Teachable Moments in Video Games While Stuck Indoors

The world is kind of in a crazy place right now with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In Maryland, we are in a state of lockdown as is much of the country right now. It's really tough to figure out how to keep yourself occupied or what exactly to do, especially if you have kids. Gone are the days of being able to hop in the car and go to a farm or some event with the kids, instead each day is met with school work at home, followed by some screen time, and then a neighborhood walk if the weather is up for it. The monotony can kick it real hard, real fast and if you don't mix things up a bit and exercise your brain, the kids can get a little stir crazy. That's a lose lose for everyone involved. Thankfully, we found a way to go on adventures while not even leaving our houses thanks to our trusty ol' Nintendo Switch.

Enjoying Increased Productivity with a Standing Desk Converter

Standing desks. You've heard about them, heck you probably have seen a few if you work in an office environment. For a long time they have always seemed like a novel idea, but either way too expensive or way too difficult to setup to be ideal for a home office. I thought the same thing, and as a result, largely ignored them while secretly wanting to try them out one day. Recently, I was given the chance to test out the ErgoSpring Standing Desk Converter - Extra Wide from AnthroDesk. I used the device for about 2 weeks for both work and gaming and I'm here to report on my findings. So, without further adieu, my review of the AnthroDesk: ErgoSpring Standing Desk Converter - Extra Wide.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Review (Nintendo Switch)

The Pokemon series has been around since I was a kid. At this point in it's life, it's a household name with kids either playing the handheld games or taking their Pokemon cards to school and battling against friends. To say it's a juggernaut of an IP is an understatement. With all of the releases over the years though, one thing has never happened - we never got a true Pokemon game on a home console that connects to the TV. That all changed with Pokemon Sword and Shield this year. With the upgrade to the big screen, is there enough here to warrant a purchase and does it retain the same charm parents and children love? Let's find out.

Father Nerds Best Holiday Gift Guide 2019

It's that time of the year again. The weather is getting colder, the music is getting merrier, and your bank account is about to get a whole lot smaller. That's right, it's Christmas time and if you have kids like I do, every year is a struggle to decide what to get for them. There's a ton of options out there, but it's hard to know what to get for the little ones, especially if you don't have first hand experience with the product. That's where I come in. The following gift ideas I have first hand knowledge of through playing/using as well as interacting with around my children. You'll find some things for the kids as well as a few bonus adult/big kid items. After each product is a sponsored link to Amazon, so if you plan on buying it, I'd really appreciate the support. Let me know in the comments what you'll be picking up for your kids or if you think I missed a must have for this holiday season!

Luigi's Mansion 3 Review

The Nintendo Switch has been nothing if not reliable with it's first party titles since release. Link and Mario have had their time to shine and they both did admirably well, but there are others waiting in the wings for their turn. Next up? Luigi and his anxiety ridden trek through a haunted hotel in Luigi's Mansion 3. Fans of the originals will know what to expect on it's surface, but is there enough here to differentiate it from it's predecessors and does the new coat of paint on the new system add that extra layer of polish? Let's find out.

A Knight's Quest Review

If there was ever a game that could have benefited from a larger budget, A Knight's Quest is it. Upon booting up the game for the first time, you wouldn't be remiss to immediately remember the days of Zelda on the N64. The style, the look, the gameplay; it's all there but on a next gen system. Is there enough here to warrant a $25 purchase or is this just another example of a cash grab on your nostalgia?

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Review (Nintendo Switch)

The Legend of Zelda is a series that has been near and dear to a lot of video games fan's hearts for decades. I remember playing the original on the NES in the late 80's when I finally got my first video game console. Since that time, Link and his games have gotten more and more complex. With each iteration of the game, mechanics are added and graphics are improved to give us such masterpieces as Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild. The Zelda of the 80s/90s is not the same type of game that you would play today...until now. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a re-make of a beloved Nintendo Gameboy game from 1993. This isn't a re-imagining either, it's literally the same game with a beautiful coat of paint and some much needed quality of life improvements. With the influx of holiday games coming out in late 2019, does Link's Awakening have enough to warrant a purchase? Let's find out.

Control Review

If you had asked me at the beginning of 2019 to list out the games I was most excited to play throughout the year, Control probably wouldn't have even made the list. It's not that I don't like Remedy games, it's just that they have hit a little bit of a lull with me lately. Max Payne and Alan Wake were amazing, but Quantum Break soured me a bit. I went in looking for more Alan Wake but ended up with this weird combination of late night TV show mixed with mediocre gameplay. With Remedy's recent release, Control, they hope to fix this image and after spending a good deal of time with the game...I think they did.

Torchlight 2 Console Review

ARPGs have been a pretty big hit this generation on consoles. Diablo 3 released a few years ago and still has a very active fan base. Path of Exiles recently released for both the PS4 and the Xbox One and continued the trend of good couch loot based games. Torchlight 2 is another actiong RPG but one that released years ago for the PC. The game was a pretty big hit on the PC, especially with it's discounted price and great loot system. It wasn't as full featured or story driven as Diablo 3 was, but it didn't need to be. The console version was rumored but never came to fruition. Thankfully, that has been remedied and the game can now be played on all next gen consoles including the Nintendo Switch. After spending a few days with the game and having put an insane amount of time in the previous PC versions, how does this hold up after so much time has passed since it's original release. Let's find out.

World of Warcraft Classic: Revisiting an Old Friend

If you've been following my blog or one of the other places I write or talk about games, it should be known by now that I'm a huge fan of World of Warcraft. I started playing WoW back in November of 2004 when it first came out and I haven't stopped. There have been lapses in subscription where I stopped playing for months at a time, but World of Warcraft is always that one entertainment constant in my life - the game I constantly come back to. The WoW today is certainly not the WoW of yesteryear though. Quality of life changes, graphics, and story beats (seriously, what the hell Sylvanas) have morphed it into something else entirely. This doesn't mean that it's bad, it's actually quite good, it's just different than the game the gripped the country back in 05 and 06. When Blizzard first announced they were releasing an older version of a game we all previously played, I was a little hesitant. I had experienced that before, why would I want to go back. This release would literally be an exact copy of the game as it was in 2006, bugs and all. I was hesitant, but still excited and since it's now a week after it's release - I have some thoughts. So, what's it like going back to a 13 year old version of a game that is still around? Wonderful...