You get to smash your mustache against cards lying on a table…enough said. Okay, perhaps that could be taken out of context a bit. In “Moustache Smash”, each player will have a plastic stick with a mustache attached to it…trust me, you’ll prefer this over using your own (though it would make for some rather funny home videos). On the reverse side is a suction cup which is used to pick up cards as they are dealt onto the table. You’ll have to be quick as the first player to grab a matching card wins it. Before I get ahead of myself though, I’d like to quickly thank the folks at Spin Master Games for sending me a free press copy.
DISCLAIMER: The title “Early Access” means that the product/game is still under development. As such, the content featured below is subject to change. This includes any opinions I may have at the time of writing, as Alpha and Beta builds sometimes change their core mechanics on a whim. It’s important to stress the word opinions, as I find it unethical to review something not yet released in its final form. In other words, don’t take anything you see here too seriously. You can view all of the articles of this series by clicking the “Video Games” tab, located on the top of this page.
The gaming industry continues to surprise me with each passing day. More and more creative people are stepping forward and bringing forth their ideas in the hopes of being able to share them with gamer families and friends all over the world. Don’t believe me? Go check out crowdfunding sites like “Kickstarter” and take a gander at how many games have made it through “Early Access” programs on digital distribution sites like “Steam“. The number of games that have successfully made their way to an official release / retail distribution with the help of the general public is staggering. On one hand, it pains me to think about how many games wouldn’t have seen the light of day had crowdfunding / early access programs not existed. On the other, it makes me feel good to know that so many people share my love for gaming. Needless to say, tabletop gaming and video gaming are two concepts that won’t be dying out any time soon…quite the contrary, it seems.
Trick-taking games come a dime a dozen, but “Deception” piqued my interest immediately when I learned that you needed to be a little like Sherlock Holmes to deduce a player’s identity. That mystery factor found in some games like “Battlestar Galactica” is just a big plus in my book as I’m always up for trying to read tells and discovering who players truly are. “Deception” is currently seeking your help on Kickstarter with only 26 days to go, so if you plan on getting in on the action, now’s the time to do it.
“Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)” could be described as a puzzle platformer, but that would be doing the game a huge injustice. It is “the first game developed in collaboration with the Iñupiat, an Alaska Native people” and “nearly 40 Alaska Native elders, storytellers and community members contributed to the development of the game.” Going to such lengths to preserve the culture and get the details right in a video game is pretty impressive, if you ask me. In this little gem, you’ll take on the role of a young Iñupiat girl named Nuna and her trustworthy companion (an arctic fox) with the intent on finding the source of the “eternal blizzard” that threatens everything she’s ever known. Before I go any further, I’d like to quickly thank Laurie Thornton, the co-founder of Radiate (a PR firm), for providing me with a free press copy.
There’s nothing like a good word game to get the ol’ synapses going. “Letter Quest: Grimm’s Journey” is like “Scrabble” mixed with an RPG in the sense that your profile can “level up”, allowing you to equip new items and improve your character’s base stats in order to survive tougher fights. Now I know what you’re thinking…”didn’t PopCap Games already do something similar with ‘Bookworm Adventures’?” Honestly, yes…though not to this extent. The RPG elements are a bit more detailed and involved, but not so much as to bog down the casual player to the point where they’d resent playing it. Before I go any further, I’d like to thank Mark Smith, the CTO & Co-founder of Bacon Bandit Games, for providing me with a free press copy.
“Khet” (released in 2005) is a bit special to me in the sense that it was one of the first board games I purchased while DGA was still in its infancy. I can’t be sure, but I’m fairly certain that it had something to do with the fact that you could reflect lasers off your own pieces to figuratively blow up your opponent’s pieces…after all, you can’t do THAT in “Chess”. “Khet 2.0” (released in 2011), is for all intents and purposes the same game with a few distinct differences. We’re here today to quickly take a look at the video game adaptation of “Khet 2.0”, which released October 2014. Before we do, I’d like to quickly thank the folks at BlueLine Game Studios for providing me with a free press copy. If their name sounds familiar, it’s because they are the same developers who created and released the video game adaptation of the ever-popular, “Hive“.
DISCLAIMER: The title “Early Access” means that the product/game is still under development. As such, the content featured below is subject to change. This includes any opinions I may have at the time of writing, as Alpha and Beta builds sometimes change their core mechanics on a whim. It’s important to stress the word opinions, as I find it unethical to review something not yet released in its final form. In other words, don’t take anything you see here too seriously. You can view all of the articles of this series by clicking the “Video Games” tab, located on the top of this page.
“Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion” is a two player card game that spans the course of the original trilogy (Episodes IV through VI). I was admittedly a little skeptical when this first released because the folks at Fantasy Flight Games have already provided us with “Star Wars: The Card Game“, which basically offers the same thing. After giving this game a go, I came to realize that both games are alike and different in a number of ways. Before I get ahead of myself, let’s take a brief look at what came in the box and how the game is played.
While there are a lot of sci-fi themed board games out there, “MIND-The Fall of Paradise” strikes me as pretty unique. A lot of the games I’ve played in the aforementioned genre often involve players building up a fleet or race of some sort with the goal of taking out their opponents. “MIND-The Fall of Paradise” is admittedly a little like that, though players won’t be starting on equal footing. Rather, one player will become an all-powerful A.I. called “MIND” while the others assume the role of rebel leaders who aren’t thrilled to have the A.I. running things. I must admit that this idea has a lot of merit and I’ll be really interested to see how it’ll take shape after the Kickstarter campaign ends.
Spells spells spells…who doesn’t like a game that involves the heavy use of spells? “Duels For the Iron Staff”, a game currently seeking your help on Kickstarter, features plenty of spellcasting for you would-be wizards and sorceresses out there. Like Harry Potter and his band of cohorts (some could even call them “Hogwarts”, *ba-dump ch!*), you’ll primarily be focusing on getting the ingredients you’ll need to cast some pretty powerful spells. Your goal? Eliminate the competition and become the next Head Wizard!
Simulators like “Bridge Constructor” are awesome in the sense that they let anyone without an engineering degree flex their creative muscles a bit. There’s also the added benefit of being able to knock it all down (accidentally or intentionally) without actually going to prison for the rest of your life. “Blueprints” is a tabletop abstract building simulator that tasks players with making the best use of the materials available (dice) in order to construct their own towers. How efficient they are with their designs (in accordance with their individual blueprints) will determine how many points they score for any given round. Let’s jump in and get building, shall we?
DISCLAIMER: The title “Early Access” means that the product/game is still under development. As such, the content featured below is subject to change. This includes any opinions I may have at the time of writing, as Alpha and Beta builds sometimes change their core mechanics on a whim. It’s important to stress the word opinions, as I find it unethical to review something not yet released in its final form. In other words, don’t take anything you see here too seriously. You can view all of the articles of this series by clicking the “Video Games” tab, located on the top of this page.
I’ve never heard of “Bin’Fa: The Tao of War” before today, which is a real shame considering how fun it looks to play. “Bin’Fa: The Tao of War” is an abstract strategy game for two to six players and features a customizable board layout. Players will be controlling between one and three armies consisting of generals, units, and supply pawns. While side dealing and alliances are possible, your main objective will be to surround your opponents’ pieces and be the last army standing. It all reminds me a little of “Go” with a touch of “Chess” mixed in for good measure.
Okay…I’m out of clever lead-ins and I’m too tired to come up with new ones. I think from here on out, I’ll simply make the opening paragraph to articles in this series a simple/standard disclaimer. It’ll go something like this:
DISCLAIMER: The title “Early Access” means that the product/game is still under development. As such, the content featured below is subject to change. This includes any opinions I may have at the time of writing, as Alpha and Beta builds sometimes change their core mechanics on a whim. It’s important to stress the word opinions, as I find it unethical to review something not yet released in its final form. In other words, don’t take anything you see here too seriously. You can view all of the articles of this series by clicking the “Video Games” tab, located on the top of this page.
The folks over at Mage Company LTD, the same developers who brought you “12 Realms“, are at it again. Instead of a fairy tale setting complete with familiar heroes and evil villains, you’ll be thrust into a post-apocolyptic world that’s been devastated by the Third World War. Competing against other players trying to survive, your goal will be to gather the necessary items needed to enter the Golden City. “Raid & Trade” is currently seeking funding through the Kickstarter process (as of 11/3/14), so go check it out via the links below after you’re done here.