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Greg J. Schloesser: Quick overview
Since I’ll be at the Gathering most of this week, I won’t be submitting a mind-bending, gut-wrenching article. Then again, do I ever? :o)
Instead, I’ll give a quick overview of some of the new games I’ve played recently. I hope to add to this list at the Gathering!
GLORY TO ROME: Don’t grab your chest in pain, but this one sort of reminds me of Puerto Rico or Caylus, specifically in terms of the special building powers. Players are re-building Rome, and must acquire resources to construct the famous—and not-so-famous—buildings. There is a lot to track here, and there seems to be numerous strategies to pursue. That being said, there may be TOO many cards, and the mechanisms are a bit clunkly. Still, I enjoyed my one playing.
THE DAVINCI CODE BOARD GAME: Just how many GOOD games with movie tie-ins have been released? I could probably count the number on a couple of fingers. The Davinci Code Board Game just might get added to the list, but more playings are needed. I enjoyed the puzzle-solving aspects of the game, and the different manners in which clues are discovered. That being said, I am a bit concerned that some clues may be more revealing than others, and I guess the designers just couldn’t move past the tired “roll-and-move” mechanism.
NATURE OF THE BEAST: This one looks, smells and plays like a collectible card game, which is usually enough to send me screaming in terror into the hills. However, since I received a review copy, I had to play. And—surprise—I really enjoyed it! Using an “Animal Farm” theme of warring animals, players must be the first to fill an imaginary 3 x 3 grid, while attempting to prevent their opponents from accomplishing the same task. While enjoyable, there seem to be too many icons and a bit much chrome, making the game more confusing than it has to be.
CHiZO RISING: Another collectible game, but this time using tiles. The good news is that as in Nature of the Beast, the game can be played using the starter sets, so one not need get trapped in a never-ending buying cycle. The game is quite fun, and considerably easier to understand and play than Nature of the Beast. I enjoyed my 3-player game, and didn’t enjoy the 2-player game as much. There seems be more to watch for in a multi-player format, and more surprises.
JOURNEYS OF PAUL: I am always intrigued when games using a Christian theme are released, and was happy with both Settlers of Canaan and Ark of the Coventant. Sadly, Journeys of Paul -- while having a beautiful board—was little more than a “turn over a card and see what happens” affair. While it may give folks an idea of the perils and tribulations faced by Paul, the game itself is a big disappointment. A true shame.
MARVIN MARVEL’S MARVELOUS MARBLE MACHINE: One of the biggest surprises for me this year has been Dragons of Kir, a fantastic 2-player game. MMMMM (or 5M!) uses a similar mechanism, wherein players place tiles hoping to influence the marbles rolling about the board. A big plus is that it can play with up to 6-players. We enjoyed this so much at last week’s gaming session, that we played it twice in-a-row, a rare occurrence.
BOLIDE: Auto racing is a fast sport, so one would think that a good racing game would also be fast-paced. Bolide is the exact opposite: slow and plodding. Using an interesting “vector” movement mechanism requires players to conceptualize how their cars will move on subsequent turns. This causes a lot of thinking, counting and calculating. Sadly, this causes it to suffer in the “fun” department. Pass.
ICE PIRATES OF HARBOUR GRACE: Another release from Cambridge Games, designers of Glory to Rome. To their credit, Ice Pirates of Harbour Grace carries a pirate theme. That alone is usually enough to entice me, as I’m still searching for the ideal pirate game. After one playing of Ice Pirates, I’m still searching. The game is quite simplistic, with the combat system being very vanilla. The random board set-up also can cause some problems. Still, my main issue was that the game just lacked that special spark that makes a game truly exciting and fun to play. That being said, the game seems much more appropriate for family or casual play as opposed to serious gamers. Perhaps in that setting, it would prove more popular.
© 2006 Greg Schloesser
Posted by Greg Schloesser on Apr 14, 2006 at 04:00 AM in Columnists, Greg Schloesser / 1603
