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EDWIN WONG: My 2007 Spiel: PART 2 - More games I tried.
Continuing where I left off, I only managed another few games… but that’s because my priority at Spiel does seem to be meeting people, which I only get the opportunity to do so once a year (or less, if they skip Essen for whatever reason). Games? I can always play them anytime!
6. Moai (Face2Face).
The folks at Face2Face assured me that the game really tries to represent the historical events that took place in Easter Island, particularly the struggles by each tribe just to survive. Well, on every turn, I did find my tribe really struggling to stay alive, so in that respect, Moai does represent this struggle spot on! Gamers who love a good ol’ vicious game will like this, as scarcity becomes more evident as the game progresses. It’s like the age old argument of environmental conservation - don’t talk about it to those who need to chop down trees to live another day… so in Moai, your needs are so basic that you eventually become consumed with the cycle of life - how many newborns, how many have to be sacrificed, etc. Also, its got very nice graphics and bits, although Lawrence did inform me that the nice wooden 1st player sculpture was an Essen special, where the other sets only come with a plastic piece.
7. Rattle Jungle (Nexus).
If Micro Mutants (a re-work of X-Bugs I forgot to mention earlier) is tiddlywinks on steriods, then in Rattle Jungle you have magnets on steriods! Believe me, these are really powerful magnets that form the core of the game! Players start with an equal number of “eggs” (super charged magnets in disguise), and each turn, depending on the die roll, decides where to place one egg on the board. The first player to get rid of all his/her egss wins. Sounds easy? Not when you see these super magnets in action! The catch is that when you place your egg on the board, you could attract a horde of other eggs (already on the board) to snap towards yours, and when that happens, you have to take all the eggs other than the one you just placed! I tell you, you’de better move your fingers fast after you place your eggs as I’ve never seen other eggs (aka magnets) charge towards yours at lightning speed and pace! If they had little soldiers on the board, you could actually use these supercharged magnets as bullets to make a nifty wargame!
8. Liebe & Intrige (Goldsieber).
This was THE game that instantly caught my eye during the presentation of new novelties (ie. games) during the press conference on Wednesday! Firstly, the box resembles a romantic novel of the Jane Austin era. Secondly, the presenters were fully garbed in wonderful period costumes! As there were no English rules available during Spiel, my thanks to Ms Gabrielle from Noris-Spiele who took the time to teach me the game! This will certainly appeal to female gamers who are avid fans of romantic novels, as you try to marry off your daughters to noblemen. Following the traditions of that era, the eldest must be married off before the younger ones can. Also, be careful that your daughters are not caught in the “drinking house” as that would certainly reduce their reputation! That’s when you learn that beauty and education alone are not enough to hook the best men!
9. Mouse Carousel (Drei Magier).
I love Drei Magier games! And I’m not even a kid (well, maybe at heart!). Apart from the packaging and lovely playing pieces, they are good games, my favorite being Russelbande. Mouse Carousel is their 2007 release, and once again, the bits are top notch! Imagine seven mice hiding inside really colorful carousels, waiting to spring out whenever cheese are there for the taking. Only the mouse of the same color as the cheese can claim it, but as you can’t see the color of the mouse since they are all hiding in carousels, this makes for an interesting and fun version of a memory game!
10. Neuroshima Hex (Portal).
It took me a while to find them as they were in Hall 6, not a place you usually find boardgames, so when I asked the designer why he actually choose to be in Hall 6, I learnt that this game is based on a very popular RPG in Poland, so he was primarily trying to attract the RPGers, who hung out at this hall. I haven’t played a RPG for years (the last being Call of Cthulhu, my favorite), and I had never previously heard of Neuroshiima, but I thought this was a game that would find many fans, as it is in the quick head-to-head, full confrontation, wargame category, where good games are far and few apart. Although I though the graphics were a little overdone (making it hard to focus on the pieces and the lilttle, but important arrows on each playing piece), and would have prefered a cleaner look, I did get used to it after a while. This is truly a fast shoot-em-up fare, and I’m sure will be enjoyed by t hose who like to “kill or be killed”!
Next: The Asian Presence @ Essen.
Posted by Edwin Wong on Oct 29, 2007 at 10:32 AM in Columnists, Edwin Wong - Malaysia / 1000
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Does anyone have any pictures of Rattle Jungle? Sounds pretty cool. Posted by Doug Orleans on Oct 30, 2007 at 01:07 PM | #
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