Spring + Summer Time Fun... Suggestions!

Spring & Summer are my favorite seasons, but no hate on the other two seasons.

Outside of Spring Break trips and Summer Vacays... gaming is still in full effect, but how will things play out for you and yours? I know gas is through the roof right now, but it doesn't put a pause on all the fun. So if you aren't getting away, consider some local fun.

What's going on locally in your area or even in a close neighboring city that gives you access to some discounted fun? Not sure? Groupon is just a click away. As you see at the link, you can find food, fun, etc.

If you're not a fan of Groupon, you also have Trip Advisor... which serves up more than just hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars. You also have access to restaurants + things to do. You can literally use these sites for an awesome staycation where you are.

You could even walk around Walmart and find some free entertainment. Just kidding, but not completely, you just never know when the crazy will emerge.

You don't even have to go out every other week during these seasons, because an empty bank account is less fun. Consider free fun, parks, outdoor activities, and learning how to cook or make new recipes for meals, desserts, and even beverages. A home-cooked meal doesn't have to suck or leave you desiring takeout. There are literally chef's teaching courses on Udemy... that can help expand your mind and your abilities when it comes to the kitchen. Grab some food and get it in!

You could take those cooking skills, invite some of your favorite people over and enjoy yourselves. This could even be a group session to learn how to cook (even the kids can join in), and it can ultimately end up in reoccurring potluck parties and even block parties depending on how close you live. Get creative, you could even grab a Slip N Slide (like the huge 50-foot ones) and relive childhood. BYOF (Bring Your Own Floats)!

You can go average, larger, or massive with your slide and dial up the fun. If you think I'd be on the sideline with one of these within reach, you'd be sadly mistaken! Enjoy life while you have the time!

As the sun goes down, the fun doesn't have to stop, let the streaming flow to your heart's content. You have Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and even free shows & movies are available on Pluto TV + IMDB TV. So you can save money and still enjoy yourself, just be intentional about what you're doing... narrow down the best shows and movies to enjoy by yourself, +1, or with a group.

Fun it up, and that definitely includes gaming on a console or PC. I'd probably recommend the Xbox Gamepass first and foremost if you just want to play a variety of games. Granted you will not own them once your pass expires, but the monthly fee is low enough to keep you playing the latest games. For console, I'd have to recommend the Nintendo Switch, especially with Nintendo Switch Sports... so you can get everyone in on the fun! Parents, avoid the Nintendo Switch "Lite" version if you're aiming for multiplayer fun on the same system.

One of the games I'm currently playing on Xbox Game Pass (in the spirit of Spring & Summer) is... Windjammers 2! If you're not familiar with the game, check out the included gameplay below.

Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition + Gameplay!

DESCRIPTION

Pre-order to receive the Gold Weapon Skins Pack!

Bring a little extra bling to your favorite weapons in Borderlands 3 with the Gold Weapon Skins Pack, available to those who pre-purchase. This pack contains a gold weapon trinket and gold weapon skins that are applicable to all guns in the game.

Summary

The Deluxe Edition includes: 
• Retro Cosmetic Pack: Vault Hunter skin, Echo Device skin, weapon skin
• Neon Cosmetic Pack: Vault Hunter skin, Echo Device skin, trinket
• Gearbox Cosmetic Pack: weapon skin, trinket
• Toy Box Weapon Pack: 2 Toy guns, Toy grenade mod, trinket
• Equippable XP & Loot Drop Boost Mods 

The original shooter-looter returns, packing bazillions of guns and a mayhem-fueled adventure! Blast through new worlds and enemies as one of four brand new Vault Hunters, each with deep skill trees, abilities and customization. Play solo or join with friends to take on insane enemies, score loads of loot and save your home from the most ruthless cult leaders in the galaxy.

A MAYHEM-FUELED THRILL RIDE 
Stop the fanatical Calypso Twins from uniting the bandit clans and claiming the galaxy’s ultimate power. Only you, a thrill-seeking Vault Hunter, have the arsenal and allies to take them down.

YOUR VAULT HUNTER, YOUR PLAYSTYLE 
Become one of four extraordinary Vault Hunters, each with unique abilities, playstyles, deep skill trees, and tons of personalization options. All Vault Hunters are capable of awesome mayhem alone, but together they are unstoppable.

• Moze as THE GUNNER: When Moze needs backup she Digistructs her mech – Iron Bear – for a sucker punch of additional firepower.

• Amara as THE SIREN: A confident, capable brawler with the ability to summon ethereal fists, Amara uses her Siren powers to smash her enemies.

• FL4K as the BEASTMASTER: FL4K lives for the hunt. So do the loyal beasts that follow their master’s every command. Their preferred prey? Unsuspecting bandits, those poor suckers.

• Zane as the OPERATIVE: Specializing in battlefield gadgetry, Zane is extremely proficient at slipping into combat, creating chaos, and sneaking back out as if he were never there.

LOCK, LOAD, AND LOOT
With bazillions of guns and gadgets, every fight is an opportunity to score new gear. Firearms with self-propelling bullet shields? Check. Rifles that spawn fire-spewing volcanoes? Obviously. Guns that grow legs and chase down enemies while hurling verbal insults? Yeah, got that too.

NEW BORDERLANDS 
Discover new worlds beyond Pandora, each featuring unique environments to explore and enemies to destroy. Tear through hostile deserts, battle your way across war-torn cityscapes, navigate deadly bayous and more!

QUICK & SEAMLESS CO-OP ACTION
Play with anyone at any time online or in split-screen co-op, regardless of your level or mission progress. Take down enemies and challenges as a team, but reap rewards that are yours alone – no one misses out on loot.

Standard Edition

Deluxe Edition

游戏开始!

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co!

Treadnauts

DESCRIPTION

Treadnauts gives competitive platform fighters a kiss of physics finesse. Gracefully pilot your tank through gorgeous arenas to land a deadly shot on your opponents! You've got a slew of useful tricks at your disposal, including treads that stick to any wall, boosters for midair hops, zero-friction slides, and rocket jumps for soaring into the sky. It's all about moving with style!

• Four playable zones, each with unique mechanics and physics objects
• Explosive couch competitive mode for 2-4 artillery rocket scientists
• Online multiplayer beta for solo pilots or duos
• Computer AI tanks with three difficulty levels
• Single-player Target Test mode with medals and global leaderboards
• Laser guns, grappling hooks, homing shells, and tons of other power-ups to collect
• A dynamic soundtrack by King Felix that changes every time you play
• Player progression with levels, maps and characters to unlock
• Modifiers to shake things up: zero gravity, slow motion, chaos mode and many more!

游戏开始！

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co!

SculptaPalooza... Reviewed!

Before I get started with this review... I just want to give the developers a thumbs up for the card.

Think quick... the clock is ticking, its time to get creative in this arts & crafts party game!

SculptaPalooza is the first board game we've ever reviewed... which is awesome. This is sort of left field, but its still in the same realm of gaming, just not a video game. I thought this would be cool to review because while some of us are board game veterans, some of you have never (ever... ever... ever) played a board game. You may ask "Why would I?", and I'd say "Variety"... which is something promoted here in general regarding gaming genres. You can have fun in more ways than one, that said... here are some images as I dive into the review.

I wanted to see how the game would be received by new school gamers and boardgame veterans, so... I crashed a house party (!woot-woot!).

Playing SculptaPalooza, I was like hmmm... "Where do I get started?", my biggest hump was the instructions as I figured out how to begin. On the outside looking in... I know you have to make things against the clock using Playfoam, but you play SculptaPalooza specifically like this:

You divide into two teams... place the Playfoam on the sculpting mat... the first team rolls the die... and based on what the die lands on, they have to go with a specific sculpting category. From there, the timer starts and the first sculptor from that team form's whatever is listed on the card (based on the way they're required to sculpt). If they're team guesses correctly before the time is up, they win a point... and you basically continue that process, alternating between teams and sculptors until one team reaches 20 points. There are some other rules in there that boosts the competition... you get the idea.

Trying to figure out how to play via the instructions in the box set me back a few minutes but after that, it was on. Everyone lit up before the first point was gained. That's the first thing that stood out to me because the clock was ticking, the sculptor from the other team had to sculpt a prop and act it out. I knew exactly what it was... and they finally figured it out with 17 seconds left, which resulted in loud cheering, laughter and plenty of high fives for our team to witness.

They kept getting a certain roll of the die that allowed them to choose whatever category they wanted, which really got them up in scoring. I did what I could to make a comeback with my team, but a certain category is really difficult (we landed on that multiple times... and they never landed on it)... so needless to say we took the L. Regardless of losing though, it was enjoyable, and I could see the fun factor and replay value. It's definitely one of those games where its the more the merrier.

Visually the game is vibrant, and the contents are made sturdy... which makes sense for all the hands-on interaction. 

Price wise it retails at $19.99, which I think is a spot on price. You also get a Playful Promise 365 Day Risk-Free Guarantee, which allows you to return it within a year with no questions asked if you don't love it. Another place where I see the value is the ability to play it regardless of having electricity or not. As you know... things happen, and at times the power goes out for a number of reasons... so having boardgames like SculptaPalooza comes in handy for times like that also.

One con I do have is the difficulty level of certain things. I just see many people figuring out specific answers, not because our team didn't win... but because I don't see them being figured out. They do have blank cards for you to do your own thing... so that's a plus, but if they do a revision, I'd recommend that. One thing I'd recommend to the team... is to create an online "How To Play" video tutorial. It would be another route to learn how to play the game almost immediately... for those who choose to use it.

Overall, SculptaPalooza is a fun party game that even got the audience involved, and it gets you together under one roof (or sky) to utilize teamwork and social skills in a creative way.

Fun factor: 4

Visually: 5

Replay value: 5

Price: 5

"4.75 / 5 Cool Points"

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co!

This product was provided to SDGT Entertainment by Educational Insights for review.