History of the World

I have always enjoyed the board game Risk but it's flaws make it a difficult game to find participants for. Flaw 1: after everyone else has been beaten off the board the remaining two players could be playing for ... ever. Flaw 2: Its one of the most popular board games in North America and just like Monopoly no one plays it and very few people actually play it.

History of the World is almost like a hybrid Risk game. Like Risk you conquer countries and territories across the world and earn victory points based on how much of each territory you control at the end of your turn.

Each player plays a different colour as they progress through the seven epochs of the game. In each epoch the players randomly draw a civilization card which tells them where they start, how many armies the receive, if they have a capital city, and whether they start with sea travel or not. The player then proceeds to fight other players and claim countries across the map. 

The picture to the left depicts the cards of the game. The top cards are the front and back of the civilization/empire cards. It shows that the player starts in the Indus Valley with 4 armies and on the other side the order of play  The bottom cards are used as special abilities for a single epoch.

The scoring is 1x for presence in a coloured group of countries (ex. North America, the Middle East, Southern Europe etc), 2x for dominance (two countries more than any other player in that area), and 3x for control (at least three countries in the area and no other players with presence). As the game progresses through the epochs different areas on the map are worth more points than others; accurate to history the first epoch revolves around the Middle East with empires like Macedonia, Babylonia, and Assyria. Then the majority of the empire cards shift to India and China before moving to Europe and then eventually North America. 

What is unique to History of the World is that players score their points as soon as they end their turn; so unlike risk where it is very important to reinforce choke points and build up your armies in History of the World it's best to spread your empire as far as you possibly can to score the highest number of points possible. You score both the countries you took this turn and those you conquered in older epochs as long as they are still in play so it is best to try and conquer new territories and not cannibalize the territories you already control from a past empire. 

The game is very strategic and is ideally played by three people (four seems like there is too much waiting between each turn). The game does take approximately 3 to 4 hours to complete but you could end it after any epoch if you wish. If you enjoy Risk, this game will be a new favourite.

Enjoy conquering the world

M.

Por(t)al 2

... the game that taught us that infinitely running through the same wall never gets old

... or that a thin layer of goo is quite bouncy

... or that dropping your friend through a portal to make him/her fall into a few inches of water and short circuit (die) is slightly entertaining

I present you Portal 2!  

Two robots (in the coop play) with the ability to open accessible portals awaken in a beautifully created, futuristic, post apocalyptic type world with a psychotic, manipulative, sarcastic, training controller robot named GLaDOS. She (the voice is robotic but a woman's so...) she has devised countless levels of puzzles in a massive facility that it seems was originally used to test humans. She is now using it to test you. 

The game is challenging and fun, giving you a sense of accomplishment as you weave your way through a maze of puzzles. Each new level becomes harder or at least different than the last. In some levels you'll have try again and again to make the perfect jump or recall the buttons you pressed to test them in a different order. 

To move through the puzzles, and sometimes to make them just a little more difficult, there are glowing, blue, hologram walkways, anti-gravity vortexes, slime that makes you slide really fast, goo that makes you jump higher, lasers, machine gun fire, and contraptions similar to a catapult that will throw you great distances. 

The physics of the game are fantastic and mind boggling at the same time. You fire a portal at the wall and one at the floor and as you move through the wall to the floor you feel slight vertigo as your view and gravity reasserts itself in the game. How the programmers were able to comprehend the physics of the scenario and how the world and robots would react to the changes is amazing and definitely something to be applauded.

I found Coop to be a great addition to the game. Sometimes two brains were better than one and the extra set of portals made things much more interesting. I'm all for coop games and it was fun to play with my buddy and also my sister. 

The interaction between the two robots is also a comical, novel feature of the game. You can hug, smack each other, tell a joke, and even play rock, paper, scissors.

It is an amazing game to play and it is frustrating at times. It is a win that you have to earn. 

I know its in the past by a few years but definitely give it a rent or buy it used, I'm sure you can find a cheap copy somewhere. 

Worth it,

M.

B-A-N-A-N-A-grams

Bananagrams! (Yes I've gone from ancient games to those played by small children) It's like a free board Scrabble game that my girlfriend and I have started playing together. She loves it and if she's got her larger purse with her there's a good chance that it’s in there somewhere. 

You play Bananagrams on a cleared table top, with lots of space, and use the letters you pick up to create words. The words have to be connected and branch off from each other (like Scrabble). You start with 21 tiles (in a two player game) and once you use all those letters to form interconnected words you say "peel", all other players, including yourself, must pick up a new tile. When there are no more tiles on the tree you say "split" where you would have said "peel" and you are declared the winner. I should mention that you only play with your letters and the words you've laid down in front of you; there are no adding words to other people's boards.

If you are stumped with the letters you are holding you can trade in one of your tiles for three from the tree. Another option to get out of a jam is to rearrange your board. You can move any of your words around, add or remove letters/words; you could even restart your entire word arrangement if you wanted to (unlike Scrabble). 

Like Scrabble you cannot use proper nouns as words (names, places etc.) or acronyms (I'm not sure about this one but the lady is sure that they aren't allowed). There is no scoring and even a person who is struggling at the beginning can get their words in order and call "peel" to find that there aren't any more letters and they have in fact just won the game.

It's a fun, light game and takes between 5-15 minutes to play. It would make a really funny drinking game, especially as the words get worse and worse. Up to now we've enjoyed it sober and have started to get more competitive. (And yes, she's winning)

Score Board
Her	Me
llll	lll

I'm pretty sure it's a little kid's learning tool, but who cares? It's quick, easy, portable, and fun. It's also cheap, I saw it online for $12, it's definitely worth it if you're a Scrabble fan. 

Try it and enjoy,

                               M.

Hero Quest Review

I know I said I wouldn't be reviewing games that are covered in dust but this one I do have to bring back to the surface. The game is Hero Quest.

This game is old. Hero Quest was released in Canada and the US in 1990. This is a 24 year old game and when I first started playing it I found the yellowed character sheets that my parents and uncle had used when they had played the game, who knows how long ago.

It's a fantasy game and players play as four heroes, with different strengths, weaknesses, and magical abilities. A player must also be the evil Warlock Zargon, who controls the monsters on the map. In the original game, the campaign booklet has ten different map layouts,  with multiple treasures, different quests, and stronger enemies as the hero's progress through the stages.


The Barbarian is all strength with a little mind, he is there to slay monsters. He's a strong character and a low mind (defense against spells) only shows its slight weakness in the later levels when Zargon's minions start to receive stronger spells. The Dwarf is also a strong fighting character but he has the ability to disable traps with his 1 point sharper mind. The Elf (which we called Elrond) is a good support character. He has a mid-level strength and three earth spells. The Wizard is weak in strength and has limitations as to what weapons he can use. As my friends and I played through the game we always found ourselves protecting the wizard, he is a burden because of his low attack strength but his spells will get your team out of some tight places and he has a few treasures that can be acquired that will make him a much stronger character. Hint: Don't be afraid to use the wizard's spells, you get them refreshed every map.

I found that the best number of players is three. One plays the Wizard and the Barbarian, another plays the Dwarf and the Elf, and the last plays Zargon. This evens out the fun characters with the support characters.

As Zargon you are the one who places the furniture, doorways, and monsters on the map. This information is only known to you until the heroes "see it" in their field of view and then it is placed on the board. You only play the monsters after they have been seen (and when I played as Zargon, since I'm the only one who sees the  fully uncovered map I would throw in extra monsters and traps ... just to make things interesting)

It's a lot of fun, tons of pieces and monsters keep it interesting and the fact that you play on the same dungeon map never gets boring. I started playing at about the age of 10 or 11 so it's great for younger kids and their friends. Mom or Dad should probably play as Zargon but it really is all ages friendly. If you play through the and want more levels, cards, monsters, and characters you can find them online. People have made alternate scenarios with extra printable cards. You're game booklet should also come with a grid of the map and you can even design your own layout and quest.

Always search of traps, hidden doors, and as always treasure.

Stay greedy my friends,

M.

Malazan Book of the Fallen

A coworker was talking to me the other day and asked if I had read the Game of Thrones series and I responded that I had a long time ago. He proceeded to fan-boy about them and then said "they were the best books I've ever read." He looked at me as if I was to respond in the same way. I simply said "I've read better" and then proceeded to list books that I thought we amazing and better than Game of Thrones. One of these series was the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

It is a series that is quite under-discovered and under appreciated. These books, there are ten in the Steven Erikson series, are the most fantasy driven, in-depth, creative, absorbing books I have ever read. They stand next to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings in depth and creativity.

The series contains a massive world populated by various unique races scattered across the map, each with a unique culture, language, behaviour, and ways of waging war and fighting. It is such a colourful and extensive story that will blow you away.

The story focuses mostly on a few group of characters and the focus changes both within the book and from novel to novel. This does create difficulty, at times, when trying to follow the story but it necessary with such a large tale and it does get easier as you get used to the writing method. The main characters are Ganoes Paran, a nobleman's son who is an untested officer in the Malazan Empire's army, The Bridgeburners, the most feared and well known squad in the army,

Don't stop reading because of Deadhouse Gates, it's a good book but it is the slowest of the series and will feel like it drags a little. It's a pivotal portion of the story so you have to read it and trust me it only gets better afterwards.

Author	Steven Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen)	Ian Cameron Esslemont (Malazan Novels)
Malazan	Gardens of the Moon Deadhouse Gates Memories of Ice House of Chains Midnight Tides The Bonehunters Reaper's Gale Toll the Hounds Dust of Dreams The Crippled God	Night of Knives Return of the Crimson Guard Stonewielder Orb, Sceptre, Throne Blood and Bone Assail
Novellas surrounding the necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach	Blood Follows The Healthy Dead The Lees of Laughter's End Crack’d Pot Trail The Wurms of Blearmouth
The Kharkanas Trilogy	Forge of Darkness Fall of Light (2015) Walk in Shadow (TBA)

In the above table I have read the books with the bolded titles, they are listed in correct order as well. They are fantastic and I hear good things about Cameron's writing in the world the two authors share. 

I urge you read these books, they are beyond fantastic but I word of advice, don't read them while reading another series or other fantasy books in between. The plot lines will start to become intermingled in your mind and you'll forget key characters and events.

Please read and enjoy. The Malazan Book of the Fallen series is the definition of high fantasy. 

M.

Going Full Arcade with Time Crisis 3

Arcade version Time Crisis 3. 

YES! What a game, you have a gun and a pedal and that's it. 

What a great game. You can play solo or two player coop . The graphics on TC3 are outdated now but it's still a very entertaining game. It was developed by Nex Entertainment, published by Namco, and released in arcade form in 2003. The graphics remind me of old Resident Evil 4.

I only bring it up because I was at an arcade a few days ago and I played it with my girl friend. She died twice but I almost made it through 3 acts without dying. I used to play it all the time with my dad and I guess I still have my edge. And since I felt nostalgic I decided to write a review for you.

Time Crisis is a two person shooter where you fight side by side. One of the coolest features, aside from actually holding the gun and aiming, is the kick of the gun as you fire at the screen. When playing you fight your way through many different surroundings and scenarios. You don't, however, control your movement. After killing the 5 to 10 guys in one small view, the camera goes to a quick (skippable) cut-scene  or movement sequence and then you are able to continue fighting in a new spot. 

In TC3 there are four guns: your pistol, machine gun, shotgun, and grenade launcher. Each has unique ammo (your pistol is unlimited) that you collect by killing certain types of enemies. ->

To switch guns you press the pedal down, causing your character to duck and be safe from all forms of enemy attacks. Then by clicking the trigger you can scroll through the four gun types. By ducking you also automatically reload with no wait involved.

I don't know how great the console games are but I'd certainly recommend it if you're ever in an arcade. You certainly get into it and may start ducking as rockets or bullets fly overhead. The point system further boosts a player competitive nature and when playing coop you can see who got the higher points and who died the fewest times.

Save the grenade launcher ammo for the boss. 

M.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone! Obviously I'm running around celebrating this long weekendwith my family and girl friend so I havent posted much, II'll be sure to put up something tomorrow. For my Canadians have a great long weekend filled with good food. For my Americans you just have to wait a month and then you'll be feasting.

M.

The Way of Shadows ~ Brent Weeks (Book 1 of the Night Angel Trilogy) (2)

The Way of Shadows will be my second book review. 

I find Brent Weeks has a simpler writing style but that does not take away from the fantastically imaginative story he has created surrounding the orphan turned assassin Azoth/Kylar Stern. Durzo Blint (such a bad ass name) takes Azoth under his wing to be his apprentice after much pleading from Azoth. It was never going to be an easy apprenticeship and Azoth knew that from the beginning and still begged to be under Durzo's tutelage. Blint is the best wetboy and to be the best you have to be hard and cold and harsh and all these aspects surround his training of Azoth. But Azoth, now Kylar, never adopts his master's disconnect, making him more a human than a simple weapon. (only touching on the beginning of the story)

Kylar finds love, befriends royalty, and spills the blood of those who would seek to harm those he loves.

Weeks has a perfect way of revealing a character's history, nature, and/or true identity throughout the story. No one is who they appear to be.




I read this trilogy while I was in France. Actually I believe I finished the first book before I left and ended up bringing the other two books and finishing both while there. One in Villefranche and the other in Paris. I never got used to the time difference so i was always up until 1 in the morning so I would read nearly three hours a night and ended up powering through both books. I have since read the trilogy again for a second time. It is a great story and one I would struggle to tire of.

All three are about 500 pages each and I found all three to be quite addictive. You start and if you get hooked, there's no letting go. You will finish the books in record time and neglect many things in your life in the process. 

"For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist. 

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death."

~ back cover of The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

Good Reads - A site I've found that I prefer to Amazon, it has the same sort of information but I like the suggestions better.
Amazon link to Look Inside - you can read the first ten pages or so

"King: 'You're...you're shit! You shitting, shitting shit!'

'Your Majesty,' Durzo said gravely. 'A man of your stature's cursing vocabulary ought to extend beyond a tedious reiteration of the excreta that fills the void between his ears.'"

Read books, collect them, share them, horde them

                                                                                    stay greedy 

                                                                                                           M.

Check Out the Gaming Page

On the Gaming Page I've posted a long list of video game release dates for the month of October and posted comments and trailers for a few of them. Check it out.        M.

My Video Game Fix It List

... Where I get to nitpick at the little glitches in games.

Far Cry 3
               I guarantee that some of you will be shocked by this and I'm disappointed it made this list but the save game feature failed to work on two separate occasions. I would save my game and it would bring me back to almost the beginning of the game. I thought it was because I had just been exploring the fantastically detailed world and collecting pelts and materials for upgrades so I played the main mission and it did the same thing. Great game with a poor save function (Far Cry you need Skyrim's save game layout! In fact every game does.) ... Maybe it was a glitch with my 360, definitely a sweet game but beware the saving.
Also you can kill sharks with a jet ski!

Sniper Elite V2
               Great game. I had a ton of fun watching kills in x-ray vision. I popped both a guy's kidneys in one shot once and it was fantastic! It's a game to play with friends and compete to see who can get the most creative kill in the campaign. Just a lot of fun.
                The problem I had with it was the movement and fighting when you weren't aiming down your scope or you were trying to fight in close quarters. It was difficult to aim. Not a smooth fluid motion like in Call of Duty. 
                Definitely a great game and worth the time and money. I hear V3 is even better and I can't wait to play it.
              
Skyrim 
             The holy grail of Elder Scrolls games and close to that of all time. Make it easier to climb mountains. Glitch jumping on Shadowmere to get to the tippy top of a mountain loses its appeal quite quickly. 

                         Left 4 Dead 2 

                      Another fun game. Gorey and grisly, scary at the witch parts and just all around violent. Dual wielding pistols while spinning around and hitting the trigger as fast as you possibly can while firing at a horde of zombies as they surround you has never been so fun. I really like the one to two shot kills. There are so many zombies to kill you don't even realize it! The thing I would add is the ability to look down your sights with more than the sniper rifles and when dual wielding pistols use both triggers to fire rather than just the right to shoot and to push zombies with the left.

Assassin's Creed 3 
                             Get a better voice actor for Connor, his emotionlessness rivals that of Anakin. Also thank you for having better combat programming for Black Flag. The change n combat flow, attacks, and movement from AC Revelations to AC III was quite noticeable and i found it was disruptive and difficult to manage. I found myself running away from even the smallest fights. If you're a Assassin's Creed fan like I am you'll notice the change. If you're not I'd suggest picking up Black Flag and try your luck as an assassin-pirate hybrid. Loads of fun and you'll know the words to all the sea shanties by the end of the game.

All great games that need a little tweaking ... in my personal opinion it doesn't make or break any of the games.

M.

Letters From Whitechapel - Walk the streets as Jack the Ripper

Well it's been a while and I would like to lay the blame for my busyness at the feet of life.

In the spirit of Halloween  and all the controversy floating around the supposed discovery of who Jack the Ripper really was, I present to you the board game Letters From Whitechapel.

The game is played by at least two people. One plays Jack the Ripper and the other plays the police officers attempting to catch the illusive killer.

Jack moves by numbers on the board and secretly tracks his/her movements on a sheet of paper. The board is laid out in a map of London, streets running every which way and in 8 spots on the board there are red numbers, symbolizing a location for a potential murder. At the start the round (4 rounds, the four nights Jack the Ripper killed) Jack decides which of the wretched will die and where. He must then out maneuver the officers as best he/she can and get home before being caught or the night is done.

The charm and stress of playing Jack is that you could be a space away from a police officer and they might never know you were there but they could also make a move that completely reveals your location.

The other role in the game is the police. You play as Detective Inspectors Edmund Reid, Frederick Abberline, Henry Moore, and Walter Andrews, famous for their investigation of the real Ripper murders. Your objective is to search the map for Jack's trail and eventually, once he's been cornered, his arrest.

Playing the police can be difficult and frustrating at times but you definitely earn your way to a victory if you are lucky and strategic enough to catch Saucy Jack.

Whitechapel is a very entertaining game and it doesn't take long to understand the rules. There is no greed in this game sadly but a merry goose chase is certainly in store.

Hint for Jack: pick murder scenes all over the board and never kill too close to your home
Hint for the Detectives: Always start at the murder with a pawn or two and find Jack's trail right away. Even if you don't catch him in the first or second night you'll get a sense of his direction and will be able to narrow in on his hideout location.

Stay greedy,

M.



You can also find more info on the game at http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/59959/letters-whitechapel