When I made the switch to PlayStation 4, I wanted to use it as an opportunity to try something new with Ultra Street Fighter IV. Rose continues to be my main, but I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with others. This time, I decided to embrace the Satsui No Hado with Evil Ryu.
I’ve been on the losing end of an ongoing battle with weight loss for quite a while. Most recently, my efforts last spring were completely stifled by a foot injury sustained while exercising. The pain still persists when I try to run, but getting custom inserts made for my running shoes has gone a long way towards being active again. Besides the orthopedic inserts, I have a new and unlikely tool in my quest for better health: my Apple Watch.
Board Game Geek’s 2014 game of the year makes its way to iOS courtesy of Days of Wonder. Splendor is a chip and card collecting game where players will build their gem merchant empires by buying mines, means of transportation and shops. Despite some of its thematic flaws, I really like the physical version of this game. Does it translate well to iOS?
How do you keep Archie relevant for modern times? Maybe more importantly, how do you do that without alienating the dedicated fanbase that loves it as-is? This is probably the question that Archie Comic Publications has been wrestling with since the franchise was established in the 1940s. Even when I had a brief love affair with Archie digests in the early 90s as a kid, I always thought of them as entertainment aimed at my grandmother.
From a distance, I’ve seen digest covers that feature the gang playing video games, to weird zombie spin-offs and Predator crossovers, right down to the actual death of Archie in Life with Archie #36. Having read those final issues involving his demise, it wasn’t enough to shake my perceptions of this being an antiquated franchise.
Fast forward to the present, and sitting in my house is a copy of Archie #1 by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples. Sporting a modern look from the artist behind Saga, the cover alone makes it look like the most daring attempt at a reboot yet. After reading it, I’m not sure if my grandma would have enjoyed this, but I’m actually taken aback at how strong of a first issue this was.
Aliens have invaded London! Who can we call to save the day?! The Agents of S.T.E.A.M. of course! Led by the Abraham Lincoln, it’s up to you to guide him and his ragtag group of steampunk soldiers through battle. Created by Intelligent Systems, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is a turn-based strategy game with third-person shooting, a la Gears of War. Is this shake-up enough for it to move outside of the shadow cast by Intelligent Systems’ previous efforts, such as Advance Wars and Fire Emblem?
At some point in your life, you’ve probably felt like your parents were evil. Maybe they didn’t buy you the toy you wanted, scolded you for staying out past curfew or disapproved of your current love interest. In the moment, they were the worst, but you usually got over it and realized your parents were usually just trying to do the right thing. But what do you do if they’re literally super villains? This is the conundrum that Alex, Nico, Gertrude, Chase, Karolina and Molly faced in the first arc of Runaways by Marvel Comics. This initial conflict would be the start of a great adventure for some of Marvel’s unlikeliest superheroes.
Thanks to a leak of the latest Marvel Preview, we got an advanced look of 45 new Marvel Comics titles that will launch as part of All-New, All Different Marvel. This will take place after the Secret Wars crossover event completes in the summer. Lots to say, so we’ll break it out into different franchises. Already covered X-Men and Spider-Man, so this time it’s everything else in the Marvel universe!
Years ago, when we were just starting to buy board games, a representative from Snakes & Lattes recommended two games to us: Card of the Dead and Hanabi. One is a game about fighting zombies in the apocalypse, while the other is a game about sequencing fireworks. Naturally, we chose the zombie game, because how could a game about fireworks top zombies? Well, Card of the Dead turned out to be a dud that collected dust on our shelf until we eventually gave it away.
Meanwhile, Hanabi became a runaway smash hit, selling a ton of copies for R&R Games and even winning the prestigious Speil des Jahres award for game of the year. Recognizing that we blew it, I always wondered what would have been had we chosen Hanabi on that fateful day. After a few recent plays with this fireworks-based game, we probably would have been a lot happier.
One of my favourite board games of 2014 is out today on iOS! Splendor is a game where gem merchants are working towards building their empire. The theme is actually inconsequential to the whole thing, as it’s really about using gems to buy gem cards, and then a combination of gem and gem cards to get victory points. Yes, that sounds dull, but the mechanics are so tight and engaging that it’s easy to fall in love with and one that can stay on regular rotation for a long time. Expect a review from me on this soon!
Buy Splendor Now From Amazon.com
Thanks to a leak of the latest Marvel Preview, we got an advanced look of 45 new Marvel Comics titles that will launch as part of All-New, All Different Marvel. This will take place after the Secret Wars crossover event completes in the summer. Lots to say, so we’ll break it out into different franchises. Already covered X-Men, so this time it’s all about Spider-Man!
In Third Person 