Welcome to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. My name is Andrew S. Bub - the GamerDad - and I've been writing about videogames, movies, and children for over 15 years now. After working as a magazine journalist, I switched gears to write about how media violence affects children, educating parents about them, and working closely with magazines, newspapers, major retailers and even politicians. GamerDad is an internationally recognized expert in this field. Games, movies and media are fun, kids and families love them, they aren't going away. So join me in cutting through the hype and lets have a real conversation about the things that matter: Video Games, Violent Media, and their supposed effect on children and families.
Welcome to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. My name is Andrew S. Bub - the GamerDad - and I've been writing about videogames, movies, and children for over 15 years now. After working as a magazine journalist, I switched gears to write about how media violence affects children, educating parents about them, and working closely with magazines, newspapers, major retailers and even politicians. GamerDad is an internationally recognized expert in this field. Games, movies and media are fun, kids and families love them, they aren't going away. So join me in cutting through the hype and lets have a real conversation about the things that matter: Video Games, Violent Media, and their supposed effect on children and families.
Cash Cow DX (Switch, PC)
Add Comment
Posted on October 9th, 2024 by
Help a cow grab all the gold in this action game that looks like it came from the 80s golden age of arcades. This game is kind of a mix of Sonic the Hedgehog (there’s even loops on one stage), combined with the platform gameplay of something like Miner 2049er. Cash Cow DX is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Kiki: A Vibrant 3D Platformer (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on October 7th, 2024 by
Kiki may be vibrant, but it’s still a pretty bare bones 3D platformer. View the action in first person perspective as you jump over pits, avoid obstacles like sawblades, and collect stars and trophies as you make your way to the exit. Kiki is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Aero the Acro-Bat 2 (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S)
Posted on October 4th, 2024 by
About a month or so ago I reviewed a re-release of Aero the Acro-Bat, a 16-bit 2D mascot platformer. I rented the game back in the day and honestly didn’t like it very much. But I was glad to be able to review it again because I’m always willing to give a game a second chance. Unfortunately, since I didn’t like the game when I first played it, I never bothered with the sequels and spinoffs so I never got a chance to see how they may have improved. So I’m glad I got a chance to try Aero the Acro-Bat 2. In the game, Aero finds a magician’s box that transports him to all sorts of different worlds and it’s up to him to save the day again in new environments. I believe this re-release is still the SNES version, and it’s available on all current consoles but reviewed on Switch here.
Mining Mechs (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on October 2nd, 2024 by
Drive robot mechs underground as you search for treasure in Mining Mechs. It’s a 2D action adventure game and kind of reminds me of Steamworld Dig mixed with elements of Terraria. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Bare Butt Boxing (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on September 30th, 2024 by
Box all sorts of crazy characters in this madcap multiplayer romp. Play as a frog, fish, skeleton, robots, and more as you punch other players into warp holes for points. Bare Butt Boxing is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Bakeru (Switch, PC)
Posted on September 27th, 2024 by
Well this game certainly took me by surprise, as it’s one of the best games I’ve played this year so far! Bakeru is set in an alternate version of Japan, where fairy tale heroes are real. You play as Bakeru, a shape-shifting tanuki who attacks enemies with taiko drumsticks in his human form. You’ll travel around this cartoony version of Japan in a 3D platformer style adventure. The Japanese themes remind me a lot of games like Okami and the Goemon games (Mystical Ninja in the US). In fact, Good Feel made Bakeru, and one of the guys who founded that company used to work for Konami and made a lot of the Goemon games. So many people say that Bakeru is like a spiritual successor to those. Good Feel also made many games for Nintendo, some of which include Wario Land: Shake it, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, and Yoshi’s Woolly World. And Bakeru is just as good as anything Nintendo has produced this year so far, and it’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Cooking (Switch)
Posted on September 25th, 2024 by
This game may have the most unoriginal title ever, but at least you know what you’re getting. Cooking on Switch looks and plays nearly identical to a game I reviewed a few months back called Tokyo Cooking, except they improved on it in every way. Kind of makes me wonder why they released that one first when they could’ve just done this one. Anyway, you can probably guess what kind of game this is.
SokoPenguin (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on September 23rd, 2024 by
Pengo was one of my favorite arcade games and was one of the few that could pull me away from Pac-Man. So I’m drawn to any type of game starring a block pushing penguin. SokoPenguin is more of a puzzle game where you must push blocks around to make a path so a little penguin can reach its igloo house. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Shadow of the Ninja — Reborn (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on September 20th, 2024 by
One of my biggest gaming regrets is that when I got my Super Nintendo back in August of 1991 when it first came out, I kind of abandoned my old NES. Sure I might’ve brought it out again if I rented a new Mega Man game or something, but for the most part, I was just focused on the 16-bit stuff after that. Which is a shame because a lot of really good NES games came out after that, and I either didn’t play them until much, much later or missed out on them entirely. Shadow of the Ninja was one such game. I’m not sure if I would’ve played it much myself, but I might’ve rented it to play with my best friend at the time, since we both enjoyed playing other titles like Ninja Gaiden together. But now you can play a remake of the game with improved graphics and such, and it’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here. It’s also made by the same team who did remakes of other Natsume and Taito titles like The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors and Pocky and Rocky Reshrined.
Ikki Unite (Switch, PC)
Posted on September 18th, 2024 by
In Japan during the 80s there was an arcade game called Ikki by Sunsoft. Ikki means ‘peasant revolution’ and that’s exactly what you did in the game. You play as a poor farmer as you run around fields collecting money and throwing sickles at evil ninjas. It never came to the US, probably because American kids didn’t want to play a game about a peasant revolution, and who wants to play a game called “Icky” anyway? Ikki was also ported to the Japanese NES, or Famicom as well. There it gained notoriety as a really bad game, but since it came out during the Famicom’s big heyday, it still sold well. It was one of Sunsoft’s first Famicom games, and was probably a good stepping stone for them as they would eventually become one of Nintendo’s best developers for the 8-bit system. And now, nearly 40 years later, you can play a new Ikki game with Ikki Unite. It’s a multiplayer version of the game that adds elements from popular titles like Vampire Survivor. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
