All posts tagged 'Misc'

Dungeon Dice (Boardgame)

A rollicking series of dice rolls determine your fate as you fight monsters to level up and gain loot in Dungeon Dice. Despite the dice, the players have meaningful decisions such as when to push their luck, when to commit their nonrenewable resources, and when to burn resources just to punish (and/or annoy) the other players.

 

 

 

Dungeon Dice
Publisher: Potluck Games
Ages: 8+
Players: 2-4 (5 w/expansion)
Time: 20-30 minutes
(Review copy provided by Potluck Games)

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Super Mario: Level Up! Boardgame

Combining bluffing and voting, Super Mario: Level Up! has players vie to advance their secret Mario characters to the top of a spiffy 3D board and elect one of them the champion. A successful vote ends the round and players score based on the positioning of the characters shown on their secret character card. Repeat for a total of three rounds and the player with the most points is the winner. A fairly quick game, it rewards planning but players can take some risks to boost their score.

 

 

Super Mario: Level Up! Boardgame
Publisher: USAopoly
Ages: 8+
Players: 3-6
Time: 10-30 minutes
(Review copy provided by USAopoly)

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The Games of the Famicom Classic Edition

As much as I like Nintendo, they have made quite a few mistakes as a game company.  Some are big, like the Virtual Boy and using cartridges on the N64.  And some are not quite so big.  One of those ‘not quite so big’ mistakes I feel is how they released the NES Classic Edition last year.  For those who don’t know, the NES Classic Edition was a smaller console that looked like the 8-bit NES and had 30 games on it.  But Nintendo didn’t make enough and it’s very hard to find.  Even I don’t have one!  I know Nintendo recently said they would make more and release them next summer, but we’ll just have to see about that.  So when I saw where I could order the Famicom Classic Edition online for nearly retail price, I decided to import that instead.  The Famicom was the Japanese version of the NES.  Their Classic Edition has most of the same games as the NES one, but with a few changes here and there.  So in this blog, I’m going go over the Famicom Classic console, the games on it, and at the end I’ll share some good news related to this topic!

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Fluxx, the edumacational versions (Boardgame)

The somewhat silly, chaotic game of Fluxx comes in a huge variety of themes. Math Fluxx and Chemistry Fluxx are now options that make a fun little game that combines learning with quick (chaotic) gameplay.

Chemistry Fluxx or Math Fluxx
Publisher: Looney Labs
Ages: 8+
Players: 2-6
Time: 5-30 minutes
(Review copy provided by Looney Labs)

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Codenames Duet (Boardgame)

In the cooperative game Codenames Duet, two players alternate giving one word clues to each other hoping the other player will select specific words out of a 5×5 grid. Clues must be flexible as the players have a limited number of clues available to suss out the needed 15 words, but they can’t be too general as several words on the grid result in an immediate loss when chosen. Codenames was a great party game (played between two teams with a clue giver for each) and Codenames Duet brings that fun gameplay to a cooperative, two person game.

 

 

Codenames Duet
Publisher: Czech Games Edition
Ages: 11+
Players: 2
Time: 15 minutes
(Review copy provided by Czech Games)

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Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate (Boardgame)

Part story, part game, Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate is never the same game twice. Players start the game exploring the city of Baldur’s Gate. About halfway through the game changes into an entirely new experience when one player becomes the traitor and begins to work at cross purposes to the rest of the players. Neither side knows the other’s winning conditions until the contest is over. Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate takes the gameplay of the popular Betrayal at House on the Hill (released in 2004) and blends it together with a strong Dungeons and Dragons theme. The result is a fun, narrative rich, slightly horror-esque delve into the Forgotten Realms.

 

Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate
Publisher: Avalon Hill / Wizards of the Coast
Ages: 12+
Players: 3-6
Time: 60 minutes
(Review copy provided by Wizards of the Coast)

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Bowser’s Minions amiibo

I got a new batch of amiibo figures recently.  This time it’s two of Mario’s most famous enemies: Goomba and Koopa Troopa.  Let’s check them out.

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Hasbro Fun Night (Party Games)

The party game has evolved from the days of Charades and Trivial Pursuit. Here are a pair of games from Hasbro that are less “game” and more “party”, but should supply plenty of laughter.  Speak Out has players trying to pronounce words while their lips are spread apart, and Pour Taste simply challenges players to drink from a cup full of a little bit of everything.

 

 

 

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G.P. the GamerPuppet Unboxes the Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition

Hey, G.P. the GamerPuppet here!  Recently, Cary got the Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition, so I’m here to unbox it and show you what’s all inside!  Sonic Mania is a return to classic 2-D Sonic games like what you remember on the Genesis.  For the most part, it’s Sonic done right.  Anyway, let’s take a look and see what all you get!

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Metroid Amiibo

A 3DS remake of the Game Boy title Metroid II: Return of Samus was recently released, and it’s called Metroid: Samus Returns.  It was also released alongside two new Metroid themed amiibo figures, and naturally I got them (and the game, too).  So let’s take a look at the new Metroid amiibo and what they do.

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