Hori Real Arcade Pro 4 Kai Review

Hori HRAP Pro KaiMy history with Hori fightsticks has been spotty at best. I’ve owned four of their entry-level level controllers; two of which broke within a matter of hours, and a third where the joystick wore down with no easy way of fixing it. That being said, durability is not a strong suit of any cheap fightstick from any manufacturer.

Though I have noodled with one of their higher-end fightsticks in the past, the Real Arcade Pro 4 Kai is my first extensive experience with a high-end Hori product. Does this have what it takes to wash away my negative perceptions of the brand? Better yet, can this stick hold its own against the TE line of Mad Catz products?

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Exploding Kittens Review

Exploding Kittens blew up last year on Kickstarter (pun intended), raising over $8 million dollars during its campaign. While that mark makes it easily the biggest board gaming Kickstarter campaign of all-time, it’s heavily presumed that the game itself wasn’t the biggest driver of dollars. Instead, the key selling point appears to be the creators of the Oatmeal web comic, who co-created the game and provide its humour. Because of this, it’s unfair to expect Exploding Kittens to be the best board game of all-time based on its Kickstarter money. Instead, let’s judge it on its own merits.

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Dreams of Designing My Own Board Game

As my love for board games has grown, so too has my admiration for the work that’s put into making them. Early on, it completely mystified me how game designers jumped from Monopoly to Dominion in terms of game mechanics. Playing more games has opened my eyes to the different types of games, though it’s only impressed me more in regards to how board game designers are able to put cool twists on established mechanics or how they’re able to create something brand new.

Of late, it’s got me thinking about the possibility of designing my own game. I’ve read a little bit online about how to design a game, and the physical act of putting one together can be done with a few craft supplies or stuff around the house. That said, it’s not one’s ability to make a board or cards. The real magic comes from the ability to design a great game.

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Board Game Night Playlist: Tile Placement Games

For most of my life, there was no tile placement sub-genre of board games. There was just Scrabble. This all-time great won me over at a young age and continues to be a favourite. Once I discovered the world of enthusiast board gaming, I discovered that there were many other games that use the concept of tile placement in very different ways. In this installment of the Board Game Night Playlist, we’re doing nothing but quality tile placement games. Let’s go!

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I Qualified for the Cineplex World Gaming Street Fighter V Regional Finals!

World Gaming is currently running a Canada-wide Street Fighter V tournament. Starting with online qualifiers and ending with the grand finale in Toronto, players are facing off for a slice of the $25,000 (!) prize pool. As far as Canadian fighting game tournaments go, this is unprecedented.

Of course, I participated. While the road was bumpy, I managed to win my bracket and earn my spot in a regional final!

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Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright Review

The Fire Emblem Fates series of games puts you at the heart of a conflict between two rival armies. On one side is the medieval-style Nohr army. On the other is the samurai-style Hoshido. If you buy Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright first, you’ll play most of the game from the side of the Hoshido clan.

With Fates essentially being three different Fire Emblem games launching at about the same time, this is easily the most ambitious effort. Based on my time with the Birthright edition, it’s also one of the best.

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Fire Emblem: Awakening Review

(Originally posted on splitkick.com. Thank you to the Splitkick crew for editing this!)

Ever since its 2003 international debut, I’ve been enamored with Fire Emblem’s personal approach to the strategy RPG genre. I love how every unit I manage is a fully-realized character with a unique look and story. I greatly enjoy helping these characters grow as warriors and as people by managing their combat movements and relationships. As things progress, I grow so attached that I feel compelled to protect everyone at all costs, which proves difficult in a series where perma-death can strike in a flash.

On one hand, the fear of death adds a critical layer of emotional weight. However, the stress that comes with losing comrades can be too much to bear for some. I’ve sacrificed dozens of hours of playtime across every entry in the series in order to complete a casualty-free run. Regardless of how you feel on the matter, Fire Emblem: Awakening is the first to implement features to appease both crowds.

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Roll For It Review

Roll For It is almost as simple as it can get for a dice game. Rolling six dice, players attempt to create certain combinations to earn points. The first to earn 40 points wins. While there’s not much to the concept, it serves its purpose as a fast and family-weight dice game.

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Kickstart Guide to Mortal Kombat X

The Mortal Kombat franchise has had its fair share of bumps over the course of its 20+ year existence. However, Mortal Kombat X isn’t one of them. Building off of the success of the Mortal Kombat reboot, this is the best iteration of the series to-date. This game may no longer be the new hotness, but it still has a large and active community that play it all the time. If you’re just getting off the ground, here’s a few tips to help smooth out the learning curve!

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More Cash ‘N More Guns Review

More Cash ‘N More Guns is the aptly named expansion for Cash ‘N Guns. No one will claim false advertising on this one, as it certainly contains more cash and more guns. Is this expansion just more of the same? Or does it add to the base game in meaningful ways?

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