Retro-Bit Generations: Part 4
Exit: The Game (An Escape Room in a box)
Escape Rooms have been growing in popularity and fans now have a way to have a similar experience in their own home. Several companies have released an “Escape Room in a Box” style game that provides an Escape Room experience through a consumable game. (As you play, the components are destroyed.) Just this week, Exit: The Boardgame, was honored as one of the two “Games of the Year” in Germany. Today we’ll take a look (without spoilers) at one of the Escape Room options, Exit: The Game.
Retro-Bit Generations: Part 3
Carrotia (Boardgame)
Carriotia has players cooperate to quickly build a progressively bigger maze, moving their rabbit to collect carrots when they finish. A timed section has players laying out maze tiles to connect the start and end points of the maze, followed by an untimed phase where players take turns moving about the board trying to pick up the placed carrot tokens. The rabbit must exit the maze in a limited number of moves, and things can get complicated as various birds also move about and can affect the board. Complete three progressively larger mazes and then count your carrots to measure your performance. Thirty carrots is an incredible score, while collecting only ten carrots means there are hard times ahead this winter.
Carrotia
Publisher: Mage Company
Ages: 8+
Players: 1-6
Time: 30 minutes
(Review copy provided by Mage Company)
Retro-Bit Generations: Part 2
Retro-Bit Generations: Part 1
So last year Nintendo released the NES Classic Edition, a console with 30 NES games packed into it. I was pretty bummed when I wasn’t able to get one, but it sounds like a lot of other folks weren’t able to get it either. I really hope I can get the SNES Classic Edition that they announced would be coming out this year, but I’d better not get my hopes up. Personally, I think how Nintendo handled the NES Classic Edition is one of their biggest mistakes they’ve made. Well, maybe not as big as the Virtual Boy or having the N64 be cartridge only. So out of frustration, earlier this year I bought an off brand retro console called Retro-Bit Generations. Why? Because it had a lot of games on it that interested me more than what was on the NES Classic Edition, like Kickle Cubicle, Captain Commando, etc. What can I say? I’ve always liked the weird non-mainstream stuff. So all this week we’re going to take a look at the console and the games on it. This thing has over 100 games on it, so yeah, it’ll take us five days to go through it all. So let’s begin!
Tokyo Xanadu (Vita)
Nihon Falcom is a Japanese video game developer who has been around for decades. Their most well-known series in the US is probably Ys (pronounced ‘ease’) but even then that’s a pretty niche series. Another popular series they made (at least in Japan) was the Xanadu games, which received many sequels and spinoffs. Fans of the NES may have played some of these spinoffs, like Faxanadu or Legacy of the Wizard (yes, really, all those games are related in a way). One thing the Xanadu games have in common is that, well, they don’t have anything in common! None of them are really related in any way (that I’m aware of), and such is the case with the newest in the series: Tokyo Xanadu. In this game you play as a normal Japanese high school boy. You have a part time job and hang out with friends. But one day you discover an alternate dimension filled with dungeons and monsters, and find out that some of your classmates are involved. Now you must juggle school, a part time job, and saving the world with your friends.
Pathfinder 2017 Update (RPG)
The Pathfinder RPG keeps chugging along with recent releases including a remake of the urban-based adventure-path (campaign), the Curse of the Crimson Throne. Other supplements include the Bestiary 6 (with a number of high-level monsters) and the Adventurer’s Guide full of secret and not-so-secret organizations for your world. I’ve also recently found out Paizo has even made the content of well over a dozen of the game’s rules and supplements freely accessible online!
Neighborhorde (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
So we’ve all had this happen to us before. You’re sitting inside with your buddies playing video games and your mom makes you get up and go outside. And that’s exactly what happens in this game. But the outside neighborhood is filled with robots and ninjas and wizards and you must use your imagination to conjure up all sorts of silly weapons to defend yourselves. Neighborhorde is a twin stick couch multiplayer shooter with an emphasis on teamwork. It’s available to download on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Crazy Taxi: Gazillionaire (iOS, Android)
Crazy Taxi is one of the best arcade games ever made, and it’s one of SEGA’s top games overall, too. At least I think so. You drive a taxi and must take customers to their destination as fast as you can, and do crazy stunts along the way for more money! The money grabbing aspect must’ve been the main focus for the newest in the Crazy Taxi series, as Crazy Taxi: Gazillionaire is one of those mobile endless clickers. It’s available for iOS and Android devices, but reviewed on iPad here.