger kids may not be ready for yet, so just keep that in mind if you listen to this podcast with your kids. But it’s still mostly family friendly. Please click on the link below and give it a listen if you can. I’d really appreciate it. There’s a short little secret song at the end, too!
The Pizza Pixel Podcast Episode 21: Saturday Morning Fever
Get a bowl of your favorite sugary cereal ready, because in this episode of The Pizza Pixel Podcast, my brother Jeff and I talk about our favorite Saturday Morning cartoons! Those are kind of a thing of the past thanks to streaming services and whatnot. But for a good long while, they sure were big with kids.