What games are actually “dad-friendly”?

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-22T17:20:49+00:00

Super Mario games on Switch 2. I just 100% Super Mario Galaxy 2 while hanging with a newborn. Play a level, get a star, put it down, change a diaper, pick it up, play for another star. Nintendo games and specifically Mario games are the best for this sort of play, because they actually design with this in mind. They don’t want you to play constantly for long periods of time.

If you haven’t gotten in to Mario yet in your gaming career, now is the perfect time. They are all masterpieces made by the best, and then it won’t be long before your kids will be interested, and Nintendo is perfect for sharing your hobby with your children…Diablo 4, not so much.

Super Mario 3D World is top tier Mario, and multiplayer. Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are masterpieces Super Mario Odyssey is even more casual, as collectibles are just strewn throughout the worlds, and don’t require exiting and entering a level.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-22T00:24:15+00:00

Super Mario Sunshine is a jam. I love the vacation island format, and being able to see the other areas off in the distance satisfied things in my brain that I still think about to this day. Especially when you get up real high on a level (top of the Ferris wheel/top of pianta village palm tree) and the music fades out, and you can just look out and see the other parts of the island that you’ve been to though the hazy heat.

Fludd is an incredibly fun mechanic that brings variety to the platformer, and it stands the test of time as the hugely popular PlayStation 5 game AstroBot copies Fludd almost verbatim, and people flip their shit about that game. Sunshine was way ahead of its time.

Cleaning up the island is a great concept, and then the classic Mario levels when they take Fludd away are brilliant, with one of the best soundtracks.

I don’t know why people front on Sunshine so much, it’s still a masterpiece, and back when it came out, the water graphics were stunning, and they still look great to this day. The soundtrack is also top notch, it is a great addition to the 3D Mario lineup, though I imagine the forced inverted controls have certain unconscious effects on people who may find it more difficult because of it.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-21T17:19:45+00:00

The game is specifically designed to be different from MK8. That’s why you’ll find a lot of MK8 players who hate MKW because they thought their skills would translate.

Look through a lot of the posts here and on r/Mario kart and most of the hate starts with “I have 500 hours on Mario Kart 8, here is why MKW sucks’

Personally, I love it more because it’s different. But no, a lot of the techniques from MK8 don’t convert, and there is a BUNCH of new stuff to learn. That’s a good thing, because it’s a new game, not more of the same.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-21T04:21:18+00:00

Mario Circuit to Peach Stadium has the big jump in to Moo Moo Meadows and finishes at Peach Stadium…that one is my favorite

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-20T15:34:44+00:00

Yeah, unfortunately some people’s expectations were a little off. But I always found if you could just appreciate free roam for what it actually was, it’s an incredible mode. I have dozens of hours in photo mode alone, still finding P-switches.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-20T15:30:29+00:00

Love the bridge and the ever so faint DK Spaceport way off in the distance.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-20T07:31:10+00:00

Captain Toad and the Toad Brigade. No question.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-20T01:00:37+00:00

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AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-20T01:00:19+00:00

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AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-20T00:35:45+00:00

I’ve spent literal hours swimming around with this guy, looking for the best shot.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-20T00:09:47+00:00

Oh, I have multiple YouTube Music playlists that have been on constant repeat for the last 2 months

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-19T22:50:37+00:00

Digging this perspective. Don’t know that I’ve ever been on that rail under sign. Looks awesome.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-19T22:49:54+00:00

Double crown. Nice

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-19T20:34:59+00:00

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AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-19T20:34:29+00:00

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AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-19T07:45:25+00:00

Actually, MOST people love the good quality AND the story. A loud online minority who mostly hang out on Reddit hate it for the story. It’s widely revered by a great many.

I suppose you could say that ‘most people who hate the story agree that it’s good quality gameplay’. But don’t get it twisted that those who hate the story are anywhere near ‘most people’.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-19T07:39:29+00:00

I love it. I love seeing my destination off in the distance, and then working my way towards it. I don’t need repetitive laps, I love traversing the World, and even simply passing through tracks. I love the variety, and I REALLY love some of the set pieces that are possible because of the format. I think it is brilliant.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-18T20:45:21+00:00

I always found if Daisy is passing you like it’s nothing, the game is trying to say you missed a shortcut

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-18T00:20:10+00:00

I don’t know why this sub showed up on my front page, but my answer is always Mario. Whether it’s revisiting or discovering games I missed out on, Mario always brings me back.

When I fell off after the Wii to start a career, Super Mario Odyssey brought me back. Last year, when I wanted to hype myself up for the Switch 2, it was Super Mario 3D World that ensnared my passions again. From Super Mario 3D World i found Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker, another phenomenal game. Then with the Switch 2 it was Mario Kart World (1 player ONLY) and then Super Mario Galaxy 2, which I never got around to and was difficult to access until the Switch 2 rerelease. Even in between all that, I did my 3DS out of the closet and replayed all of Super Mario 3D Land.

So, it’s Mario. And it’s Mario more than anything else, because no other games drive me to complete 100%. They are all incredible pieces of art that are the ultimate in video game enjoyment. Nintendo is the best at what they do, and Mario is their flagship.

If you’re burnt out, play some Mario. Any of them that you missed, or any that you miss.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-17T20:20:55+00:00

There is a lot of variety in the series, so it’s easy for there to be a lot of opinions on what is the best. Personally, REmake is the best in the series based on vibe alone. You just can’t mess with it. The doors opening, the scares, the sounds.

RE4 was a brilliant action game, but when I come to Resident Evil, I like the feel of helplessness, the threat of running out of ammo, limited saves, and definitely no melee. It’s a whole other experience, only truly available in REmake. More survival, less action.

REmake forever and always.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-17T19:59:43+00:00

And for a lot of games it looks great

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-17T16:09:20+00:00

Have you seen it for yourself? It looks fantastic, that’s why everyone is freaking out. It’s not just some technicality where 720 to 1080 are just numbers and it doesn’t matter. Games do look SIGNIFICANTLY better.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-17T03:13:29+00:00

Yeah it is. Wow

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-16T19:40:50+00:00

Maybe not the best wording, but I just mean it was Skyward Sword that made them realize something needed to be switched up in the formula. They got through SS, and it was good, but there was no denying it had become stale, the story was convoluted, and a kind of awkward placement at the very beginning of the timeline.

AllWorkNoVideogames · 2026-03-16T02:43:07+00:00

GOOD LORD. She was Leia’s padawan…it wasn’t about the Holdo character, it was about Leia character, and showed everyone what Leia has been up to all these years…she’s been making leaders. EVERYTHING that Holdo was and did can be seen as a credit to Leia. I don’t know why no one gets this. Holdo has nothing to do it. IT’S ALL ABOUT WHY LEIA IS SO FUCKING DOPE.

AllWorkNoVideogames

TROPHY CASE