I’m not too big on Kaiju movies, but I do enjoy playing Kaiju related games from time to time. “Rampage” for the NES was one of my favorites, even if the monsters’ names were George, Lizzie, and Ralph. “King of Tokyo” puts players in the role of a monster who is wrestling for control of, you guessed it, Tokyo. There’s punching, there’s healing, there’s special abilities…but there can only be one monster left standing at the end of it all. Will it be you?
I made a vow that I’d never play this game. I don’t even like most candy, especially now that I’m watching my weight. Yet, mostly everyone I know on Facebook is playing that blasted game as if their life depended on it. What is the appeal? It’s just a match-three game like “Bejeweled”, and there’s absolutely no shortage of match-three games on the market. If you were to look up “overkill” or “redundant” in the dictionary, you should find the words, “see match-three” right after the definition. As a games journalist, I had to know why this game was all the rave…it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. *Grumble* *Expletive* “Candy Crush Saga” *Incomprehensible Muttering*
In the mood for a little “Dungeons & Dragons” but don’t have a lot of time on your hands? “Dungeon!” may just be what the doctor ordered, as it is a simplified version of the aforementioned game. I admittedly have never played “D&D”, mainly due to time constraints. There’s also the fact that I seem to enjoy simpler things the older I get…just ask the kids. I’m apparently hilarious when I attempt to work that blasted DVR on the TV remote. At any rate, I picked “Dungeon!” up on a whim to see if it was as user-friendly as it claimed to be. If you’re curious as to whether or not a “D&D” game can be simplified enough for the layman, read on. For the record, my copy is the English fourth edition, released in 2012.
Just because word games are educational doesn’t mean that they can’t be a lot of fun to play. “Qquip”, a two to six player card game currently seeking your help on Kickstarter, seems to be the best of both worlds in that regard. It not only features intuitive wordplay, but will force players to make some pretty tough decisions…as a gaming dad myself, these games are typically ideal for family game night.
I’m dead. This honestly doesn’t surprise me anymore, as I’ve done so at least ten times within the past hour. To be fair, “Spelunky” is a fairly challenging platformer, one that I’ve discovered takes time to learn and play. As such, I’m reserving my right to review the game at a later date…namely so that I can spend some time getting better at it first. If you’re curious (or simply morbid enough) to watch me fail spectacularly as I learn the ropes, you can do by watching the gameplay videos below. Enjoy!
I seriously have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t find pandas to be the cutest thing on this planet…that is, except maybe for those who have said no to “Panda Cheese”. “Takenoko” (which means, Bamboo Sprout) puts players in the role of courtesans who must not only feed the emperor’s panda, but manage an ever-growing bamboo plantation. Players earn points for satisfying the emperor’s requests, as well as for feeding the panda and catering to the wishes of the gardener. Will you assist the gardener in growing specific patterns of bamboo, or will you just let the panda devour it all? The choice is yours…though my money’s on the panda.
After a fairly successful experience with the video game adaptation of “Elder Sign: Omens”, I decided to take another plunge into the world of H.P. Lovecraft. Only this time, I’ll be trying to form words with the available letters without going crazy. The trick lies in both the length of the word, as well as how many angles are present in the letters used to form said word. Who will go insane and who will manage to escape the funny farm by the skin of the teeth? Only time (and perhaps a few visits from Cthulhu) will tell…
Like “Trivial Pursuit”? Like “Star Trek”? Perhaps you should take a gander at “Star Trek: The Game”, which was published back in the early 1990’s. I had a copy as a kid, but I was admittedly more interested in firing phasers than I was answering some quote unquote “silly” trivia questions. Last night (1/3/14), I pulled this game out of mothballs to see if it was actually any good. I’d tell you to buckle your seatbelts and prepare for warp speed, but those of us who watch “Star Trek” know that the former seems to have been cut from the budget.
Post-apocalyptic games don’t always have to involve zombies, and that’s exactly the kind of setting that “Survivalistic” entails. In this easy-to-play collectible card game for two people, you’ll be doing your darndest to keep your clan alive by providing them with food and water. While you’re attempting to grow your clan, the other player will be trying to ensure that their clan reigns supreme. Will you lead your clan to victory by growing it so large that your opponent will have no choice but to give up, or will you opt for a more aggressive approach? Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank William Connor Mandry from Mandry44’s Games for providing me with a review copy.
Editor’s Note: I was informed on 2/28/14 that the game was redesigned based on reviewer and customer feedback. I’ve updated the text in this article to reflect the new rules. Time permitting, I’ll update the pictures and video as well.
You wouldn’t think it, but flying is actually pretty complicated. I found that out the hard way after crashing twice during the same takeoff. It was clear to me that after the first ten minutes, a review would be a long ways off…namely due to the fact that the learning curve is a bit on the steep side. You have no need to fear though, for I have opted to share my experiences for entertainment purposes…namely because most people enjoy watching me rage while playing a game. You’re welcome.
“Monopoly Empire” wasn’t the best thing to have ever crossed my path, but it was good enough of a “Monopoly” spinoff to receive a thumbs-up from the kids. “Monopoly Millionaire” is the next spinoff that I chose to pick up on a whim and luckily, it was on sale for fifteen bucks (down from the normal twenty to thirty dollars) at my local K-Mart. Instead of trying to build a tower however, players will be racing to reach a net worth (cash-wise) of one million before the others do. How does it stand up to the other “Monopoly” variants on the market, you ask? Keep reading to find out!
As a loyal “Left 4 Dead” fan, I was immediately intrigued by the premise behind “PAYDAY: The Heist” and its successor upon their release, even though I hate clowns with a passion. They offered a four player cooperative experience…though instead of fighting off zombies and wiping off boomer bile, you were robbing banks and the like. With that being said, I was a bit turned off by the rumors regarding their single player modes…enough so that I convinced myself to wait until a price drop before picking them up. With the recent Steam holiday sale slashing “PAYDAY: The Heist” by ninety percent and “PAYDAY 2” by fifty-five percent, I managed to grab both for just under fifteen bucks…not a bad haul (pardon the pun) if I may say so. It’s important to note that I started playing “PAYDAY 2” first and thus will be reviewing it first (because I can)…though time permitting, I’ll cook a review up for “PAYDAY: The Heist” as well.
Hey fellow gamers!
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Thank you kindly!
I’ve been playing “Cities XL 2011” off and on for the past few years, having first acquired it through “Impulse” (which now sports the “GameStop App”). I wasn’t sure what to make of “Cities XL 2011” at first, though my first impressions of it at the time was that it bore an uncanny resemblance to “City Life” released back in 2006. Having done a little research for this article, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Monte Cristo was the publisher behind both games. At any rate, I decided to dive back into this title, namely due to the unsatisfied taste that the most recent “SimCity” left in my mouth. The question remains: “Is ‘Cities XL 2011’ better than EA’s most recent and controversial “SimCity” release?”
With Christmas being right around the corner, I admittedly don’t have the time to write a full-blown review of “Zoo Tycoon 2”. To be fair, this game was released in 2004 and chances are if you haven’t played it by now, you’re not going to. Still, I do want to give some credit where it’s due, as I’ve spent countless hours constructing and tearing down zoo parks like the Tasmanian Devil. In its day, it was indeed a fantastic game and holds up surprisingly well despite its age. It doesn’t have a widescreen option, for example, but what it lacks in functionality it makes up for in content. For the record, I own both the core game and two of the four expansions (Marina Mania and African Adventures).
I had two strikes going against me when I purchased this video game adaptation…one for never having played the board game and two for not being familiar (at all) with any of H.P. Lovecraft’s work. I know, I know…shame on me, I guess. Still, there was a certain charm about the board game, even if a lot of the gameplay mechanics seemed a bit complex. I bought the video game adaptation ($14.99 as of 12/22/13) mainly to see if I should drop twenty-five bucks plus on the board game. Worse case scenario is that if I don’t like it, I’d only be out fifteen bucks…seemed like a reasonable deal. After playing a few games, I’ve discovered that I have a love/hate relationship with “Elder Sign: Omens”. Why? So glad you asked…