Board games are not one to shy away from historical themes. The middle ages in particular have been the backdrop for a countless number of tabletop experiences. Stone Age by Bernd Brunnhofer and Rio Grande Games sets the time machine all the way back to a time when mankind was at its most primitive. It’s up to you and your fellow players to push our ancestors up the evolutionary track. Are you ready to venture back to the dawn of civilization?
The ocean is dangerous enough as is. In Tsuro of the Seas, they’re even deadlier thanks to a gang of sea monsters that happen to be traveling through the area. Not sure why you and up to seven other seafarers would choose to set sail here, but it’s too late for that now. Do you have what it takes to make it home alive?
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?
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?
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.
A corrupt government rules the land with an iron fist. Together, you and your fellow players will try and overthrow them by going on a series of daring missions in The Resistance. The problem is, the government is in on your scheme and their spies have already infiltrated your group. Can you still succeed in spite of the government’s spies that are trying to take you down from the inside?
It’s cute! It’s colourful! It’s…the next big shooter? Splatoon for the Wii U dares to mix things up in a genre where most are still copying from the Call of Duty playbook. In fact, Nintendo’s newest entry into the genre strays so far from the norm that shooting other people isn’t your primary objective. As crazy as that may sound, it works surprisingly well here.
I hate wearing watches. Haven’t worn one since I was like 8 years old. Can’t stand the handcuff-like feeling that comes with wearing one. The ability to tell time has never been enough of a selling point to overcome that barrier. But could I make an exception for one made by my favourite tech company? One that has the potential to do way more than tell the time? If the Apple Watch can’t do it, I don’t know what will.
During times when Robin Hood isn’t running amok, the Sheriff of Nottingham is manning border patrol for Nottinghamshire. Each day, merchants will bring their bags of goods that they intend on selling at their shops, and it’s the Sheriff’s duty to keep contraband out. However, with the right offer, he might let a few slide, open a rival merchant’s bag, or even split contraband with another merchant. As a merchant of Nottinghamshire, can you successfully make it across the border with the most valuable goods?
In Third Person 