“Tok Tok Woodman”, a tree chopping game that successfully funded through Kickstarter in late 2011, is back and better than ever. The makers of the aforementioned Korean game have decided to tweak the original design in order to help the game appeal to a wider audience…hence, “Click Clack Lumberjack” was born. The revamped version improves upon the original packaging in order to make it more shelf-friendly, adds a few variants to give the game lasting appeal, and more. Before we take a quick look at this recent Kickstarter success, I’d like to thank Seth Hiatt from MayDay Games for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to note that I received my press copy after the campaign ended and before retail copies were made. Thus, the contents in the pictures below may or may not be fully representative of the final product.
Archives
All posts by Vincent
Have you been itching for a family-friendly tactical card game? Perhaps you liked my review of Pixel Tactics, but thought it might be too much for your kids to handle? With “WarFields”, I’m pleased to report that the search is over. It’s fun and easy to play, but yet still requires folks to think a little in regards to which cards they should place on the battlefield when. Before we take a sneak peek at this current Kickstarter project, I’d like to thank Chris Green from Menaveth Games for reaching out and providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to note that because the game is still in the funding phase, the components featured in the pictures below may not be fully representative of the final product.
Are you the type of person that just HAS to come up with silly words to fit acronyms when you see them? Do you excel at games like “Scrabble” and “Jumbulaya” because your vocabulary knows no bounds? Are you witty and quick with clever comebacks in verbal sparring matches? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then “Phraze-It!” might be right up your alley. In this easy to learn game for kids and adults alike, you’ll be tasked with coming up with phrases that fit the letters that are randomly rolled from turn to turn. Before we take a quick look at the game, I’d like to thank Todd Greenwood from Lots-o-Watts Games for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that the components featured in previews aren’t always representative of the final product.
Before you ask, no…this isn’t a game isn’t about some lost, wayward robotic faction that Megatron had hiding under his sleeve all this time. Rather, “Septikon” is a board game for two players that features tower-defense mechanics in a retro-futuristic atmosphere. For those of you who frequent my video game reviews, you’ll know that I love me some tower defense. Tower defense games have a way of keeping you on your toes, not to mention the fact that they can be hopelessly addicting. Needless to say, I was intrigued by what this game had to offer. Before we take a quick look at what “Septikon” is all about, I’d like to thank Ivan Karmanov from Hobby World for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. Since the game is still in the process of being funded through Kickstarter, you may or may not see a difference between the final product and the content featured below.
Ever dream of being a Royal Messenger? Now is your chance! In “Give It to the King!”, a game currently seeking funding through Kickstarter, players will be tasked with delivering messages to the King in order to earn gold. In an interesting twist, players will not only be able to control their own messengers, but those of whom which belong to other players. There’s a bit of strategy involved, but the game remains to be family-friendly.
Most families who browse family-friendly card games have at least heard of the game, “Apples to Apples”. It entails players taking turns as a judge, with the other players submitting cards to them in the hopes that said cards are picked. There’s a lot of fun to be had in games like this, especially if your group has an odd sense of humor. Now, make “Apples to Apples” a smidge more complex and add a “heist” theme to it. After the smoke clears, you’ll end up with “Larceny”, the next party game that is making its way onto the Kickstarter front. Before we take a sneak peek at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank William Smith from Waning Gibbous Games for providing me with a prototype copy. As with all prototypes and previews, it’s important to stress that the content featured below may or may not fully represent the final product.
Dragons do more than just breathe fire and boost the sales of undergarment products everywhere…they amass hoards filled with riches and wonder. In fact, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing in “Havok & Hijinks”, a game that’s currently seeking funding through a Kickstarter campaign (as of 8/26/13). In this two to four player family-friendly card game, players will take control of a single dragon and attempt to be the first one to expand their hoard to a value of fifteen. Before we take a sneak peek at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank Adam “Ferrel” Trzonkowski of Epic Slant Press LLC for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not often representative of the final product, so the contents in the pictures you’ll see below are subject to change.
Haven’t seen the new Star Trek movie yet? Well, you’re in luck. “Star Trek Into Darkness” is beaming down to most retail stores everywhere on September 10, 2013 (locations & dates may vary). If you don’t feel like waiting in line, you can pre-order the movie on Amazon and select “two-day shipping” to receive it in the mail on release day.
I’ve been itching for a good vampire RPG ever since “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines” released in 2004. “BloodLust” may very well be that game, though it’s important to stress that it’s still in development so anything could happen at this point. In “BloodLust”, players will be able to play as a vampire and attempt to grow their bloodline. You’ll be able to level up, choose skills, recruit the living into your family by biting them, and more. If you’re as interested in this game as I am, then feel free to check out the official website and gameplay video via the links below. A playable demo is also on the official website, so have at it!
I liked reviewing “Forbidden Island” for a lot of reasons…but the major sticking points revolved around how easy it was to play and its attractive cooperative theme. To steal a quote from said review, “Younger kids who enjoy the idea behind Pandemic but are overwhelmed by its rules and gameplay mechanics will probably enjoy Forbidden Island.” When I discovered “Forbidden Desert’s” existence, I knew that I had to give it a go to see how it compared to its predecessor. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Nora Meiners from Ceaco/Gamewright for providing me with a review copy.
There’s nothing I enjoy more than putting my feet up while a Star Trek marathon runs its course on my giant flat screen television. You can imagine my surprise when the offer to take a peak at “Redshirt” was offered…curiosity simply got the better of me. For those of you not in the know, a “redshirt” refers to a disposal character on the old “Star Trek” series featured in the 1960’s. Would I be managing a security squad of redshirts and be tasked with replacing them every time the commanding officer beamed down to a planet? Would I be a redshirt trying to stay alive, despite the odds? Oddly enough, “Redshirt” is a life simulator of sorts that uses “Spacebook” as its primary interface. You’ll have to see it to believe it.
So, I was taking a look at some of my older reviews…especially the ones that weren’t published with the format that I’ve come to adopt and enjoy. I admittedly bashed “For Sale” pretty hard and based on suggestions from the community, I’ve decided to take another look at the game to see if my opinion about it has changed. Let’s take a quick look at what the game is about and how it plays.
“Crootle”, put simply, tasks players with matching colored tiles in an attempt to form a path from one end of the board to the other. Sounds simple, right? Well, yes and no. While being able to match colors is a skill that we learn at a very young age, the manner in which players place the tiles will ultimately determine who wins and who loses. I have weakness for games that are easy to play but involve a bit of critical thinking and strategic planning…to that end, “Crootle” certainly fits the bill. Before we get started with the preview, I’d like to thank the folks at World Village Games, LLC for providing me with a prototype copy. As with most prototypes, it’s important to stress that they usually aren’t representative of the final product. The content in the pictures featured below are therefore subject to change.
The original “Settlers of Catan” has been around for over ten years and is probably one of the most popular board games ever to set foot outside of Europe. Like “Monopoly”, many different versions of “Catan” have surfaced over the course of time…”Star Trek: Catan” being among my personal favorites. We’re here today to take a look at the video game adaptation released in August of 2013 titled, “Catan: Creator’s Edition”. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Michaela Schultheis from United Soft Media for providing me with a review copy.
More and more board games are being funded through Kickstarter as of late, and I’m not going to complain. “Bring em on!”, I say. Most of them show a lot of promise, and such is the case with “Elemental Blast.”
In the preview I published back in March of 2013, I compared this game to flying through the forests of Endor on a speeder bike. After months of fine-tuning, the game was finally released to the public on August 19, 2013. Things have changed a bit, but the concept is still the same…dodge obsticles at high speeds in an attempt to get the highest score possible. Before we take a look at the game in closer detail, I’d like to once again thank Forest San Filippo from Flippfly LLC for providing me with a free copy of the game.