Take It or Leave It Game Review

As the dice tumble and change, so too does the fortunes of the players. A single roll of the dice might provide much opportunity or nothing of value. With the use of cards that can shift the dice and change the outcome, all the players must race to collect the dice values and colors they need before they are altered and made useless. This is a game of timing, of judging how much risk is acceptable so as to make big points, and getting what you can before someone else does! Get in, get out, take it, or leave it! Continue reading

Cthulhu Fluxx Game Review

Cthulhu Fluxx is the newest addition to the Fluxx family of card games from Looney Labs. This time around, the players will not only be playing for victory, but also to keep their sanity! The Elder Gods are starting to break through and it is up to the players to drive them back! Of course, sometimes the goal is to also fall deeper into madness! Cthulhu has awakened and Yog-Sothoth means to devour the world! Time to find some ancient artifacts and send those Elder Gods back to the dark and remote corners of existence! Continue reading

Scallywags Game Review

I very much like this game. When I play it with my little geeks, it is an exercise in memorization and watching my children learn the subtle art of risk vs. reward, bluffing & misdirection, and ganging up on Daddy. When I play with casual gamers, it is a fun and relaxed game where we all laugh and roll our eyes at each other as we steal points and make bad decisions. When I play it with my Gamer Geek friends, it turns into a bloodbath and sharp words are exchanged at the table. Three very different game experiences with the same game. Games that can be played with such a wide group with different levels of experience and provide very different but always rewarding game play are rare. Continue reading

Jail Break Game Review

Jail is remarkably boring. All you do is sit around all day, perhaps workout, eat some food, and watch some TV. It’s like that everyday and will be the rest of your life unless you do something about it. The right thing to do is work to become a better person and get out of jail early for good behavior. But that will take forever, because you’ve got a lot to work on. Nope, the fastest way out of your cell is to breakout and make a run for it. Of course, you’ll have to avoid the guards, so digging a tunnel is the best way to go. And your High School guidance counselor said you lacked initiative! HA! Take that public education! Continue reading

Word Wars I.II.III Game Review

I really enjoyed Word Wars I.II.III. I found it to be terribly frustrating and rewarding, leaving me giddy when I was able to make three simple words. Only three! And yet, it felt like an incredible feat of intelligence. This is especially true when you score points. It really is a challenge of intellect and seeing words in a cloud of limited possibilities is a great puzzle to solve. Continue reading

Plague Game Review

PLAGUE, by Grey Gnome Games, is a low-fantasy themed trick-taking card game set in the dark ages of Europe where three major kingdoms are in a great war and death is all about. Sword and shield might rule the battlefield, but the Plague can reduce the mightiest army to dust and decay. The game plays fast, has a unique scoring mechanism, and uses simple rules making it highly accessible. Continue reading

Fill the Barn Game Review

A successful farmer knows when to buy and when to sell, but the market is a competitive one, which means you must watch your opponents as closely as you watch the market! Simply excellent in its execution, smart in its design (other than the paper money), and thoroughly enjoyable, Fill the Barn is a game you should sit down and play the very first chance you get! Continue reading

Oz Fluxx Game Review

Oz Fluxx is the newest addition to the Fluxx family of card games from Looney Labs. The game doesn’t break any new ground (for those who are already familiar with the Fluxx games), but like the card games before it, the theme of the game is really what it’s all about. All of your favorite classic Wizard of Oz favorites are here, from the most wicked of witches to that little dog who miraculously survives the whole movie. Continue reading

Ultimate Driver 300 Deluxe Game Review

Ultimate Driver 300 Deluxe is a card game that puts the player in the driving seat and sets them down the track on a high-speed race where only one player can be the winner. The game is entertaining without being taxing, is fun without feeling like work, and allows players to be social and play at the same time. The game is very straightforward, but it made me smile, allowed me to have fun with my little geeks, and I would gladly play it again for these reasons. Continue reading

Meteor Game Review

I highly recommend you give Meteor a try but do so knowing that this little game is going to test you. Game play is very simple, but accomplishing your goal is not. If you are up to the challenge and know a group of players who feel the same, Meteor is the game for you. The soft-hearted should avoid it, however. Meteor will make you cheer or go running to the nearest fallout shelter to curl up in a small ball in the corner, weeping. And that is a very good thing! Continue reading

Zombie Ninja Pirates Game Review

Zombie Ninja Pirates is a fun little game which is most certainly in the “beer and pretzels” category or, for our little geeks, “apple juice and graham crackers”. It’s meant to be a “flash in the pan” type of game where you plop it out on the table, play a few games, and then move on without having to exercise a large percentage of our brain. In this, the game does exceedingly well. Continue reading

Shake Out! Game Review

Roll the dice and take a chance! Shake Out! is all about balancing risk vs. reward. Do it right and there is no stopping you, but don’t get too cocky. Even if you claim a card, another opponent can snatch it from you with just a few more points! To play this game right, you’ll have to push your own limits to ensure you get the cards you need, playing both defensively and offensively. Come up short, and you’ll be left far, far behind! Continue reading