Reviews
Carcassonne Review
Dead of Winter Review
Things aren’t looking good for you and your fellow colony members. Supplies are running low. The bitterly cold weather puts everyone at risk of catching frostbite. Tensions are running high, as you’re never sure of who your real allies are. Oh yeah, and there are zombies everywhere. Welcome to Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game.
Legendary: Guardians of the Galaxy Review
Marvel’s ragtag group of intergalactic heroes finally make their presence felt in Legendary: Guardians of the Galaxy. Inside this small box expansion, you’ll get the five protagonists from the movie, two new villain groups, two new masterminds, and the introduction of the most dramatically new gameplay mechanics since the game’s inception. They may be the stars of 2014’s biggest movie, but can they also hold their weight as an expansion for Marvel’s deck-building game?
Power Grid Deluxe Review
King of Tokyo: Power Up Review
King of Tokyo is spectacular at being an accessible and strategically-light dice game that virtually anyone can play and enjoy. However, that focus on casual play makes it a tougher sell for seasoned gamers looking for something deeper. King of Tokyo: Power Up aims to address that with a set of new cards that change how the game is played. Also, it comes with a Kung-Fu panda, and who doesn’t like pandas?
Freedom: The Underground Railroad Review
Slavery in the 1800s is a sore spot of North American history. However, it was also a time when the tides turned thanks to the efforts of brave individuals who risked everything to abolish slavery. Freedom: The Underground Railroad is a co-operative board game in which players take on the role of the abolitionists trying to usher slaves out of the plantations and into the safety of Canadian soil while trying to drum up support for the Abolistionist movement. Of course, doing those won’t be easy, as Slave Catchers will try and intercept slaves before they get to Canada, while opposing people or events will stifle your progress in other ways.
Tackling this in any form is tricky due to the nature of the subject matter. Thankfully, Academy Games took great care in presenting the subject with respect and historical accuracy in mind. Oh yeah, it also turns out to be a great and challenging board game, too.
NBA 2K15 Review
Aside from Madden, the NBA 2K dynasty is one of the most impressive in video game sports series. They’ve been so dominant that EA Sports went as far as to cancel two years worth of of their basketball games that they felt couldn’t hold their own against the champ. Last year, 2K14 got a graphical shot in the arm thanks to the transition over to the more powerful hardware. Now that the sizzle of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 has cooled, is there enough in this year’s package to justify a return trip to the hardwood?
Power Grid Review
Thankfully, it piqued the interest of Steff’s sister Michelle. I gave it to her as a Christmas present and as a group, we gave it an honest try. I don’t think my words can make this game sound any sexier than the relatively dry premise it’s built around, but it actually makes for a phenomenal board game.
Super Smash Bros for Wii U Review
My memories of playing Smash Bros. prior to the Wii U version are hazy at best. I remember having a great time with the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube iterations, though I went cold turkey once Brawl came out. Not to say that the Wii game did anything wrong per se, but I just had my fill of Smash Bros. at that point. With many years of recharging under my belt, now isn’t a bad time to come back.
In Third Person 