Unplugged: Deckscape (The Curse of the Sphinx)
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Posted on February 23rd, 2021 by
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While it may be hard to get out of the house, fans of escape rooms have alternatives that can be played at home. Deckscape, one of several lines of at-home escape room games, is a complete escape room experience in a (large) pocket-sized box of cards. Obviously, it can’t take the place of an in-person, physical escape room, its nonlinear progression through many puzzles may be the next best thing.
RPG Miniatures – Boneyard
Posted on February 18th, 2021 by
Rather than focus on a particular storyline, the newest entry in the WizKids line of role playing game miniatures focuses on hordes of undead. The common figures span the gamut of typical undead hordes, while some of the rare large creatures are just downright disturbing. (Let the reader decide if that’s good or bad.) Releasing in March, D&D Icons of the Realms: Boneyard is a mix of standard and more unique pieces with which to build your undead army.
Unplugged: Strike (Boardgame)
Posted on February 11th, 2021 by
Strike – a simple, quick game of dice-chucking goodness. Players take turns rolling (or throwing) their dice into an arena inlay in the box. Remove any matching dice and leave the rest for the next player. The last player with dice is crowned the winner of the game. The idea is simple and the execution is spot on, making Strike a fine game for the start of a gaming evening or quick break with the kids.
Strike
Publisher: Ravensburger
Ages: 8+
Players: 2-5
Time: 15 mins
(Review copy provided by Ravensburger)
Animal Crossing Valentines!
Posted on January 29th, 2021 by
Nintendo’s Animal Crossing game franchise got a big boost in popularity this past year thanks to the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons right in the beginning of the COVID pandemic. It was just what a lot of people needed, including myself. But I’ve always been a big fan of the series. Anyway, the recent popularity of the game is probably why they now have Animal Crossing Valentines! You know, they’re like the ones you used to give out to classmates in elementary school, or maybe you have kids who do that now. Anyway, I found these at a Kroger grocery store, so let’s take a look at them!
Unplugged: Machi Koro (Boardgame)
Posted on January 26th, 2021 by
One of my teenage son’s favorite games is Machi Koro. (Very) briefly, it is kind of like Monopoly with no board, but people can collect income for properties even when it is not their turn. The game is fast and fun, and I highly recommend it for family gaming and it is just now returning to store shelves over at Target (it’s continued to be available in game stores for some time.) Someone looking for a lighter-weight game to play during the pandemic should find Machi Koro an excellent choice.
Cary is (trying) to Look Forward in 2021!
Posted on January 8th, 2021 by
While I’m glad 2020 is over, it’s hard to look forward to 2021 since just because it’s a new year, it doesn’t mean all of our problems just instantly go away. COVID is still around, as well as other crap from 2020. But every year I like to write a blog about the games I’m looking forward to in the coming year, so we’ll do that now. At least it gives us something to look forward to. And I imagine some of these games will get delayed, and there will be new games announced that we don’t know about just yet. Will we get Metroid Prime 4 or Breath of the Wild 2 this year? Maybe not, but you never know what the new year will bring. This time last year, we had no idea we’d be spending most of the year in quarantine either! OK let’s begin!
Cary’s Best Games of 2020 Awards Show!
Posted on January 1st, 2021 by
WORST. YEAR. EVER. I think we can all agree that 2020 has been one of the worst years in our lifetime, what with the Coronavirus, quarantines, riots and looting, politics, and much more. And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better, as I just found out my mom has breast cancer (keep us in your prayers). Some days I wonder if we’ll EVER get through this. 2020 can just suck it! But at least we’ve had some good video games come out to help keep our minds off of this dumpster fire of a year. So here’s my Best Games of 2020 Awards Show! But keep in mind that this is my list and my picks only, no outside opinions and whatnot. And if a game isn’t on my list, it either just didn’t appeal to me or I haven’t played it yet. Can’t play ‘em all, you know! But with that out of the way, let’s take a look at my picks.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Loot Box
Posted on December 18th, 2020 by
Link’s Awakening is my number one favorite Zelda game. In fact, last year I named the Switch remake my Game of the Year in 2019. So a couple of months ago on my birthday, I was happy to get a loot box with stuff from that game! Let’s take a look and see what’s in it!
Unplugged: Oceans (Boardgame)
Posted on December 17th, 2020 by
Players take on the role of ocean gatherers, hunters, and scavengers in this card game of species evolving and jostling for survival in the ocean blue. A spiritual successor to the Evolution line of games, Oceans takes the game in a slightly more strategic direction, as a slightly faster flow, and favors a slightly less aggressive style of play. Whereas Evolution provided food to players at a regular rate, Oceans leaves the management of available food in the players’ hands. A great compliment to Evolution, gamers who like the former should like the new game but will have to decide if they are different enough to keep both on the shelf. As a special bonus for reading this far, I’ll note that Oceans (Oceans Board Game Lite) is available as a free app you can play on your phone! Give it a download and see whether you need to run out and buy a copy of the game for Christmas.
Oceans
Publisher: NorthStar Games
Ages: 12+
Players: 2-4
Time: 60-90 mins
(Review copy provided by North Star Games)
Unplugged: Holiday Guide 2020
Posted on December 12th, 2020 by
Happy Holidays! Boardgaming continues to make inroads to wider audiences, and there’s no better time to get (or get your friends and family) into the hobby than an extended holiday break. Yes, it is an unusual year so there may not be as much mixing as usual but there are boardgames out there to meet up with almost any taste. If you only have access to online gaming buddies, check out BoardGameArena.com or TableTopia.com. Boardgames are timeless, just as good today as they will be years in the future, so a purchase today will still be serving you well after the lockdowns go away. As we at GamerDad have done for the past 17+ years, it’s time for an annual rundown of recent boardgames well worth your time. Feel free to delve into some past year’s guides for 2019, 2018, or 2017 or older as they’re still great candidates for your consideration. You might not find all these titles at your local mega-mart but many can be found online or in a friendly local game store. Some may argue $50+ boardgames are expensive, but compare that to videogaming (and where multiple copies are required for multiplayer play) or heading out to the movies ($30+ for four people) and the economics of boardgaming shows their true value. For each game I’ve provided the number of players, an approximate MSRP (you might find it lower), and expected time for one game.
