MONTHLY FAVES: APRIL 2023 GAMING TOP PICKS

Check out our Gaming Top Picks that we've been playing this month.

APR 30, 2023

We are excited to share with you our April 2023 gaming top picks. This month, we found ourselves returning to some previously played video games and falling in love with a new to us tabletop game. So here's the games we have found ourselves coming back to again and again this month. Let's get started and dive right in with our Co-Op Game of the Month.

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CO-OP TOP PICK

STARDEW VALLEY (PS4)

The game that best personifies the escape from the stagnant corporate “living to work” life. In the will of your recently departed grandfather, you are given his farmhouse and the farmland it is located on- in a great need of repair and sprucing up. The farm is nestled next to a cozy and quiet little town-Pelican Town, where you meet the different townspeople and explore areas surrounding this quiet little town.

You arrive after receiving a letter from your Grandfather that he has passed on his farm in Pelican Town to you, this is your sign to turn a new page in life and escape the clutches of corporate life in Joja Mart!

Upon arriving, you are greeted by a local townsperson and introduced to your farm…and yikes, what a mess. In the state this farm is in, you have quite the project to tackle! Cleanup is a priority, but then you happen to find some random seeds and the town is kind enough to donate some parsnip seeds, and the game is on-time to start planting.

The valley has a host of other areas to explore, and lots of people to meet within Pelican Town and along its borders! Victoria was the forager and explorer. Zach was the woodsman and fisher. After the farm was fixed up and established, growing a modest amount of income from selling our parsnips and other spring veggies, we set our eyes on the next goal, building coops and farms to give a home to some farm animals, like chickens, cows, pigs, and goats. Victoria found her new profession quickly by tending to the animals, and Zach focused on accomplishing the goals for the community center to restore the former glory it once had, and to kick the no good Joja Mart out of Pelican Town for good!

This game is pure fun and a joy to play, especially together through the multiplayer. We have logged quite a few hours into our little farm-not so little anymore! With several farms and coops, and a renovated greenhouse-we continue to spend our time in Stardew tending to the various crops and animals to provide produce for the valley and town. The caves were also an excellent way to find ores and materials for upgrading the farm equipment, and the desert skull cavern is the ultimate challenge in combat in Stardew Valley.

If you have never played this game, we highly recommend jumping in and having a go at renovating your own farm and befriending the townspeople, exploring the caverns, and discovering the mysteries of the valley!

ZACH'S TOP PICK

FALLOUT 4 (PS5)

Zach here…a quick trip down memory lane with Fallout 4. I am an avid fan of post-apocalyptic story settings, and Fallout is no stranger to that model-with a twist. This end of world storytelling involves life after nuclear detonation from every major power country on earth. A disaster when everyone decides to push the nuclear launch button at once (think of the movie “War Games”) and what life would look like in the aftermath of such a nuclear event.

My grandfather and I would always listen to oldies music- such as Runaway by Del Shannon, or The Wanderer by Dion. I always remember this music fondly and the times I had with my grandpa were always filled with those tunes- imagine my excitement when the trailer for Fallout 4 was released with Dion’s “The Wanderer” playing in the background, my hype was through the roof- and I had to show my grandfather this new game that was bringing back the oldies! The holidays were fast approaching- my grandparents and I would exchange gifts every year. He watched the trailer with me and he couldn’t help himself- just before we visited for the holidays, he slipped ever so devious: the game was on its way for me this year. In the past, gifts were always a mystery- I suppose the trailer pushed him past his level of patience- I was going to be playing Fallout 4 soon and also be able to show him the capabilities of new gaming hardware (he introduced to me one of my first games on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES): The Legend of Zelda. We have come a long way indeed in the gaming world.

More fascinating is the time period in which the world meets its nuclear end: 2077 (in Fallout 4). However far into the future it actually is, the style is dead set on mid century style of the 1900s. The theme is interesting: society essentially freezes in the theme of 1950 or so but major progress was made toward harnessing the power of nuclear resources- instead of fearing it, it was utilized and exploited in order to benefit society- with a near infinite amount of energy. Energy crisis resolved, until everyone decides on the next crisis: resource depletion. This causes the “Great War” and the world is melted and blasted away by all of the nuclear weapons developed (just because nuclear was a huge benefit, I guess it doesn’t stop the world from also racing to make new weapons of war, huh?).

Surviving is the name of the game with Fallout 4, and this game takes it up a notch and adds a new element to the Fallout universe: settlement building. With that new perk, I could now build and inhabit a settlement in the Boston area- now known as “The Commonwealth.” Along with building was modifying weapons and armor, also allowing for more role-playing elements of building my character due to the perk system being completely revamped from the ground up since the last game. With new and returning perks, you can find a way to survive the brutal environment of the post-nuclear world!

Just be prepared to meet an untimely end if you are reckless- danger lurks around every corner in the Commonwealth-hilariously large radiated insects, bears, dogs, scorpions, and the ever terrifying Deathclaw creatures. Other things survived the nuclear fallout as well- humans that have been so affected by radiation to distort their bodies beyond recognition: ghouls. Super Mutants also inhabit the world now- also previously human- but now twisted into sickly yellow tinged and massive muscled hulks- with the brain capacity of a caveman- intent on being the new race of beings to dominate earth.

The story is filled with interesting characters- with the main character looking into the mysterious kidnapping of his infant son, while being frozen in a vault chamber for 210 years after the “Great War.” Upon escaping the vault-being the lone survivor- your world looks quite a bit different than before when society was still standing! Now the Commonwealth of Boston is filled with both small and large settlements attempting to create for themselves a new life amidst the radiation filled world and all the dangers within. You work to unravel the kidnapping, meeting several key figures on the way- in which by the end you will have agreed to side with a certain faction or two. Best of luck as you navigate the wasteland- and remember- keep both eyes on that Geiger counter!

VICTORIA'S TOP PICK

POKEMON HEARTGOLD (3DS)

Apparently, I (Victoria) have just been in the mood this month for some comfort games that spark nostalgia. This month, I revisited the world of Pokemon and explored the Johto and Kanto regions in Pokemon HeartGold.

Zach can attest to how much I have been lamenting about Nintendo not releasing any of the older Pokemon games on the Switch. I so desperately want to play through Leaf Green again so I can have my Bulbasaur for my starter. While HeartGold isn’t Leaf Green, it is still one of my favorite Pokemon games.

For this playthrough, I chose Totodile for my starter. I’ve been expanding my Pokedex, building up my team, and challenging the gym leaders with one major goal in mind - get to the point in the game where I can choose one of the Kanto starters to reunite with my beloved Bulbasaur.

I’ve been working on leveling up my Evee and my Pupitar. You better believe I am getting my Tyranitar! I am sure others have a similar play style as I do, but I enjoy having more than a core 6. I might have a core 2-3 Pokemon that always stay with me, but I tend to rotate through a select few to round off my team.

Compared to some of the later generations of Pokemon, the graphics may be hit or miss for some. I enjoy both the pixel art style and newer 3D style. However, I do feel the earlier generations have better rivals and better villains, which creates more of an impactful and purposeful storyline. Although the later generations may have a faster pace, the actual gaming experience doesn’t quite hit the spot for me like HeartGold and previous gens. (That’s not to say that I don’t still enjoy the later generations of Pokemon games.) I personally don’t mind the grind in HeartGold to get my Pokemon to where I want them to be as it’s not a game that I try to race through to beat as quickly as possible. It’s more about enjoying the journey and having a chill gaming experience.

Gotta Catch ‘em All!

RETRO GAME TOP PICK

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (SWITCH)

Take a walk down memory lane with me (Victoria) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a 1992 platforming game brought to us on the Sega Genesis. Sonic teams up with his pal Tails in this 1-2 player game in order to foil Dr. Eggman’s evil plans. Race through each level, gather power ups and rings, and do your best to avoid the enemies and hazards scattered throughout.

Growing up, this was THE game that I was constantly playing with my brother….for the designated time allotted to us by our parents. At the time, we didn’t know how to save, or if saving the game was even possible. We would race through each level to try to see how far we could get within the allotted time frame before having to turn the game off and thus lose all of our hard earned progress. Oh the woes of not being able to save. The race against our physical time allowed to play along with the race through each level made for a fun challenge that I remember fondly. Those were some of the good ol’ times.

My brother always played as Sonic, and I was always Tails. Together, we would find hidden lives and power ups. We would save as many of the animals as we could. We would rack up the points in the bonus levels to earn those emeralds. Now, I play through as Sonic instead of Tails. I still find all the secret lives hidden in the levels, and memories of childhood come flooding back with the soundtracks for the levels.

It’s fun to see if the levels I loved as a child are still some of my favorites….and alternatively, if some of the levels I did not love so much, are still my least favorite - I’m talking about you Casino Night Zone levels. Some of my favorite levels include: Aquatic Ruin, Hill Top, Mystic Cave, and Metropolis Zone. As kids, my brother and I never beat the game. We made it as far as the Sky Chase Zone, level 9 out of 11. We were so close!

Before, I tried playing the game on our PS3, but I found it hard to enjoy it on that console. I am not sure if it was due to how old it was at the time and was lagging, or if it was due to another reason. In 2021, we visited Gamer’s Heaven out in Pennsylvania for our anniversary, and I was able to play through Sonic on one of their consoles. I made it all the way to level 10 before we had to leave. Since getting it on my Switch this month, I have been enjoying playing it on this console much more, and have been determined to fully beat the game. It took me a couple tries to figure out the boss mechanics on the final level, but I beat the game!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a game full of nostalgia and is a comfort game that I love to return to. Gone are the days where we had less responsibilities and less worries. Gone are the days of having to blow the dust off the game cartridge, popping it in, and hoping it boots up on the first go. Now, I just have to power up my Switch, select the game to play, and botta bing botta boom, I’m set to go. Not only that, I can easily save my progress! What?! I can pick up my Switch at any time to play this game, and not feel rushed to play through as many levels as I can before my time for the day is up. Sometimes, you just need a cozy, nostalgic gaming session, and this game checks that box for me.

TABLETOP GAME TOP PICK

WINGSPAN

Simple to learn but tricky to master, this strategy game is all about the birds! Several goals must be met to climb to the top as the winner of this game- playing birds, gaining eggs, obtaining food resources, and drawing new birds cards to play in this highly enjoyable and exciting 1-5 player strategy game. Even learn more about each bird card- fun facts are included with each one! This game is quickly becoming one of our new favorites here at Beard and Curls Gaming.

We love a good strategy game, and this game just hits right. We have been eyeing it for probably over a year now. It has been on our list of games to get, and we finally got our hands on it. While we may have struggled to grasp how to play the very first time we gave it go (*ahem, we were very distracted by hearing a fellow gamer in the store explain to another individual how to play an entirely different game), once we actually started to play, we quickly caught on. It was love at first play through. We knew we wanted this game to be part of our collection and that we wanted to share it with friends and family.

While we are not necessarily avid birders ourselves, we do adore birds and enjoy birdwatching. We love seeing different birds and learning little bits about them. This game just adds fuel to the fire for us. Each card has a beautiful bird illustration, the common name of the bird, the scientific name of the bird, and more. Oftentimes, we would be so fascinated by the different bird cards we drew that we would have to show them to each other once we played them.

The design of the game along with the actual mechanics of how the game plays is flawless. And, what’s better is how everything fits back into the box so nicely. Overall, a really fantastic game design. We have yet to play the game with more than just the two of us, but the fact that the game plays so well with just two players, we are sure this game will be just as good with more players added into the mix…which means more opportunities to discover more bird cards in the deck.

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So there you have it - the games we have been busy playing this month. How many of these games have you played? What game(s) have been your go-to games this month? Let us know in the comments.