Following up on the success of the original, DC Comics Deck-Building Game: Heroes Unite is a stand-alone game that is fully compatible with is predecessor. While the core gameplay is the same, this set contains new character cards and a new main deck; all of which have new abilities. For newcomers, is this the version you should start with? And for those who already own the original, is this worth adding to your collection?
In Oceania, 1-2 players take the high seas in search of new land. Starting with an empty board, players explore this uncharted territory by building the world with randomly-drawn tiles. Along the way, players can place scouts on islands as their bid to take control over them. At the end of the game, the player with control over the most tiles with islands on them wins. Despite its clever design, the game struggles to generate any fun or excitement.
Throw on your Hazmat suits, kids. The smash-hit board game about curing four deadly diseases before they ravage the world returns as a dice game in Pandemic: The Cure. As such, both games follow the same premise and are similar in many respects. However, making the transition from a board game to a dice game has turned The Cure into a faster and somewhat more casual affair. Hoping that this game will surpass its legendary predecessor may be asking for too much, but does it stand out on its own as a fun and unique take on the tried-and-true formula?
To celebrate the landmark release of Ticket to Ride in 2004, Days of Wonder has put out a special 10th anniversary edition of the classic board game. This premium package includes all of the content from the USA 1910 Expansion, larger cards, a double-sized board and new custom trains for each colour. It also comes with a premium price tag, as we got ours for about $80 before tax. For context, you can get the same amount of content by buying the original game for $40, the expansion for $16 and still have $24 left in your pocket.
Despite owning the original and the expansion, Steff and I have been waiting for the right time to upgrade. Thanks to a gift card that Steff received for her birthday, we now have this mammoth-sized game sitting on our shelf. Is it worth upgrading from coach to a first class ticket?
Heads will roll in Guillotine (sorry, had to do it). In this 2-5 player card game set in the French Revolution, players take turns executing different nobles. Each noble is assigned a point value based on how much their execution is worth. For instance, beheading Marie Antoinette will earn you a lot of points, while a lowly guard is only worth one. After three “days”, the person with the most points at the end of the game wins. Or, morbidly speaking, the player with the most valuable set of heads wins. While the game at a root level is dark nature, Guillotine is actually a humourous and fun card game.
The 2012 comic book battle between Avengers and X-Men rages on in Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men. In this two-player collectible dice and card game, players act as masterminds, recruiting an assortment of Marvel’s finest characters to fight on their side. The player who is able to deplete all of their opponent’s health wins.
With the starter set only costing $15 (if you can find it at retail price, as the game is currently in short supply) and booster packs coming in at a measly $1 for two cards and two dice, this game is aggressively priced to sell. While price alone makes this a tantalizing offer, it’s also aided by the fact that the game is pretty good.
I’ve never read any of George R. R. Martin’s books and I’ve only watched the first three episodes of the hit television show based on his work, but I’m always up for playing a great board game. Originally released in 2003, the critically-acclaimed A Game of Thrones board game was brought back to life with an updated second edition. I can’t speak to the differences, as I never played the original, though you can find some helpful notes on the matter over at Board Game Geek. Even though I currently don’t have any affinity for the source material, I love this game.
Marvel and Upper Deck’s latest take on the Legendary deck-building game turns the tables on the classic good versus evil conflict. In Legendary: Villains, 1-5 players play as the bad guys as they try to stop the heroes from completing their missions. While this is a standalone game, it is fully compatible with the original Legendary and all of its expansions. Is the role reversal, new cards and a few new mechanics enough to justify the existence of this game?
Released in 2002, the original Bang! was a card game that put you in the thick of a wild western shootout. Players take turns shooting at each other, though hidden roles made it so that you weren’t sure if you were shooting at friends or foes. After the dust has settled, the winner or winning side would be determined based on whoever was left standing. While Bang! was beloved by many who played it, the game was also criticized for taking too long to complete. Over a decade later, the solution to that problem arrives in the form of Bang!: The Dice Game. This re-imagining of the card game captures the thrills of the original in 15-20 minutes.
In Third Person 