Dungeons and Dragons Essentials Kit (RPG)
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Posted on July 11th, 2019 by
The newest edition of Dungeons and Dragons (known as D&D) burst on the scene in 2014 and this “5th Edition” released by the Wizards of the Coast has never looked back. Thanks to the rise of a large streaming culture, where gamers broadcast their games on Twitch or other streaming media, play of D&D has grown nearly 50% in each of the past two years. A recent announcement states that over 40 million people now play the game, with 9 million of those also watching streamers play their games. While the initial release of 5th Edition included a Starter Set, Wizards of the Coast has gone back to the drawing board and created a new entry-level experience to provide a better on-ramp to the world of Dungeons and Dragons role-playing.
Starfinder Beginner Box (RPG)
Posted on July 9th, 2019 by
Role-playing games are experiencing a huge renaissance, with gamers not only playing but watching other people play on Twitch and other streaming sites. The most popular genre remains high fantasy (think Tolkien or Harry Potter) while other genres, such as space or superheroes, tend to fade into the background. Starfinder is Paizo’s newest RPG, a conglomeration of their popular Pathfinder fantasy game with common tropes found in space operas. As with any complex game, the challenge lies in getting past the initial learning curve. The Starfinder Beginner Box is Paizo’s answer to easing gamers into the setting and rules. Containing everything a group of players need to get started, the Beginner Box is a great way to jump into the Starfinder game at a pretty good value.
Am I Just Too Weird for E3?
Posted on June 14th, 2019 by
So another E3 has come and gone, and it’s another year where I was denied a press pass. Ever since 1996, I was going to E3 pretty regularly, but for some reason a few years ago, they stopped letting me in. And yet somehow I was able to get a press pass last year. But not this time! They may say it’s because the numbers of the site I write for are too low, but I’m beginning to wonder if it’s really because I’m just too weird for E3. And if that statement has you intrigued, then please read on for my unique reactions and commentary on things I read and watched about this year’s show.
Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia
Posted on May 29th, 2019 by
When I was a kid, I read a lot of Nintendo Power. It was Nintendo’s own self-published magazine. But they did more than just magazines, they did strategy guides, too. In fact, I think they helped popularize strategy guides, and theirs were very well written, too. One of their guides was Mario Mania. It was a cleverly disguised guide to Super Mario World, but it also had a large section at the front about the history of Mario up to that point. As a kid, I poured over that guide. And now, nearly 30 years later, there’s another Mario history book making the rounds with the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia. I got it for Christmas, so let’s take a quick look at it!
Unplugged: The Pokémon Card Game Featuring Detective Pikachu
Posted on May 17th, 2019 by
When I was in college and writing game reviews for The Dallas Morning News, the first E3 I went to was when Nintendo was going to release Pokémon in the US for the first time. I knew it would be a big hit, so I requested to my editor that I be in charge of covering everything Pokémon related for the newspaper. He was like, “yeah sure, whatever,” but he did keep his promise for at least a couple of years. I even learned how to play the Pokémon card game so I could cover events and competitions revolved around it. I like to say that Pokémon helped pay my way through college as I was writing tons of Pokémon articles then! It’s amazing to me that Pokémon is still super popular after all this time, even the card game. And now there is a new live action movie out in theaters called Detective Pikachu. To celebrate, the makers of the card game have released a wide selection of Detective Pikachu cards and packages, so today we’re going to look at all of them!
Echo amiibo Trio
Posted on May 3rd, 2019 by
My latest batch of amiibo figures are a trio of echo fighters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Ken, Princess Daisy, and Young Link. Actually I’m not sure if Young Link is considered an echo fighter, as I don’t get into the nitty gritty semantics and details of Smash Bros. But anyway, let’s take a look at these amiibo!
Have a Super Mario Easter!
Posted on April 19th, 2019 by
I love the Easter holiday. I enjoy both the religious and secular sides of it. So I was thrilled to find some Mario related Easter treats at the store. So let’s take a look at what I’ve found.
Namco Museum Vinyl Record
Posted on April 8th, 2019 by
When I was a kid, I remember record players and vinyl still being around. But they were quickly replaced by cassette tapes and CDs later. But now records are making a comeback over the past few years. I don’t know if it’s the technology of record players getting better or hipsters longing for that classic record sound. But now you can also get video game soundtracks on vinyl as well. So here’s a review of a Namco Museum record I got this past Christmas!
Unplugged: Street Fighter Exceed Card Game
Posted on April 5th, 2019 by
Street Fighter is one of the most popular video games ever made and helped jump start arcades and the one-on-one fighting game genre. And now you can play a card game with characters and themes from the famous franchise. Exceed is an existing card game with fighter style mechanics, and their latest series includes characters from Capcom’s classic series. You can read more about it here, but before you do, please make sure to read my review below.
Overwatch Cereal?!?
Posted on April 1st, 2019 by
No this is not an April Fools’ joke, this stuff actually exists. You can get it in stores now, so I thought I’d write about it here. You’ll have to forgive me, I don’t know a whole lot about Overwatch, so my description of the cereal may not be as detailed as it was when I reviewed the Super Mario Cereal a year or so ago.
