Origins 2007 Games Round-up
(Because every post should start with a picture of Neil Gaiman cuddling a panda)
Better late than never I (apparently) always say (because I’m always behind). Last month I attended the Origins International Game Expo, in scenic Columbus, Ohio. Here is where the gaming geeks get a first look at the Spiel des Jahres winners and runners-up, as well as the new releases of many, many gaming companies. Four fun-filled days of board games and non-CCG card games were on the agenda for my group. During this pilgrimage, I had the opportunity to play several new games, and I thought for your reading pleasure I’d review them. I’m not going to give you the details such as how many players, etc., but I will tell you what I thought of them and give you the gist of what the premise for each is.
Megastar
A non-CCG where you are a radio exec trying to promote a band by spinning their CD on your station. The more times you play the band, the more popular they become. This game basically has you drawing cards, choosing cards, playing cards, and then switching the bands’ rankings at intervals. At the end, if you score the cards you kept. This game is quick, easy, and only requires light strategy. I’m designating this as a “filler” game.
Rating:
Amazonas
This is a Euro-game where your goal is to connect two villages in the Amazon together while scoring points along the way. Very reminiscent of Ticket to Ride and other such destination based games. This one incorporates events that limit your options each turn. While this keeps the game play fresh (for the one sitting I played) it also means that there can be many rounds where you do nothing during your turn. This makes the game slow and boring. The artwork is very good and it looks like it’s a fun game, however, I’m designating this as a “pass” game.
Rating:
Stack Market
This is a manipulative game in the American style. Your goal is to create corporations by rolling and stacking special die. To be honest the theme didn’t make much sense when I demoed it and after careful reflection it still doesn’t make sense. The game is fun because it involves bidding on your stacking abilities, and stacking wood blocks. This is definitely one to take a look at if you like manipulatives, so I’m designating this as a “try, then buy”.
Rating:
Fishing for Terrorists
This is a non-CCG based on the staple Go Fish. Fishing for Terrorists has you doing exactly what the title says, and don’t worry, they took into account the current NSA practices. This game isn’t as boring as Go Fish because like most Slugfest Games, the cards tell you how to play as you’re playing. These games are very theme heavy, so if you aren’t playing with a good sport who’ll go along with enjoying the theme, you may find it disappointing. Personally, I enjoyed playing cards like “We’ll take it from here,” which lets you steal a terrorist someone else is in the process of capturing. I’m designating this as a “filler” game.
Rating:
Zooloretto
This is a tile-laying game based on the non-CCG game Coloretto (which is also a great filler game). This game involves some strategy as you plan which animals you want to add to your zoo and how to get them in the enclosures so you can score the most points. As an added twist, some animals are male or female (the others are neutered apparently) and when you place them in a field, they immediately have a baby. (If only endangered species breeding were just that easy). This is a great game for any audience and is this year’s Spiel des Jahres winner.
Rating:
If Wishes Were Fishes
This is a standard Euro-style board game. In this game you are fishing. You can either keep your wish or use the wish the fish is thinking. Your goal is to have the most money from selling fish at the end of the game. This game has great pieces including rubber worms and wooden fish. The illustrations are great and very comical. I recommend this game for any audience that wants to have fun.
Rating:
Thebes
This is another great Euro-style board game. Finally, a game that shows that education can pay you off later in life. In Thebes, you are excavating treasures from several different destinations – however, your knowledge of the area and the time you spend excavating determine how well you’ll do. This game has amazing pieces, plus a fully detailed insert telling you the back-story of all the treasures you might excavate. The treasures are based on actual archaeological finds at these locations. This is a great game for adults and is this year’s Spiel des Jahres runner-up.
Rating:
As a side note, No Disintegrations is approaching its 100th post (including the posts under the former name Shawed), and this is the 98th post. The 100th post will kick off a mini-blog-athon, 1 blog post every hour on the hour for 24 hours, starting at 12 AM on 8/30/07. Come celebrate two years of blogging nonsense with us at No Disintegrations.
0 comments:
Post a Comment