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.
Stuck on the video game, “Gone Home”? You can check out my walkthrough video and review via the links below.
There’s something to be said for games that simply focus on telling a story. They are either loved or hated, as is the case with games like “Dear Esther” and “Proteus”. In “Gone Home”, you take on the role of a teenage girl (Katie) who’s come home after a full year of studying abroad. As you may have guessed, the experience of coming home didn’t exactly turn out the way you had expected. With the family missing, it’ll be your job to explore your house in an effort to piece together what has transpired. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Steve Gaynor from The Fullbright Company for providing me with a free review copy.
“Hammerwatch” has been on my watch list for quite a while, especially since my experiences with the Beta where positive overall. On that note, feel free to check out the preview I published back in February of 2013 if you have the time. “Hammerwatch”, for those of you who don’t feel like browsing between two different articles, is a “Gauntlet-esque” hack and slash adventure featuring pixel art and many, many scary looking creatures. You and your friends will be able to team up, pick a class, and wade through hordes of enemies as you attempt to clear Castle Hammerwatch from the ground up. Before we delve any deeper into how this game works, I’d like to once again thank Jochum Skoglund for providing me with review copies for the game.