Survival sims are probably my favorite type of video games to play. Throw in some zombies to the mix and I will be hard pressed to put them down. “Project Zomboid”, a game currently in the Alpha stages of development, is my latest addiction. It’s a top down zombie-survival game that tasks the player with finding food and staying alive, all in real-time. You’re not immune to infection, making death a very real thing. It’s not a question of whether or not you’ll survive…rather, it’s a matter of “when” you’ll kick the proverbial bucket.
Some of you are no doubt under the impression that you’ve played every type of “Rummy” game known to man, and it’s very possible that you have…until now. “Draw Blood”, a “Rummy” style, monster card game, is currently seeking your help on Kickstarter to add some spooky thrills to your otherwise normal “Rummy” game. It plays like “Rummy” in that you’ll be trying to get rid of your cards by playing melds, though you’ll have to keep your monsters alive in order to do so.
Some of you may already be familiar with “Talisman” in general, whether it be from playing the board game or via the review I wrote for “Talisman Prologue”. If you haven’t, that’s quite alright…I admit that I myself have never played the board game. If I had the money and/or space available to snatch up every game I came across, I’d be one happy camper. “Talisman”, to sum it up, puts players in the role of a character who must complete quests across multiple stages. This video game adaptation, along with “Talisman Prologue”, keeps with the feel of the original board game in that you’ll be rolling dice as opposed to clicking the mouse thousands of times like you would in the “Diablo” series.
I’ll give you three guesses as to what genre “Worker Placement”, a board game that’ll be launching on Kickstarter in November 2013, falls under. I’m honestly surprised that after all this time, no one hasn’t scooped up the name already. Like “Cargo Noir” and “Lords of Waterdeep”, “Worker Placement” tasks players with making the most out of the resources that you’ve been given by assigning them to various parts of the game board. In this case, each player is running a temp agency designed to help place workers into varying jobs. Those who do it the most efficiently will make the most money and win the game! Before we take a sneak peek at what makes this game tick, I’d like to thank Mark MacKinnon from Dyskami Publishing Company for reaching out and providing me with a prototype copy. As with all prototypes, it’s important to stress that they aren’t usually representative of the final product making the below content subject to change.
Real Estate? Tower Defense? Monsters? Where do I sign up? “Unholy Heights” snuck onto Steam about a week ago and I snatched it up without a second thought. In this particular game, you’ll be managing an apartment building full of monsters and charging them rent. While you’re seeing to their needs, heroes will come and attempt to kill you, the devil, who is situated on the very top floor presiding as the landlord. I’ve already dropped nine hours into the game having only spent four bucks to purchase it, so I consider that a victory on my part. It’s an excellent value for the content it delivers, so certainly check it out if you haven’t already.
It’s that time of year again…at least in our household. With last year’s DGA Awards being an overall success, we decided to sit down again this year to hash out our favorite board games of 2013. Like last year, it’s important to stress that Dad’s Gaming Addiction is a quote unquote “small, one-man show” that simply doesn’t have access to all of the games released in 2013…both my closet and girlfriend seem to appreciate this fact, even if I don’t. As such, we’ll be listing only the games that we own and played throughout the year.
The residents of “Blackwood” may want to consider taking an extended vacation, at least until the vampires and vampire hunters are done with the place. In this exciting and thematic game for two to four players, both factions will be fighting for control over key locations throughout the small, peaceful town of “Blackwood”. Will the vampires drain the entire town dry, or will the vampire hunters be successful in fending off these powerful beasts? That’s up to you. Before we get started with the review, 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.
I’ve admittedly spent hours at the arcade wrecking cars as a child, but there’s something to be said for causing others crash and burn in your very own dining room. “Vehicle Vendetta”, a fast-paced card game currently seeking your help on Kickstarter, promises exactly that. Road rage might be frowned upon in real life, but here, all bets are off. Will you have what it takes to come out ahead and drive past the competition?
As bloody as movies like “Gladiator” and games like “Chivalry: Medieval Warfare” are, I find myself oddly drawn to them…there’s just something about a good, old-fashioned last man standing brawl that gets the adrenaline pumping. When I was a kid, I’d spend hours at the arcade playing “WWF Royal Rumble” for that very reason. “ETA: Enter The Arena”, a game currently seeking your help on Kickstarter, is a competitive card game that takes place during the days of the Roman Empire. Each player will be given a set of cards and will be aiming to not only beat their opponents silly, but do it with “style”. Before we take a look at this current Kickstarter project (as of 9/30/13), I’d like to thank Jonathan Oberto from Promethean Games Inc. for providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that because the game is still in the Kickstarter stage, that the components featured below may or may not be fully representative of the final product.
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.
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.