I’m not exactly what you would call, the “camping type”. My idea of camping out involves being in the living room with my laptop when my wi-fi temporarily slows down. Why? Because…bugs, snakes, forest fires, UFOs, Slenderman, Elmer Fudd, and more importantly, bears. Luckily, games like “Bears!” exist to help me safely face my fears, one die roll at a time. In this particular fast-paced dice rolling game, players will be trying to pair up dice in order to score the most points. This is assuming of course that they can avoid being Chewbacca’s dinner in the first place. Before we stock up on the bear repellent, I’d like to thank Justin and Anne-Marie De Witt, the co-owners of Fireside Games, for providing me with a free press copy.
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I’m going to go on record in the here and now and say that “Castle Panic” is a huge hit in our house. We just love teaming up against hordes of orcs, goblins, and trolls…even if we don’t always succeed. Fireside Games, the maker of the aforementioned game, recently released a new cooperative experience for gamers to sink their teeth into. This time however, players will be doing everything they can not to let the antagonists in this game sink their teeth into them…you guessed it, zombies! The setting? A remote cabin surrounded by acres and acres of trees. Will you and your teammates be able to hold out long enough to assemble the radio pieces and make it out alive? Before we get started, I’d like to thank Justin and Anne-Marie De Witt, the co-owners of Fireside Games, for providing me with a free review copy.
I for one am finally glad to see a Star Wars game that doesn’t involve that imbecile, Jar Jar Binks…though there’s always expansion sets. In “Star Wars: The Card Game”, players will be taking on the role of either the Light Side or the Dark Side of the Force. Will you lead Luke Skywalker and company to victory, or will you guide Darth Vader’s hand as he Force chokes all who oppose him?
“Star Trek Deck Building Game: The Original Series”, the next game from Bandai in the series, finally made its way into my household. I’d tell you to buckle your seatbelts, but for some reason they did away with those in the twenty-third century. I just chalked it up to William Shatner’s love for flinging himself across the bridge during a ship battle while conveniently ripping his tunic in the process. At any rate, this game will give players a ship, some equipment, and a very basic crew compliment. It’ll be your job to grow that crew compliment and form an unstoppable deck, capable of completing missions and events as they come up in order to reach your point goal. Let’s take a quick moment to check out the components and briefly see how the game is played before warping into the review.
I couldn’t help it. I saw this game appear on Steam and almost soiled my pants laughing at how much the DLC totalled after it was all said and done. I’ve seen instances where some developers would make some questionable pricing choices for the DLC they offer, but this takes the cake. To be fair, I’m not mocking the DLC. If someone truly wants to spend $2,800+ on add-on packs for a game about trains, then who am I to judge? After all, everyone has a hobby…though mine don’t tend to set me back by four month’s worth of mortgage payments. The core game, “Train Simulator 2014: Steam Edition”, is currently running for about $57.00, with the 131 DLC packs ranging from $5.00 to $40.00 each.
As much as I enjoy playing games with the kids, there are occasions where you just need a break from the family-friendliness of games like “Ticket to Ride”. “Party Time”, an adult-themed drinking game, is currently seeking your help on Kickstarter. It features a few different card types, including truths, dares, anything goes, and more. To sum up gameplay, players will take cards in turn and be attempting to follow the instructions. Some cards are aimed at the individual while others task the group with participating.
Having trouble locating the four golden tools in “Farm For Your Life”? No need to panic…”Dad” has you covered.
It’s been one heck of a rollercoaster ride, but I suppose it has to end at some point. Erica Reed is returning for one last time in this engaging four-part series, itching to get her hands on the person responsible for killing her brother. I’m going to assume that you’ve played the past three episodes, but I’ll attempt to keep things as spoiler-free as possible. I’m also going to keep this review short and sweet, for reasons I’ll make clear in a moment. Before we bid our final goodbyes to the series, I’d like to thank Katie Hallahan from Phoenix Online Studios and Emily Morganti, a PR consultant on behalf of Phoenix Online Studios, for providing me with a free review copy.
I wrote a preview for this game a while ago and was pleased overall with the content that the Beta build had offered. I admittedly have never met a farming game that I didn’t like, but this one introduces other gameplay elements that sets it apart from the rest of them. Let’s face it, how many other games can you name that take elements from “Planets vs. Zombies”, “Diner Dash”, and “Harvest Moon” and roll them into one neat, inexpensive ten dollar package? “Farm For Your Life” has been out of the Beta stage for a little less than a year now, so it’s about time that I get off my behind and get planting! Before we get started with the review, I’d like to quickly thank Andreas Bendt from Hammer Labs for sending me a press copy.
If there’s one area that I’ve always wanted to improve upon, it would have to be my health. I’ve recently lost twenty pounds through diet and exercise, but the latter is always a struggle. I don’t know about you, but I find exercise to be very, very boring. I’m the type that needs to be engaged intellectually as my brain rarely ever just switches off. Imagine my surprise when I discovered “Strength Stack 52”, a card game of sorts that promotes fitness. Before we take a look at this current Kickstarter project, I’d like to quickly thank Michael Volkin for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to note that because the game is currently seeking funding through Kickstarter (as of 9/17/13), that my copy may or may not be fully representative of the final product.
“Outlast” turned out to be an incredibly nail-biting affair. I even went as far as recording my entire experience from beginning to end. If you’re curious to see how it turns out, or if you’re stuck on a particular part, then feel free to check out my walkthrough below.
Apparently, Will Smith’s fear of robots running amok was justified (watch your “I, Robot” kids). In this instance you play the role of a human who is being hunted by robots across a British landscape. The maps are procedurally-generated in this sandbox world, meaning that you’re experiences in one game may not mimic that of the next. Your goal? Survive, any way you can. You’ll need to stealthily move around the foliage to stay hidden, but also scavenge food and weapons to help you in your quest. “Sir, You Are Being Hunted” is currently under development, though you can pay to play early via Steam’s Early Access program.
“Delver”, a roguelike dungeon crawler, has recently made its way onto Steam’s “Early Access” page with a bang. It features a perma-death system for those of you who love being penalized for making mistakes, but manages to maintain a certain charm via pixelated graphics. While there are plenty of games that contain said features (Minecraft, etc.), this one ended up being just as much of a time sink. Before I quickly cover the current state of the game, I’d like to quickly thank Chad Cuddigan (developer and publisher) for providing me with a free press copy. It’s important to note that because this game is still under developement, that the content featured in this article is subject to change.
Ahhhh, the caveman days…such simpler times. All we ever had to ever worry about was starting fires, inventing the wheel, and keeping those darned “Fruity Pebbles” away from Barney. Simple is exactly what “Stack & Attack” shoots for, setting its sights on audiences who love strategic games wrapped around casual themes. In this particular instance, “Stack & Attack” is a casual deck-builder game that tasks players with building a rock tower. Players will be endeavouring to build their own towers while at the same time, attempting to impede the progress of their opponents’ towers. Before we start throwing rocks at one another, I’d like to thank Chris Finlayson for reaching out to me and providing me with a free preview copy. It’s important to note that the game will be launching soon on Kickstarter (as of 9/7/13), so it goes without saying that the pictures and rules included in this article are subject to change.
I’ve been a very busy bee as of late. My board game reviews and Kickstarter previews are picking back up, hopefully due to the new board game video series that I’ve introduced on my YouTube channel. At any rate, I still love to play video games…especially scary ones. After hearing so many good things about how scary “Outlast” was, I knew that I just had to play it. Due to time constraints and the fact that I am covering this on my own dime, I’ll opt to keep this article short and sweet.
“Walk the Plank!”, a game that blew its Kickstarter goal out of the water earlier this year (2013), features both dumb pirates and Davy Jones’ locker…you can see where this is headed. In this quick card game for three to five players, players will be trying to push and shove other pirate crews off of the plank and to their doom while trying to safeguard their own. Before we take a quick look at the components and how the game is played, I’d like to quickly thank the folks at Mayday Games for providing me with a press copy. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because I covered their recent Kickstarter success, “Click Clack Lumberjack”.