If you’re into sims, Kasedo Games’ tower building business management simulator Project Highrise: Architect’s Edition offers a fun, low-key, relaxing way to spend a few hours here and there.
Overcooked 2 Review: Xbox One
Push your friendships to the limit in this chaotic co-op cooking game
Overcooked 2, a much anticipated sequel to Overcooked released this month getting players off the couch and online for some epic co-op cooking challenges. In Overcooked 2 players return to the Onion Kingdom with all new dynamic kitchen locations, new recipes, and punishingly difficult obstacles. Overcooked 2claims “to become an instant classic, bringing family and friends together” but I feel like it could also tear apart some strong friendships. To test this theory I recruited a crew of Twitch streamers for a co-op game, and then asked their thoughts.
Here is what our co-op crew had to say after playing:
(Clicking on their names will take you to their Twitch pages if you’d like to check out their awesome streams)
Link Flores
Overcooked is a franchise that I am unfamiliar with, so I was excited to get a chance to play with Marcia of The Mommy Gamers and friends. This was jokingly referred to as a game that will “ruin friendships” and on the surface it might appear that way. The chaotic gameplay left us more than a few times on the losing side of a challenge as we struggled to serve up meals, wash dishes, and save food and the kitchen from random fires.
I found, however, that the longer we played together the more naturally we all fell into a rhythm and selected roles that best complemented our play style and personalities. Someone would just ease into washing dishes and setting out clean plates while another would toss fresh ingredients from one station to the next. In the next match, however, the roles would organically shift and change, with new players assuming different roles. The grunts and groans of frustration quickly became replaced with joking banter and howls of surprise as one disaster after another befell us, only to erupt into cheers and congratulatory laughter when we finally cracked through and managed to overcome the challenges presented.
Is Overcooked 2 perfect? Well, no game ever is. There were some minor collision detection and control issues from time to time, which would occasionally result in a missed throw or step. The difficulty is pretty steep from the start which could be frustrating to new players to the franchise. The fun I had, however, far overshadowed these “flaws”.
In an era of gaming where multiplayer gaming seems to have encouraged solo players to “Rambo” their way past their team to victory, Overcooked 2 has encouraged cooperative play and given each player a reason and a solid opportunity to shine and be the MVP for the team. I would like to thank Team 17 and Ghost Town Games for this delightful creation and also Marcia and The Mommy Gamers family for inviting me to partake in the fun!
Lucas Fox
I was not familiar with the Overcooked franchise going into this. Marcia, put a call out on Facebook looking for people to play with her, and I answered it.
DO NOT go into this game thinking that you are going to be a silent player. There is NO WAY to progress beyond the first 3 levels without talking to your teammates. Sure, people told me this was the friendship ending, the relationship killer, the game that will destroy whatever bonds you have with the people playing it. Clear concise communication (look at that alliteration) is an absolute must in this game. After getting past some funnier moments and digging into it, I enjoyed playing with Marcia, Link and Mike. In fact we started to gel as we found roles we were comfortable in.
Okay, being honest, when Link couldn’t connect to discord, to talk with the rest of us, I got annoyed. Because having a clear line of communication is paramount. But as was mentioned, we fell into our roles, and starting having a blast doing those roles. I was the food thrower, and I was finding out that I could throw food across a room and into the pot or pan it needed to cook in.
I did play beyond our group, with my wife, and we had a fantastic time. I think it was Mike that stated that 3 is the sweet spot in terms of players in the game at once, and I agree with him. Having all four of us play was fun as hell, but when it was just my wife and I, we felt a little more stressed for time, and what we could accomplish in each of the levels. Dividing all of the tasks between the two of us tended to stress us out a bit more. Though we had a lot of fun playing it.
There are some minor control issues, and hit detection bugs, but it doesn’t take away from the fun. It actually makes the game feel more frenzied and challenging. It’s almost like they are put in there as another minor obstacle to overcome, and they don’t take away from the game. Overcooked 2 is definitely worth the price of admission!
Mike Robles
“I will never play on Marcia’s team again.” – TheMikeRobles
Marcia Morgan
As someone who had played the original Overcooked I kind of knew what I was getting into. However, I didn’t have anyone to couch co-op the original with so I was wildly unprepared in the teamwork aspect. As everyone else (except Mike who just decided to make himself a quote) stated, communication is totally key in this game. Regardless of how well we team-worked we were still challenged on every level we played. But it was a fun challenge, pushing us to do better with each try in an attempt to get three stars.
I very much look forward to playing more Overcooked 2, and we are all still friends after our first attempt. I definitely recommend this as a fun game to stream on Twitch or Mixer. It also seems like it would be a fun party game because it’s amusing to spectate as well.
If you’re interested in checking out Overcooked 2 it is available now on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC.
*This article includes affiliate links. Using our links to buy stuff on Amazon helps The Mommy Gamers keep doing what we are doing.
**Each reviewer was given a copy of Overcooked 2 for review purposes. But our opinions are our own. We absolutely enjoyed this game a lot!
Things Go Bump in the Night with Sleep Tight
Grab Shields, Build Walls and Ammo Up!
Sleep Tight is a fun as hell, twin-stick, arcade style RPG shooter with base building elements that help you move through the nights progressively. Sleep Tight has a series of playable and unlockable characters, like Joe and Brooke. Grabs guns, increase defenses, and research abilities to give you a one up on those monsters who want nothing more than to cause a little mischief. But be careful, they get bigger, badder and they hit hard if you allow them to get close as the nights increase. Also, if you stream on Mixer, there is an ability that allows viewers to interact with the stream. How cool is that?
The team that made Sleep Tight, We Are Fuzzy, contains a series of veterans from Hollywood film artists and AAA game developers. Some of these wonderful artists include: VFX artist Maxx Burman (Far Cry 5, Iron Man 3, and Game of Thrones), Disney illustrator Dylan Ekren who helped on Wreck It Ralph and Zootopia and Ubisoft designer Oscar Mar who lent a hand on Far Cry 3, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, and Rainbow Six Siege is also on the team. The talent in Sleep Tight has delivered an amazing experience that will appeal to the kid in all of us, fighting all the things that go bump in the night.
As mentioned previously, there are characters that you can unlock; there are twelve kids that you can chose form as you unlock them. Help the kids save their bedroom as the monsters try their best to render the bedroom as theirs, creeping from the closet, and the hallways into the bedroom. Use weapons like dart guns and water guns to fight them off, create turrets and strategically place them in places that will help fight off the horde of monsters. Help the kids use their piggy banks to unlock more weapons, add health or shields, build pillow forts and place couches in front of the doors to help create boundaries to hold of the monsters until morning comes.
Each of the twelve kids have their own exclusive ability and playstyle. Tommy starts with 500 darts and gets discounts on weapon skills, Dexter has superpowers that give him discounted power ups and Rosie has abilities to help her with the building skills for turrets that deal more damage and an extra strong pillow fort. The abilities for the kids helps keeps the game fresh no matter how many midnight monsters you have coming at you, or how many nights you survive.
So what how does the game stack up?
Sleep Tight is fun, exciting and my inner child agrees. I think my kids had more fun playing with this than I did, but I’m sure that’s the point. The art style is fun and colorful, the sound effects are cute as hell. I mean, “peanut butter, jelly, jelly?” The one liners from the children are adorable and each one has a set of unique sayings from the others. I know I had only planned to play for a short while to get enough time in to review this game, I honestly didn’t want to stop. I tried to beat the waves each time; and while there was some failure, this game is all about strategy. I love Sleep Tight and plan on playing it more. I give Sleep Tight an 8 out of 10.
Sleep Tight will be released on Nintendo Switch and PC on July 26th.
Quick Reviews: Nintendo Labo
With Nintendo Labo you’ll hear far fewer “I’m bored” whines this summer
We picked up Nintendo Labo for some summer fun and it’s amazing! Check out the very first of our “Quick Reviews” section on YouTube where we will bring you reviews that are short and sweet.
At $69.99 the cost of Nintendo Labo made me pause. That’s a lot of money to drop on something. After my daughter made just a couple of these cardboard crafts all of my doubts were gone.
The fact that Nintendo Labo provides the most thorough step-by-step instructions I’ve ever seen is amazing. At eight years old, Hailey was able to complete these without any assistance at all.
Nintendo Labo has kept her entertained doing one project each day so far. Then she spends the rest of the day showing everyone in the house what she made, and how it works with the game apps.
As a parent my absolute favorite part about Nintendo Labo is the discovery aspect of each creation. This isn’t just a pile of cardboard, there are high-tech sensors as well, giving my daughter an awesome educational experience as well. She is as excited about learning how things function as she is about playing the games. Clean up is easy too as any unused parts can just get tossed in the recycle bin.
We have enjoyed our time so far with Nintendo Labo and I believe you will too. This isn’t a sponsored ad. I picked this up with my own money, but if you use our link to pick up your set it helps us keep doing what we’re doing.
You can pick up Nintendo Labo on Amazon. Use our affiliate link to support the site or just click the image below to shop for Nintendo Labo and start having fun!
Pode – Nintendo Switch Review
Catch This Falling Star and Keep it in Your Pocket
In the long line of Nintendo Indie games (adorably named “Nindies”) there are a few really standout games that have been coming out. One such game, Pode, is that about a Star who has fallen out of the sky, and just wants to go back home.
Our little hero, Glo, has crashed landed and met up with a rock named Bulder. Together the two make quite the pair as they solve puzzles, and embark on a (sometimes emotional) journey.
Pode is, at it’s core, a co-op game. While the game can be played in a single player mode, Pode really benefits from having a partner to play with. Glo and Bulder each have their own characteristics that make Pode unique. Since Glo is a star, they can glide across water no problem where as Bulder, the rock, will sink to the bottom. This is part of what makes Pode so unique as players will enjoy figuring out the right character to use in the right situation.
What makes Pode stand out is it’s unique presentation. It’s hard to describe without sounding contradictory. Dark, yet colorful. Dim, yet bright. Glo can use their light to shine areas and make the plant life grow. There are some wonderfully animated cutscenes that show the relationship between Glo and Bulder and it’s just.. it’s just the most precious.
Pode is a real treat for anyone with a Switch and a friend. I mean… having a friend is a treat anyway. But having a friend you can play Pode with, is the best treat.
The author was given a retail code for Pode for review purposes
