RJ and I review NCIS.
Feb 032012
I enjoy the game of soccer and there aren’t enough games that have a soccer theme. I heard about StrikerZ from The Dice Tower. From their advertisement they said StrikerZ is not a game ” about ” soccer. It IS soccer! After that statement I had to play this card game and show it to my family.
StrikerZ is a soccer card game for two players ages seven and up. A game can be played in around 20 minutes. Inside the box you get two full teams, two managers, whistles, offsides, yellow and red cards. The point of the game is to collect cards that you need to shoot for a goal. You collect those cards by picking and discarding through a full deck and looking for one of the three combinations for shooting a goal. Shooting a goal is easy and has no strategy to it. You play a shoot left or right card and your opponent plays a block left or right card. If symbols on the corner of the cards are on the same side there is no goal. If the symbols aren’t on the same side a goal is scored. The other special cards such as whistles, yellow, and red cards add to the game different effects. They make your opponent skip their turn or sometimes lose cards in their hand.
This game has a soccer theme but it is not a soccer simulation. If that is what you’re looking for then this may not be the game for you. One thing that might turn you off is the 50/50 chance of scoring a goal. You play to shoot and when you get a chance it’s like a coin toss. The most common complaint I heard was that there were too many whistle cards. You might notice this when your opponent goes on a run and you have to keep skipping your turn.
This game plays quick and easy. You can play this game while another game is being set up or waiting on friends to show up . It comes in a small card box so you can take this game anywhere. I have taken this to work and got to play a few games during lunch. My kids like it because it’s about soccer and easy to play. This might not get played at every family game night, but when it does get played it’s enjoyable.
( You can find more info here http://www.strikerzgame.com ).
Nov 032011
Looney Labs were kind enough to send me a review copy of Star Fluxx. Most gamers have probably played a theme of Fluxx before. I have played Eco, Monty Python, and Zombie Fluxx before so I was curious to see what is different with Star Fluxx. I was mostly excited to introduce Fluxx to my family.
Star Fluxx is a fast and fun card game for 2-5 players ages 8 to adult. A typical game goes for 5-30 minutes. Star Fluxx still plays the same way. Each player is dealt a hand of three cards. You draw one card and play one card. That sounds normal but it doesn’t stay that way for long. Cards are played that change the rules from how many cards you draw and play to what it takes to win the game. Just when you think you can win the rules change on you. It can get crazy but that is what makes Fluxx so much fun.
Star Fluxx has a few changes in this version. First, they added the Surprise card. These cards can be played at any time to interrupt the game. They also have another effect like an Action card if played on your turn. Second, Creepers are a little different. Instead of placing a Creeper in front of you they attach themselves to Goal cards. They are like status effects in the game. For example, the Brain Parasite requires you to attach it to a Keeper with a brain. Keeper cards will have a symbol to show if they have a brain or are a robot.
The theme for Star Fluxx is the sci-fi genre and it is there in full force. There are references to Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, and many more. It’s hard not to take notice of all the references. When I saw the card It’s A Trap, I had to say it in my best Admiral Ackbar voice.
I showed this game to my family and asked them if they were ready to play something different and fun. At first the rules changes were upsetting them. I got worried but they quickly got into the spirit of the game. They were laughing and making jokes as cards were being played. My kids didn’t get all the references , but that didn’t make it worse. Star Fluxx may not be a game we play every game night , but they would like to play it again. That makes me happy to hear. If you have played Fluxx before or never played a Fluxx game, give Star Fluxx a try.
If you’ve never played Fluxx before, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. In fact, I would go as far to say every gaming home should own at least one copy. The franchise can take a lot of heat from the hardcore hobby gaming crowd, but those detractors don’t realize that sometimes a game can serve as a social lubricant more so than as a challenge or skill or a series of interesting decisions. If you need a game for those situations, then check out the different versions of Fluxx to see which one is right for you. Star Fluxx doesn’t separate itself from the pack as a must-buy, so it’s really up to what your group prefers. At the moment, you can also grab the classic edition, or different versions themed with zombies, martians, pirates, and even Monty Python.
Sep 202011
When I saw the Angry Birds Knock on Wood board game by Mattel at Gen Con this year, I knew my nine year old daughter would want it. She plays the app on my phone all the time. The board game has the same concept as the app. You try to take out those pigs and collect points.
Angry Birds is for 2 to 4 players and ages 5 plus. The game comes with 3 Angry Birds ( Red, Black, and Yellow ), 4 Pigs, 2 Bonus Points ( Egg/Star), 14 Building Blocks ( 2 squares, 2 triangles, 4 small girders, 6 large girders ), 1 Bird Launcher, 40 Mission Cards, 16 Points Cards, and Instructions.
To start the game you pick a mission card and pass it to the next player to build. There are different levels of missions where the higher levels get you more points. Each mission card has a different structure on it that you have to build. You have to build what is on the card and you can only use which birds it shows. After the structure is built you use your bird launcher and birds to get those pigs. These birds do not have any of the abilities from the app. I tried tapping the table to make the yellow bird go faster with no success. The first player to reach 1000 points wins the game.
The game is fun and easy to understand. You build, take out pigs, build, take out pigs, and repeat. The building part will get tired after a few times. If you’re not careful it will fall before you finish building it. That did upset my daughter when she was almost finished and it fell. After a few games, I asked her what she thought of the game and she said the game was just alright. I agree with her that the game isn’t bad. I like that if you want you can just build what you want and start playing. We may not play it alot but people are always wanting to check it out and play. If you are interested in Angry Birds Knock on Wood ,you can find the game for around $20.00. My grade for Angry Birds is a B-.
Sep 022011
Seven Dragons is the newest game from Looney Labs. It plays like a fast game of dominoes where you want to be the first to connect seven dragons. It may sound simple but as is with most Looney Labs’ games it can change quickly.
Seven Dragons is for 2 to 5 players and ages 6 to adult. It plays in about 10 to 30 minutes. You can find this game for around $15.00. The game comes with 72 cards. There are 51 Dragon cards, 15 Action cards, 5 Goals, and 1 Silver Dragon. The art for the dragons features the work of Larry Elmore. You may recognize his work from Dungeons & Dragons.
The Action cards let you do things like switching hands, switching goals, and zapping other cards. The Goals are the colored dragon you are trying to connect seven of to win. Your goal may be the Blue Dragon and if you can connect seven Blue Dragons together you win. Each card has one to four pictures on it and as long as a Dragon matches it can be placed beside each other. The Silver Dragon is a dragon that starts off the game as any color but it changes when Action cards are played.
I played this game with my friends and family and everybody enjoyed it. The game was easy to learn and teach. We played several games very quickly and each game was different. Seven Dragons is fun for everybody and offers just enough luck and strategy for both kids and adults. Any game that I can pull out at any time and play with anybody is a good game in my book. If you haven’t played any of the Looney Labs games you should try Seven Dragons.
Jun 252011
I am always looking for new party games to play with my family and friends. While looking around a store I came across Truth Be Told from Buffalo Games. I didn’t recognize the company or game so I decided to purchase it and try it out.
Truth Be Told is for 3-8 players ages 14 and up. The game contains 564 questions, 8 dry erase markers, 8 fill in the blank cards, 8 paddles, 1 scoreboard, and instructions. You can find the game for between $18 to $25. Each round one player is the host and reads a question card. A question would read like this – Truth Be Told , my favorite movie is ________. The host writes down the real answer and the players write down what they think is the correct answer. After the host collects all the answers including his he reads them aloud. Players then try to guess the correct answer to score points. Players also get points if another player chooses their answer as the correct one. The first person to 15 points wins.
The game was simple to learn and fun to play. My family took to this game quick and wanted to play another round after the first. There were lots of laughs all around. I do like using the dry erase markers and paddles. It worked better for us instead of using pen and paper. I would recommend you get better markers for the future. With so many questions the replay value is good. If you are looking for a new party game, I suggest you try Truth Be Told. My grade is B+.
To get ready for the new Green Lantern movie I decided to watch Green Lantern First Flight again. As a Green Lantern fan I enjoyed this movie.
Green Lantern First Flight is an animated movie about Hal Jordan’s origin story. A dying alien gives a powerful ring to test pilot Hal Jordan which transforms him into a Green Lantern. It also gives an introduction to the Green Lantern Corp and the Guardians. The Guardians aren’t ready to let Hal keep the ring because he is a human. One of the most honored Green Lanterns ( Sinestro ) asks to train Hal and see if he deserves the ring. Hal catches onto what Sinestro is really up to and tries to prove his worth by stopping him.
First Flight is a great animated film that will please Green Lantern fans and people who don’t know much about the Green Lanterns. It doesn’t waste a lot of time on the origin and jumps into the action pretty quick. The action does get intense at times which could be a problem for some adults and kids. It is rated PG-13 , which is deserved. The animation is on the same level you would expect from the DC Animated Universe. The voice cast did a great job. Christopher Meloni ( Law & Order ) was believable as Hal Jordan.
This is one of my favorite DC Animated Universe movies. If you just can’t wait for the release of the new Green Lantern movie I suggest you watch this. My review grade for First Flight …. A-
