Tag: games

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Promising PS4 games of 2018 – The Gamer in me GL-18

Picky picky

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Those of you that follow my Gaming posts know that I’ve become increasingly picky about which PS4 games I choose to purchase.  There wasn’t much in 2017 that really had me overly excited.  I was impressed with the Playlink games that we’re released though.  Of course those games don’t have anywhere near the amount of depth a major release does.

Fortunately 2018 looks to have a few major game releases that will have me waiting for the Video game store to open on release day.

A Way Out

Unlike a couple of the other games to come on this list.  A Way Out only began picking up interest at E3 this year.  Billed as a Co-op only split screen game.  Memories of playing couch co-op games as a kid have me interested to experience what a modern version will look like. From what I’ve seen, A Way Out is going to essentially be a video game version of the TV show Prison break.  A show that I was a fan of for two seasons.  It began to get just a little too unbelievable after that.  This game has me excited because 1- I love couch Co-op. 2- the ability to have both Players in completely different parts of the jail, but be able to see what each of you is up to is awesome. 3- unlike a lot of online games, it only requires one available friend to play with.

Detroit: Become Human

If you haven’t already heard about Detroit: Become Human then obviously keeping up on current events isn’t your thing.  Judging by the trailers and gameplay Videos I’ve seen. Detroit: Become Human is going to be a gorgeous looking game.  In the game you play three key characters that all have an important part to play in the story.  The primary subject matter is a popular subject these days.  If artificial intelligence reaches the point of becoming self aware. Should it be allowed to govern itself, and share an equal place in society?  I’ve always loved Android characters in films.  In Detroit: Become Human you get to decide the path they would take.  Awesome right!  I definitely think so.  I can’t wait for this game to be released because 1- it’s a game by Quantic Dream.  Easily one of my favourite software development companies. 2- the story is of particular interest to me.  Especially since you have a part in deciding where it goes.  3- the graphics look absolutely incredible.  Just watch a trailer or two, you will be impressed.

Skull and Bones

Something that I feel has been missing from the Video game world for quite some time is Pirates.  Sure there have been games that incorporated a few scenes or levels on the high seas.  A dedicated game about living the life of a pirate hasn’t been available.  Although it’s really just an Assassin’s Creed game.  Assassin’s Creed Black Flag has had a hand in revitalizing the Pirate genre.  It definitely has the feel, and look of a Pirate game, but that’s where it ends.  At no time during that game do I feel like a Pirate.  You always know that you are an Assassin first and foremost.  Although it remains to be seen, Skull and Bones is supposed to be a much more realistic adaptation of Pirate life.  I truly hope that’s the case.  I’m totally stoked for Skull and Bones because 1- who doesn’t want to play the role of a Pirate Captain sailing the Seas. 2- online multiplayer ship to ship combat could be amazing if done right. 3- the solo Campaign sounds both challenging, and exciting. Let’s just hope it isn’t only 8 hours long like some recent letdowns.

There will be more

Those are the big three for me currently, but as Developers continue to push the PS4 limits.  You can be sure that the number of quality games will increase.  There’s been recent speculation about when the PS5 might be released.  All I can say is that I hope it isn’t anytime soon.  It’s been my experience that it takes most Developers close to three years to really understand a new console.  Now that they are getting the most out of the PS4.  Lets allow them to run wild with it.

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Top 8 Game breakers – The Gamer in me GL-17

Game obsessed

There are many classic games throughout history that made a difference.  Every Video Game, or Board Game we play today owes something to those early creations.  This list is more about the games that changed things in the modern era, or kept me from seeing the light of day for months.  The games you couldn’t stop playing because at the time there was nothing else quite like it.

The Top 8 Games you just had to play

Dragon’s Lair – I just finished watching the second season of Stranger Things on Netflix.  During one of the early episodes they briefly show the kids collecting quarters to go play Dragon’s Lair at their local Arcade.  It inspired me to write this article actually.  Dragon’s Lair first appeared in Arcades in 1983.  At that time there was nothing even remotely close to it in graphic quality, and story.  All of today’s adventure based video games where you play a recognizable character owe a little something to Dragon’s Lair.  The Laserdisc system was plagued with issues so by the early 90s the Dragon’s Lair Arcade machines were mostly gone.  Very few people ever mastered the timing and moves necessary to defeat the Dragon.  I was one of the few.  There’s a common misconception that you needed to get through each room to reach the Dragon’s Lair.  Actually the Lair was triggered after reaching a certain number of points.  The point threshold could be adjusted for difficulty so in most cases you would have to play some of the rooms multiple times before you reached the Dragon’s Lair.  People who claim to have beaten the game but actually haven’t won’t know that.  To this day it’s still one of my two favourite Arcade games.  The console versions that came out later never quite did it justice.

Gauntlet – In case you hadn’t already guessed Gauntlet was the other Arcade game.  Originally released in 1985 Gauntlet didn’t suffer from the Laserdisc issues Dragon’s Lair did.  Up until the fall of the Arcades in the late 90s, Gauntlet remained a very popular game.  What set it apart from so many others was the four player cooperative play.  There had been many two player cooperative games but they didn’t have the same allure as four player Gauntlet.  Gauntlet will be for many people the first video game they ever played cooperatively with strangers.  Quite often a couple best friends would visit the Arcade together, and end playing Gauntlet for hours with a couple total strangers.  By the end of that Gauntlet marathon those strangers were now friends.  For those of you that never played Gauntlet in the Arcades, you might have thought that hours of playing was an exaggeration.  It wasn’t.  In Gauntlet your quarters bought you a predetermind amount of life points.  The more quarters you added, the more life your character had.  As long as you kept adding quarters, you could keep playing.  On top of that you could add additional life points by picking up food during the game.  If you knew what you were doing, had great players to play with, and a bucket load of quarters.  You could practically play all day.  Trust me I did.  I spent enough money playing that game to have bought one outright.  Gauntlet was the first of the real time dungeon crawler video games, and one of the first true multiplayer games as well.  Some of the most successful video games like Diablo, and Destiny owe a lot of their success to Gauntlet.

Warhammer Fantasy Battle – If you are a tabletop gamer you will know about Warhammer Fantasy.  Chances are good that if you regularly visit gaming stores you will have at least seen it being played.  Without Warhammer Fantasy Battle tabletop gaming would never have taken off the way it did.  As much as it’s a game, it’s also a hobby.  Allowing players to demonstrate their painting skills, army composition, and display creativity.  The first edition released in 1983, but after many expansions and new editions is still being played today.  If you are a tabletop gamer, the success of Warhammer Fantasy Battle is why.  Everything from Heroclix to X-wing owe their success to Warhammer Fantasy Battle.

Magic the Gathering – When Wizards of the Coast hired Richard Garfield to help them create a competitive Collectible Card Game.  I doubt they ever imagined the success, and effect that it would have on gaming in general.  First released in 1993, and continuing on with new expansions to this day.  Magic the Gathering remains the most successful of all the Collectible Card Games on the market.  Responsible for creating the online Card Game community, a professional Collectible Card Gaming tour, and valuable Individual Card market for something other than Sports Players.  If you played Pokemon, you can thank Magic the Gathering.  Yu-Gi-Oh wouldn’t have existed without Magic the Gathering.  Countless Card Games based on well known franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, the WWE, any many others wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for Magic the Gathering paving the way.  I’ve bought, sold, and traded a small fortunes worth of Magic the Gathering cards.  I’ve even been part owner in a couple of stores dedicated to the CCG market that game created.  It’s hard to find a more influential game that was created in the 90s.

HeroQuest – Simply put HeroQuest was the Board Game version of a Video Game dungeon crawler.  Recreating the cooperative experience from Gauntlet in a simple to play tile board, and miniatures game at home.  More importantly it made previously complicated game genres more accessible to the average person.  Not everyone is interested in painting an entire Warhammer Army, and then measuring out each, and every troop movement to play the game.  Not everyone has the interest, or imagination to enjoy playing a Dungeons and Dragons Campaign.  HeroQuest didn’t require painting, replaced rulers with gridded tiles, and gave Fantasy Players something they could see.  Games Workshop partnered with Milton Bradley to create the game released in 1989.  They realized that their Warhammer Fantasy Battle game only appealed to a hardcore audience.  HeroQuest served as a way to get the average player interested in miniature gaming.  Then maybe their interest would continue to grow, and eventually become Warhammer Fantasy Battle Players. This wasn’t necessarily the case because the story was just as important as the battle.  As a result Games Workshop released their own version of HeroQuest, although far more advanced called Warhammer Quest in 1995.  Board Game dungeon crawlers remain as some of the most appealing games to a wide audience.  Their simplicity of play, story, character advancement, and group dynamic make them one of my personal favourites.  For those of you that read my The Gamer in me posts, you will already know that I’m a huge fan of Imperial Assault.  If you love Board Games, but have a difficult time talking your friends into playing.  Do yourself a favour, and figure out which genre is most appealing to your group of friends, and pick up a cooperative dungeon crawler board game.  If you can get them to play it just once, they will be hooked.

Wing Commander 3 – This could already have many of you searching Google for what Wing Commander 3 is.  To understand it’s importance you need to know a little about home console gaming first. Home consoles effectively took over from the Arcades in the early 2000s in what is referred to as the 128 bit era.  The generation of consoles that came out before that were the first to incorporate 3D graphics.  It was during this time that the possibility of buying a home console system could keep you from going out to an Arcade.  The first of these 3D era consoles was the Panasonic 3DO. You read that right.  Panasonic made a home game system.  It was actually quite good as well.  Consoles had just switched from cartridges to Discs, and Wing Commander 3 was their crowning achievement in 1995.  The cut scenes were actually film quality.  Something that would be adapted for many future Video Games.  Actual recognized actors were used for the main characters.  A practice that has continued to this day.  The game played like you were a participant in a movie.  Much like modern Video Games Heavy Rain, Until Dawn, and The Last of Us.  If you have never seen it played.  Check out some videos on YouTube, and remember that this game was on consoles in 1995.

Counter-Strike – Are you a fan of First Person Shooters?  Do you absolutely love online multiplayer?  Well give the makers of Counter-Strike a call and thank them.  Counter-Strike released in 2000 set the bar when it comes to online multiplayer First Person Shooters.  Sure there were other FPS games before it but Counter-Strike perfected the genre.  Every FPS game that’s come out since owes a debt of gratitude to Counter-Strike.  Small unit tactical combat, deathmatch, objective based missions, and balanced map design were all executed  perfectly by the Counter-Strike development team.  I’ve never been a huge fan of online multiplayer FPS, but I did like MAG, and the Killzone series so thank you Counter-Strike.

Resident Evil 7 VR – Quite simply the most immersive experience that you can have playing a Virtual Reality Video Game.  There are a number of Virtual Reality titles available across multiple platforms, but none of them capture the realism, and mood of their respective games better than Resident Evil 7 VR.  The game can be genuinely scary at times when you play the regular version.  In Virtual Reality the full 18 hours of game play could leave you frightened to the point where therapy is required.  Isn’t that the whole point behind the Virtual Reality experience?  To feel like you aren’t just playing the game, but actually a part of it.  Virtual Reality is still in it’s infancy, and by no means is it inexpensive.  If you are battling with the merits of becoming an early adopter.  Do yourself a favour, and give Resident Evil 7 a try.  If that doesn’t sell you on the value of a Virtual Reality game system then nothing else will.  There’s a very good chance that you will be opening your wallet and joining the ever growing ranks of VR Gamers though.

 

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Imperial Assault review – The Gamer in me GL-14

A great Design

I’ve been playing board games for a long time.  One thing that I can say for sure is that Game Design has significantly improved.  I use to find major flaws with almost every game I purchased after a few times playing.  The percentage of games that are brutally unbalanced, or contain game breaking elements are far lower now.  Imperial Assault is no exception.  I’ve read other people’s reviews, and comments about Campaign balance issues.  After playing through the game a number of times.  I can assure you that their opinions are unfounded.  The concern is most commonly about one side (Rebels or Imperials) gaining a significant advantage by winning too many missions in a row, and gaining an insurmountable advantage.  With proper Strategy, no advantage is insurmountable if you focus on the objectives.  Another aspect that is overlooked by most is that in order to win, the only mission that matters is the last one.  Every other mission only helps determine which path you take to get there.  I’ve also come across discussions on the Forums about assembling super groups of Rebel Heroes.  Trust me there is no such thing.  As the Imperial player there will be some missions that provide you with a predetermined Imperial units load out that can significantly limit your chances of success.  Of course there are other missions that provide you with the freedom to select the best possible group of units to defeat the Rebels.  In this way Campaigns involving equally skilled players rarely feel unbalanced.  Fantasy Flight Games have done an excellent job of making each and every character feel unique, and equally important.  Of course there are characters like Gideon from the Core set that can combine with others to create powerful effects.  This in no way makes other characters feel insignificant.

Unpredictable turn sequence

An interesting departure from the majority of RPG style dungeon crawler games is Imperial Assault’s Turn sequence.  Instead of all the Rebel Players playing their turn, then the Imperial player taking theirs.  Each Character or unit takes their turn alternating between the Rebels and Imperials.  The order isn’t predetermined by initiative or any other means.  Each side selects which unit they would like to activate next after the opponent has completed their last activation.  This makes choosing which unit to use next, and how to use them quite similar to Chess.  Although the game is character driven.  Rebel Players will be upgrading, and levelling up their Heroes as the Campaign progresses.  Imperial Assault is first and foremost a Strategy based Board Game.  Resource management, time management, character formations, and even sacrificing characters play an important role.  The simplest of Actions could be the difference between winning or losing a mission.  All of these elements combined make for a very enjoyable game to play.

Is it Star Wars?

There are many games on the market that are based upon existing storylines.  Whether they are video game adaptations, movie adaptations, literary adaptations, or historical adaptations.  A recognizable background story can make a game appeal to a far greater number of people.  Obviously Star Wars is recognizable by most people.  The Star Wars universe is so well known that it places an even greater importance on creating something that feels authentic.  Well Fantasy Flight Games have done an excellent job of making each mission in Imperial Assault feel like a scene out of one of the movies.  The Rebels always seem to be out numbered.  Whenever they do appear to gain the upper hand.  A powerful Imperial character like Darth Vader shows up to wreck the day.  The sense of urgency that you feel throughout the majority of Star Wars films. The Rebels always seem to be running out of time.  That is also well represented in an Imperial Assault Campaign.  You might expect to see many of the most popular characters early and often in an Imperial Assault Campaign.  To be honest it’s what I expected the first time I played the game.  Well you would be wrong.  The Imperial Assault Campaign system does a good job of placing the importance on the Players Heroes, but still having your favourite characters from the movies be a factor.  This effectively helps keep everyone interested, and adds an additional element of excitement when a famous character from the Star Wars universe makes an appearance.

Conclusion

If you are a fan of the Star Wars universe, or just a fan of strategic dungeon crawler style Board Games.  Imperial Assault would make a great addition to your game collection.  As far as Campaign based Board Games go.  Imperial Assault has become my absolute favourite.  Although there are quite a few expansions, and character packs available.  Imperial Assault is perfectly playable with only the Core set.  If you have three or four friends that you can get together with on a regular basis.  Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of Imperial Assault.  You won’t be disappointed.

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Boardgames are back The Gamer in me GL-11

Disconnected

I’m old enough to remember a time when the kids in my neighborhood would decide where to meet that evening on the bus ride home.  Maybe we would all get together at the local baseball diamond, or meet up at my place to play pond hockey in the winter.  Sometimes just a couple of us would go to a friend’s house to play video games, or board games.  You see we weren’t all connected to one another by Smart phones.  We didn’t have Facebook, or Instagram to immediately find out what everyone else was up to.  You couldn’t just sign in to your cellphone Game account, Xbox account, or Playstation account to play a game over the internet with a friend.  You had to go out of your way to see a friend, play a game together, or just find out what they were up to.  The irony of it all is that the more we try to become connected through technology.  The more disconnected we have become. The art of conversation has suffered.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well we as a digital society have begun to rely on it.  Why take the time to describe something that happened to you.  When you can just snap a picture or shoot a short video of it. It’s all so very convenient, but there’s something missing.  Something each and every one of us naturally craves.

A sense of sharing and togetherness

The most fun I’ve ever had playing a video game is with three friends offline.  The game was called Champions: Return to Arms for the PS2.  If you are unfamiliar with the game, it’s very similar to Diablo.  The graphics weren’t especially great.  Like Diablo it was basically a loot and character advancement style of game.  What made it great wasn’t the game. It was the shared experience, and teamwork it required to succeed.  All four of us together in my living room enjoying the game as a team.  If one of us made a hilarious mistake.  We all laughed together.  If we beat a level boss.  We all celebrated the victory together.  I didn’t snap a picture, or shoot a short video so my friends could laugh, or celebrate after the fact.  You see that’s what is missing.  The shared moment.  Outside of Sports, there isn’t much that we need to do together anymore.  It’s for this reason that there has been such a huge resurgence in Board Games.

Innovation

How different are today’s video games from the ones we played 5 years ago?  The graphics are a little bit better, and more people can play together online than before, but that’s about it.  There aren’t too many video games these days that really surprise me.  That isn’t the case with Board Games.  Every year a new take on an old genre pops up.  Board Games used to be very linear.  Every time you played the game, how it progressed was the same.  Now you have games that randomly create the board as you play it.  Some games require you to build a card deck before you begin, while others have you build a deck during the game.  There are even games that are played with each other cooperatively, as opposed to against each other competitively.  It doesn’t matter what your interests are, there is a Board Game for everyone.  Even if you aren’t much of a Gamer.  Chances are that you will really enjoy yourself the next time you get together to play a Board Game.   You know why?  It’s because you will be with friends sharing the experience.

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The Gamer in me GL-10 Best Imperial Assault Allies & Villains

Imperial Assault

The first thing I should tell you is that I only play the Campaign version of Star Wars Imperial Assault.  So my picks for my favourite Allies and Villains are solely based on their usefulness in a Campaign.  I’ve also kept my personal feelings about each character based on their role in the movies separate from my analysis.  If I hadn’t then Boba Fett, and Han Solo would have made the list.

There’s a school of thought when it comes to adding Allies to your Rebel group that the associated Threat cost is too high.  Well the Allies I’ve chosen as my Top 3 are well worth the cost, and very resilient if played correctly.  My Top 3 Villains have such an interesting affect on the game that I can’t imagine playing a full Campaign without the inclusion of at least one of them.

Top 3 Allies


R2-D2 & C-3PO:  This should be the first Ally pack you buy as soon as you purchase the Twin Shadows expansion.  The first thing that stands out is their built-in abilities to keep them around.  R2-D2 defends with a White Die but because of his LUCKY ability, a blank result is treated as a total miss.  R2-D2 can also take an action to heal 1 damage.  C-3PO has the COWER ability which allows you to reroll a Defence Die as long as you are adjacent to a friendly figure.   If you are playing C-3PO correctly then there will be an adjacent figure.  For their relatively low Threat costs R2-D2 & C-3PO are definitely worth recruiting as Allies.


Leia Organa:  This should be the first Ally pack you buy as soon as you purchase the Return to Hoth expansion.  Her Surge ability AGGRESSIVE NEGOTIATIONS  can be enough to win some Missions on her own.  Used correctly her BATTLEFIELD LEADERSHIP ability can help you maximize the damage dealt by your strongest character.  Even the Imperial’s strongest characters have a hard time dealing with five focused attacks in a turn.  For 8 Threat cost Leia Organa is well worth it considering her game breaking abilities.


Lando Calrissian:  This should be the first Ally pack you buy as soon as you purchase the Bespin Gambit expansion.  Didn’t like what you rolled on either Attack or Defence?  Use Lando’s RESOURCEFUL ability to select one of your Dice to reroll.  That particular Die doesn’t have the value you need?  Use Lando’s GAMBIT ability to select a different Die first.  Trust me when I tell you that Lando will give the Imperial Player fits.  Add in his Surge ability to both Stun targets, and become Hidden.  Lando can be a very difficult Ally for the Imperials to deal with.

Top 3 Villains


Hired Guns: As inexpensive Imperial units go.  The Hired Guns are one of my favourites.  It’s all about the PARTING SHOT ability.  Getting that extra attack in when a Hired Gun is defeated can really mess with the the Rebels plans.  That extra little bit of damage can add up over time.  For only 4 Threat the Hired Guns can really slow down the Rebels.  Useful for missions that have a short time limit.


ISB Infiltrators: Once again I’m selecting regular units as opposed to a key character for the Imperials.  I believe that there’s strength in numbers when it comes to playing the Imperials.  Something of note with the ISB Infiltrators is that although they only deploy 2 units.  Their COORDINATED RAID ability essentially provides them with one additional attack.  Being able to become Hidden as a Surge ability makes them a little more resilient than regular Stormtroopers.  It’s when you are able to deploy their elite version that things get really interesting.  The elite ISB Infiltrators surge ability DEADLY can really cause problems for the Rebels.  Negating a Dodge turns one White Defence Die into almost nothing.  Pick your targets right, and you’ll have the Rebels running for cover.


Jawa Scavenger:  This is hands down my absolute favourite Villain pack.  First of all I am a fan of Jawas.  So it’s nice to see them represented so well.  Their diminutive size, and tendency to hide in the shadows is why they were given the TAKE COVER ability.  Although they only attack with two yellow dice.  The built-in +2 Accuracy, with an additional +2 Accuracy from Surge available means that they can fire from a decent distance away.  The elite Jawa Scavenger also gains the HAGGLE surge ability which can really ramp up the Threat level if the dice are in your favour.  If it goes unchecked for a couple turns.  The Jawa Scavenger can help the Imperials bring in some Big baddies right quick.  The Jawa Scavenger is best used in missions where the Rebels are busy with objectives, or seemingly have larger fish to fry.

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The Gamer in me GL-9 Top 5 Board games for Game night

When four friends get together to play Boardgames

You have set aside one night a week for a few friends to come over.  The kitchen table has been cleared.  You have a bag of dice, and tokens at the ready.  There is a full bowl of chips, and another couple extra bags “just in case”.  The fridge is full of beer.  Not a single one of your friends can say that you weren’t prepared.  There’s only one more thing you need.  The Games!  Which Games should you have to make sure this night is a success?  Well here’s my Top 5 games to complete the perfect Game night.

Betrayal at House on the Hill

If your play group isn’t too large.  This is probably the best Board game you can play with three or four people.  Up to six people can play but I found four to be the absolute best.  The premise of the game is simple.  You and a few others are exploring a haunted house.  Each character in the game is reminiscent of a typical horror movie character.  That alone is entertaining enough.  The real thrill of playing the game is that the evil presence in this house will eventually take control of one of the characters.  At that point the Player who is in control of that character becomes the antagonist.  Until this point the Players have just been exploring the House, which reveals itself one tile at a time.  As soon as a Player becomes the antagonist, the winning conditions for that scenario are revealed to both the antagonist, and the remaining Players.  If you are worried about replay value, don’t be.  Betrayal at House on the Hill has 50 scenarios!

Roborally

If you have read my previous gaming posts.  Then you know that Roborally is one of my favourite games of all time.  You don’t need to be an Uber Gamer to play it.  Honestly anyone who comes to your Game night will enjoy this game.  So on nights when your friends bring someone else along with them.  Someone who maybe isn’t well versed in some of the more challenging Games to play.  Roborally is probably the best choice.  Another great thing about Roborally is that it can be played by up to 8 people so when those impromptu large play groups happen.  You can be ready.  Read my full review to see why this is my all time Favourite Board game.  The Gamer in me GL-5

Ticket to Ride

One of the most popular topics for Board games recently has been trains.  Whether it’s about Running a train company, traveling by train, or building tracks between destinations.  Train games have become a mainstay.  The best of these is definitely Ticket to Ride.  Great for groups of 3-5 Players.  Ticket to Ride is another game that’s relatively simple to learn.  The Strategy required to win at Ticket to Ride is knowing when to go all out, and when to play it safe. For a game that you can teach someone to play in about 10 minutes.  Ticket to Ride has a lot of routes to victory, and limitless replayability.

Imperial Assault

Why is Imperial Assault on this list?  Hmmm, let me count the reasons.  1- it’s set in the Star Wars universe.  If you aren’t a fan of Star Wars, well #### you.  2- it’s essentially a Sci-Fi version of the best dungeon crawler Descent by Fantasy Flight Games.  If you haven’t played Descent, well #### you.  3- it comes with what should be a 36 hour Campaign perfect for 3-5 people.  If you aren’t into Campaign games, well #### you.  4- it’s a currently supported title with expansions coming out regularly, so replayability isn’t a problem.  If you aren’t a fan of games that require expansions, well #### you.  Other than that, it’s possibly one of the most addictive games ever made.

Clue

I probably surprised most of you with this one.  The original classic Game of limited information is still one of the absolute best games to play with a group of friends.  I’ve heard people say that once you have figured out the basic Strategy to Clue, it’s only a matter of time before you know who did it, with what, and where.  I don’t disagree.  Anyone who has played Clue enough times knows this.  That’s why very few people I play with have the patience to wait until they have figured it out 100%.  As the solution begins to become clearer.  Each Player begins to worry that somebody else will figure out the final solution before them.  So what tends to happen is that Players make educated guesses.  At my house, if you guess wrong you pitch in double for Pizza.  The eventual winner gets their Pizza for free.  If it’s been a while since the last time you played Clue?  Do yourself a favour, and get a few friends together to play a game.  You won’t be disappointed.

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The Gamer in me GL-7 MTG Deck design

Aggro, Control, or Combo?

Ask anyone that’s played Magic the Gathering for a significant length of time.  They will tell you that there are three primary deck archetypes.  Aggro decks that take advantage of incredible speed, or strength.  Control decks that can take over a specific aspect of the game, or lock out your opponent.  Combo decks that group specific cards together to achieve game breaking effects.  Quite often this results in a Rock, Paper, Scissors situation.  Where Aggro beats Control, Control beats Combo, and Combo beats Aggro.   Deck choice is usually a matter of personal preference.  Lately though playing whichever deck is winning major events most often is the popular choice.  The alternative is to design, and play the Scissors to the currently popular Paper.  Most Players have a particular preference towards a certain style of deck.  In the beginning I preferred building, and playing Aggro decks.  They were quite easy to build, play, and could earn you a quick victory if your opponent got off to a slow start.  As my skills at the game improved.  I learned to enjoy playing all three archetypes.  I now enjoy all three equally.

When designing a new deck.  The archetype used to determine the deck’s primary path to winning.  The Aggro deck just needed to be faster than the opponent’s deck.  The Control deck just needed to be able to stop the opponent’s deck from doing what it was designed to do.  The Combo deck had to reach it’s combination of game breaking cards before the opponent defeated you.

In today’s game your real goal should be to achieve some insurmountable advantage.  In Magic the Gathering there are two primary forms of advantage that can be had.  The first is Card advantage, and the second is Board advantage.  Each of the three archetypes can be utilized to achieve either of the two major advantages.  I’m not saying that a fast deck can’t win just because it’s fast.  Of course it can.  What I’m saying is that a fast deck, that also gains you Board, or Card advantage will win far more often.  One of the best early examples of this is the Swamp-Dark Ritual-Hypnotic Spectre first turn play.  A first turn 2/2 flying is fast.  Add in the Card advantage that’s created when the Hypnotic Spectre forces your opponent to discard a card, and you have a game winning situation.  A similar comparison can be made for Control, or Combo decks.  Be mindful when designing your next deck that it does have the capability of creating a significant advantage.  If it doesn’t, then all you are essentially doing is gambling.  Obviously if you only copy netdecks, then this doesn’t apply to you.  Still understanding why certain decks succeed is important to know if you hope to actually defeat them.  There have been some very successful Magic the Gathering decks.  Most of them will sound familiar to even newer players.  Necropotence, Prosper-bloom, High Tide, Affinity, Copycat, and the list goes on.  What made these decks great was there ability to create massive advantages in the game.  If you can’t create a deck that can do the same?  Then save yourself so cash and just play Rock, Paper, Scissors for free.

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GAMING Uncategorized

The Gamer in me GL-6 Until Dawn

Until Dawn

If you are a Playstation Plus member, and haven’t played Until Dawn before you need to download it now.  This is one of the few games that I had no reservations about preordering.  I absolutely love choice and consequence style games.  Heavy Rain is still one of my favourite PS3 games.  Until Dawn takes the Heavy Rain system, and improves on it in every way.

Until Dawn puts you in charge of deciding the fate of a number of interesting characters.  In classic 80s slasher movie style.  The characters find themselves in an old house in the woods being pursued by some unknown evil.  It’s your job to get them through a night filled with incredible danger.  Each character is well represented, and their personalities are quickly identifiable.  How each character is connected to one another plays an important role in the development of the story as well.  While playing the game, you will begin to develop favourite characters quickly.  This is one of the more interesting aspects of the game.  As potentially sacrificing one character to insure the safety of another can become an option.  Do you sacrifice a physically strong character you have grown to hate?  Just to save another character you like, but freezes up at the first sign of trouble?  These are questions you will ask yourself during the course of a game.

The graphics for Until Dawn are excellent.  It makes watching the game just as much fun as playing it.  Actually one of my favourite ways to play this game is with three other friends.  Each of us pick two of the eight characters to play.  We have a mini draft and pick characters one by one.  Whichever character is in control of the situation.  That determines which Player gets the remote at that time.  You’ll learn a lot about your friends over the course of a game of Until Dawn if you play it that way.  If there’s ever a Zombie apocalypse.  I know which friends of mine I wouldn’t want to be trapped with.  You might be surprised how many of your friends wouldn’t take the smallest risk to save both of you.  They’d rather sacrifice you to guarantee their own safety.

Once I completed my first play through.  Everyone and their dog was asking me the same question.  Is it scary?  This game is based on classic horror films after all.  Until Dawn does have it’s moments.  It depends on the individual of course, but I’m sure it will catch everyone off guard a few times.  Play it at night with the lights off, and the volume up to get the most out of it.  I’ve seen people watch me play Until Dawn while clutching a blanket.  Just in case they needed to cover their eyes at a particularly suspenseful moment.

Another appealing aspect of the game that I wasn’t expecting, is the mystery surrounding what occurs.  If you are like me you will find yourself trying to figure things out all the way through the game.  I expected a straight up Jason Voorhees slasher style game, but it was so much more than that.  Real attention was given to the development of the story, and motivation of it’s antagonist.

Obviously I absolutely love this game, but like the majority of choice and consequence games it suffers from the same pitfalls.  The most obvious of which is replay value.  Once you’ve completed Until Dawn once.  The appeal of the game is significantly diminished.  The unexpected moments, and sudden scares are gone.  The mystery behind the story, and it’s antagonist is already known.  The only motivation you will have is to finish the game without allowing any character to die.  Alternatively you could also play it to see how quickly you can get them all killed as well.  😈

That being said, replay value isn’t as much of an issue when you can download the game for Free! I paid full pop, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I promise you, if you set aside a day to play Until Dawn with a few friends.  You won’t be disappointed.

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GAMING

The Gamer in me GL-5

A Board game review by Cobe

Lets begin with one of my favourites

The internet is chock full of reviews from many different sources of newer games.  So I’m going to begin with one of my absolute favourites.  This game has been around for many years, but still remains as the board game I play most often.  The game was designed by Richard Garfield of Magic the Gathering fame.  It was originally released in 1994 by Wizards of the Coast.  It was subsequently rereleased in 2005 after Hasbro acquired Wizards of the Coast, under the Avalon Hill label.  Like all things Richard Garfield, there is a fair amount of calculation that went into the creation of this game.  If you don’t know what it is by now.  Chances are good that you’ve never played it.  If that’s the case, then I’m about to open your eyes to something truly special.

The name of the game is Roborally.  A game that requires a little bit of luck, a very adaptive Strategy, the ability to quickly plan ahead, and the right amount of ruthlessness in order to win.

The blurb on the box reads

As one of several supercomputers in a fully automated widget factory, you have it made.  You are brilliant.  You are powerful.  You are sophisticated. You are BORED.  So enjoy a little fun at the factories expense!  With the other computers, you program factory robots and pit them against each other in frantic, destructive races across the factory floors.  Be the first to touch the flags, in order, and you win it all: the honor, the glory, the grudging respect of the other computers. But first you have to get your robot past obstacles like gaping pits, industrial lasers, moving conveyor belts and, of course, all the other robots!

Personally I find it a little more fun to imagine myself as the Robot.  In a race across the factory trying to reach that final checkpoint to escape.  Most everyone I’ve introduced this game to has preferred to see it the same way.  It starts with the Robot character pieces.  They resemble something right out of a Pixar film.  The character Game cards don’t make it any easier.  A lot of work went into making all of them appealing.

The Robots

As previously stated the point of the game is to maneuver your Robot through the Factory.  Whichever Robot reaches all of the checkpoints first wins.  Alternatively you can also win by being the last Robot standing.  I have both won, and lost that way also.  There are a number of Game boards, and checkpoints included with the game.  How many of each you choose to use is entirely up to the Players.  This guarantees that no two games of Roborally are the same.  It also allows you to control the length, and difficulty of the game to a certain extent.  Very few games have that degree of flexibility, while maintaining a replayability equal to any other game.  If you enjoy your first game of Roborally.  You’ll enjoy it each, and every time you play it always.

Maneuvering your Robot around the Factory floor isn’t as easy as rolling dice.  It is limited by the placement of program cards. Each card is set up by you at the very beginning of a turn. Then each card is revealed one by one, and it’s instructions are followed.  These program cards are what really contribute to the chaos, and strategy of the game.

Zoom Bot is ready to roll
Forward 1, and slide 1 down with the Conveyor belt
Move 3 ahead
A quick left turn
3 more spaces forward, but the wall stops him at two!
One last right turn, and Zoom Bot is only 3 spaces from the checkpoint.

Anticipating what your opponents will do when your Robots are in close proximity to each other is key to winning at Roborally.  Knowing when to run, stay put, or go on the offensive can be the difference.  Robots can also earn upgrades during the course of a game.  Taking full advantage of these upgrades can significantly change the way you play.  Not only do they enhance your Robot.  In some cases they can strike enough fear in your opponents that a path to victory opens up.

Power Ups

Lastly the Factory itself can be used to gain an advantage.  Hazards can become helpful if used correctly.  You can push an opponent’s Robot into Factory lasers.  You can guide your Robot on to Conveyor Belts that carry it toward the checkpoint.  There are ways to take advantage of every space on the board if you think quick enough.

All in all Roborally is a game I would encourage everyone to play.  Even if you aren’t a fan of Board games.  Roborally has a comedic quality that makes it fun for everyone.  If you are a fan of Strategy games that reward you for out thinking your opponents?  Then you will absolutely love Roborally.

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GAMING Uncategorized

The Gamer in me GL-3 Rec Room Toronto

First impressions of the Cineplex Toronto Rec Room

Cineplex Rec Room just opened up in Toronto.  They took over the space that used to be the Leon’s Roundhouse Location.  It’s on Bremner across from the Ripley’s aquarium and Skydome.  Yes I still call it the Skydome.  Shit most people I know still do.

When approaching the Rec Room, you can be forgiven for mistaking it as a night club, or strip joint.  The first thing you’ll see is two guys that look like bouncers.  They are fully decked out in the typical tuxedo style garb, waiting to greet you from behind the rope line.  My first thought at 3:20pm on a Friday was am I dressed too casual for this place?

Now I know a little bit about the Cineplex Rec Room.  From my understanding it is just another version of a Dave & Buster’s.  So really their shouldn’t be anything wrong with wearing shorts and a collared T-shirt.  Still for just a moment I thought I might be denied entry.  Thankfully I wasn’t.

Once inside my suspicions were correct.  What I had expected to see was all there.  There were a lot of interesting games.  Many of the titles were familiar to me, but they had quite a few new games as well.  They had a pretty even mix of Video games, and games of chance or skill that earn you “tickets”.  Similar to Dave & Buster’s you need to purchase credits in order to play any of the games.  The more you buy, the better the value.  So my buddy Weber and I just pooled our money and purchased a single reloadable game card.   They have taken full advantage of the newest technology.  Instead of receiving a magnetic strip swipe card.  You are instead provided with a small tap card.  Not only does it transfer credits to play games.  It also keeps track of the number of tickets you win.  I’m torn between loving the simplicity of it, and missing the satisfaction of watching machines slowly spit out ticket after ticket when you win big.  Another point of concern with the tap card is it’s ability to pay for a game without you even realizing it.  Depending on your height, if you keep the tap card in your pocket and lean against a machine.  You could accidentally pay for a game.  I witnessed the same guy do it twice while watching his friend play one game, as he leaned against another.  Of course I helped out the best way possible.  In order to keep those credits from going to waste.  I stepped up and played each game so that he wouldn’t be disturbed, and could continue watching his friend play.  You’re welcome.

The main area has a long bar which serves an indoor lounge, as well as an outdoor patio.  Having that outdoor space is a huge bonus in my book.

Rec Room bar

There are two restaurants, one fast food casual, and one for dining in.  The first thing that really caught my eye when I walked in was a 6ft Pac-Man machine that two players can actually play simultaneously!

Playing together to clear each level actually required a fair amount of teamwork.  Shouting orders to one another to keep ourselves alive, and splitting the level into his section and mine was absolutely key to winning.

Giant Pac-Man

There are quite a few competitive games at the Rec Room.  The most popular of which was Super Mario kart.  It was so popular in fact that we didn’t actually get an opportunity to play it.  This was the first issue I had with Rec Room.  In comparison to a Dave & Buster’s, the Games area is much smaller.  It won’t take too many people before it’s packed.  Now it was opening week so you would expect a slightly larger crowd.  Still 4:00pm on a Friday shouldn’t have you waiting to play every popular game.

We decided to try our luck at a few of the ticket games while waiting for some of the more popular games to clear.  Something I noticed right away is the large number of Progressive jackpot games.  The highest of which was over 3000 tickets!  The temptation to try and hit the jackpot was very high.  With all those tickets you can have a swag buying spree in the swag shop right after.  I couldn’t help myself so I gave it a few tries.  On my third attempt, wouldn’t you know it, I timed that game absolutely perfect.  Well almost perfect, and walked away with squat.  Whoever wins Zombie arm owes me 24 credits.

One of the attractions I was most interested in was their virtual reality experience The Void.  The opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a Ghostbuster zapping ghosts is just too good to pass up.  Well unfortunately I did.  First of all it isn’t easy to find when you first enter.  Weber and I got so caught up with downing beers, and playing the newest version of Cruisin U.S.A. that by the time we were done.  The line up at The Void was just too long for us to wait.

Now would I recommend that you visit the Rec Room and experience it for yourself?  Definitely.  I’ll be back soon and next time the first thing I’ll do is try out The Void.  If you plan on going I would suggest picking an off peak time, or planning on staying for quite a while.  Bring a few friends along, and if you find a game you like.  Stick with it until you’ve had your fill.  You might not get back on it again if you leave.