I was a bit surprised, in all honesty, to see “Evolution” cross my path. Not because of its name or the gameplay mechanics mind you, but due to the fact that it was created by the same folks who made “Say Anything“, “Wits & Wagers“, “Clubs“, and “Crappy Birthday“…all of which are fairly casual family/party games. “Evolution”, a game currently seeking your support on Kickstarter, breaks the mold and instead goes the strategic route. While still being a relatively family-friendly game at heart, it’ll force players to make some pretty tough choices. Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, I’d like to thank Ryan Metzler, a representative for North Star Games, for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not often representative of the final product, making everything featured in this article subject to change.
While some games are purely meant to entertain, others offer an artistic flair that will make you think about the developer’s intentions. That’s exactly what’s going on with “Mirrors”, a card game currently seeking your help on Kickstarter. It’s an easy-to-play card game for two players that plays a lot like “rock-paper-scissors”, but will also make you think and reflect about existence itself.
“Monolith”, as best as I can describe it, is a dice-rolling worker placement game. Players will be challenged to place their dice on the available cards in such a way that earns them both gems and victory points. While timing and placement in games like these are crucial to success, using powers and skills strategically may give players the edge they might need to win the game. It’s a bit like “Roll For It!”, only a bit more complex. Before we start rolling those dice and seeing what’s what, I’d like to thank Michael Lubbers from Goblin Army Games for providing me with a free press copy.
With a name like “Metacell: Genesis, The Card Game”, you might immediately think that this game is complicated…not so. In fact, if I had to compare it to other card games I’ve played, I’d have to say that it was a cross between “Uno” and “Rummy”. All in all, this isn’t a bad pairing. Your objective here will be to match like-colored cards in order to score points, though the game includes some twists that help to make things a bit more strategic. Before we begin with the preview, I’d like to thank Ian Terry from Products for Robots, Inc. for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to note that the game is currently seeking funding through the Kickstarter process (as of 4/23/14), making everything featured in this article subject to change.
Transylvania has seen better days. Vampires, werewolves, zombies…it doesn’t get any worse for the poor citizens who currently live there. Fortunately, the local government has a plan: hire only the bravest and best of adventurers to drive those monsters out. That’s where you come in. “Transylvania: Curses & Traitors”, a board game hitting Kickstarter at the beginning of May 2014, will task players with working together as these adventurers to break the curse once and for all. Before we take a sneak peek at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank Loren Cunningham, the founder of WIBAI Games, for reaching out and providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to note that prototypes are not often representative of the final product, making everything featured below (including the rules) subject to change. The minis featured in the below pictures, for example, are from D&D and HeroClix games…though I’m told the stretch goal will include unpainted (but detailed) minis.
The “Age of Empires” series always brings back fond memories, whether it be the epic battles I used to wage or the hours I’d spend creating the perfect skirmish map. Then there was “Age of Mythology”, a very similar RTS created by the same company (Microsoft) back in 2002. While I didn’t spend as much time on the latter as I did the former, I still played through the game at least three times. The idea of sending minotaurs into a wave of enemy infantry was oddly appealing for some reason. Before we take a quick look at what “Age of Mythology: Extended Edition” has to offer, I’d like to thank Ashton Williams at Microsoft for providing me with a press copy.
Move over “Uno”! Take a hike “Rummy”! “Metacell: Genesis, The Card Game” is in town and currently seeking your help on Kickstarter. In this easy-to-play card game for two to four players, you’ll be tasked with playing sets of same-colored cards in order to bank points for the end of the game. If you’re lucky enough to play the same colors as your character, you’ll activate their special ability. These can include powers that allow you to add to current sets (effectively increasing their point value) or even take extra turns. It’s the kind of game you can introduce to your family on game night without worrying about complex rules and inappropriate content. I’ll be posting a preview soon that goes into greater detail, but feel free to browse and/or support the game in the meantime if you like what you see!
Being a games journalist isn’t all fun and games, despite what most people may think. In fact, most of the time there’s a large bullseye right on your forehead. You wouldn’t believe some of the crap that come out of people’s mouths (or fingertips) because you gave a particular game a “7/10” instead of an “8/10”. Today I was thrown for a loop when I received a “thank you” email from a fan diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. His story ended up being so inspirational that I decided to donate $25.00 to the “National Multiple Sclerosis Society“. It’s admittedly not much, but the best I can do with a mortgage and a house of five (nine if you count animals).
Arcen Games has a habit of coming up with off-the-wall ideas that make me consider video games in a different light, “The Last Federation” being no exception. It’s somewhat like a 4x game, but you won’t have your own race and your own planets to maintain. Instead, you are the last remnants of a race gone nearly extinct. You’ll be jumping from planet to planet interacting with the other races in the universe, trying to curry their favor in order to make them part of a “Federation”. Uniting the races under this Federation, being the primary goal, is a lot harder than it sounds. Before I go any further, I’d like to quickly thank Erik Johnson from Arcen Games for providing me with a free press copy.
You know those game trailers that leave you in a state of shock, as if you just watched something so outrageous that you couldn’t be that it was true? Well, I’m pleased to report that this very thing happened to me after watching the trailer for “FootLOL: Epic Fail League”, a cutesy but not so cutesy soccer (European football) game. Meteor strikes, airplanes bombing the field…it was “Mutant League Football” all over again and I just had to have more. Along those lines, I’d like to thank Anastasia Skachko from HeroCraft, Ltd. for providing me with a free press copy.
I rarely get the chance to play dexterity-based tabletop games, which is a real shame. I find this fact surprisingly odd, seeing as how I’ve played many games in the strategy, simulation, worker placement, casual, and adventure genres. Yet, my play time with dexterity-based games seem to be sporadic at best. “Flick Wars”, a game hitting Kickstarter on April 17, 2014, is unlike anything I’ve played up to this point. I mean, I’ve played my fair share of “Jenga”, but this is vastly different. Using “flicking skills”, players will be tasked with maneuvering their units in such a way that destroys enemy units. The last player left standing, wins the game! Before we take a quick look at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank Andrew Tullsen from Print & Play Productions for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not often reflective of the final components, making everything featured in this article subject to change.
Okay, so I’m a bit behind in my reviews…what do you expect from an “army of one”? Now I see why IGN and PC Gamer have a staff…too many games and not enough hands to play them. Normally I don’t review games nowadays unless I’ve received a review copy (due to time constraints, etc.), but in this case I figured I’d make an exception. My Diablo III review is a bit outdated and a lot has changed with the game as a whole since its posting. We’re here today to take a quick look at what the first expansion (“Reaper of Souls”) has to offer and why you should seriously consider digging this game out of mothballs to give it another chance.
I’ve gone on record a number of times praising this lovely “little” gem and it still remains to be one of my favorite games of all time. As if it were some sort of holiday where the gifts just keep on coming, the developers have released a free expansion that will take you for a wild ride. The Advanced Edition makes things a bit harder, even on the easy difficulty level, but adds a number of new (and welcome) features. Luckily, you can choose to toggle these features on or off before starting a new game.
I had a blast playing “Family Business” during the International TableTop Day event at Game Masters…though I admit, it helped to have some patient teachers. “Family Business” is an elimination game, through and through. You’ll receive a mob of gangsters and it’ll be your job to make sure that your family is the last one standing. To do that, you’ll have to avoid being placed on the hit list…it’s tougher than it sounds. Before we take a quick look at the game, I’d like to offer a special thank you to Jason, Charity, Barry, Joseph, and Kaleem (participants in the above-mentioned event) for taking the time to bring this game to my attention.
There’s nothing like a good dungeon crawler to get the adrenaline pumping and in this case, “Quest of Dungeons” doesn’t disappoint. Similar to games like “Dungeons of Dredmor”, you’ll be tasked with clearing out enemies and leveling up your character in a turn-based creepy-esque environment. Your ultimate goal will be to find and defeat the evil lord who has (somehow) stolen all the light and trapped it inside a magical lantern…we can’t allow that, now can we? Before we get started with the review, I’d like to thank David Amador, the game’s sole creator, for providing me with a press copy.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t do anything special for International TableTop Day, which was held on April 5, 2014. So, I did the only thing a respectable (ha!) games journalist would do…grab my camera and head down to Game Masters, a local gaming / hobby shop located in Pittsburgh. I’m not much of a people person and I had never before gone to an event of this scale, but I was determined to walk away with a story to write about. It turned out that I was gifted with much more…the feeling of comradery. We were all there for a reason: we enjoy tabletop gaming. It was great to meet such fine people and I hope to run into all of them again in the future.