Game Reviews Archives - Page 14 of 84

Upside Drawn – No drawing talent needed

Telestrations is one of our favorite party games. It’s like playing the classic game of “telephone” but with pictures.

We always end up laughing a ton because of how the original depiction morphs over the course of the game.

So when we heard about Telestrations: Upside Drawn, we were very excited to get a copy from The Op to play.

Attaching the “Telestrations” brand name to the game is a nice move to get attention. Just don’t be fooled — because Upside Drawn it’s a much different game from regular Telestrations.

The great news is that it’s a lot of fun in its own right!

September 14, 2020 Trent 2 Comments art, creative, drawing, party, social, The OP

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

Blinks Game System Review

There’s been a big meshing of digital and physical board games over the last decade.

Many physical board games have taken on digital form and can be a blast to play with friends at a distance. And other physical board games have incorporated a digital element that we love for extending the gameplay — such as the cooperative games Star Wars: Imperial Assault, Descent: Journeys in the Dark 2nd Edition, and Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition that we love using the app to play the bad side.

Well, today we’ve got something quite different from anything we’ve reviewed in the past. It’s actually a digitally-driven complete game system called Blinks!

But it doesn’t use any computers, mobile devices, or apps. All the game data and rules are stored in the hex game pieces themselves!

The cool thing is that each hex game piece, called a Blink, stores the information/rules of one game. And that Blink “teaches” the other Blinks the rules of the game and then they’re all in!

September 4, 2020September 8, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 10-player, 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, Blinks, colorful, digital, solo

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

Gorilla Marketing party game review

My day job is in marketing.

That means 25 years in marketing.

As such, I’ve heard many times about “guerilla marketing”.

So when I saw the game Gorilla Marketing, designed by Adam Wyse and published by Roxley Games, I couldn’t wait to give it a try!

I was especially excited to play with my Marketing team at work. But as luck would have it, the game arrived the very day we all started working from home because of COVID. Major bummer – no more lunch break games of any sort at the office.

But that wouldn’t deter me from giving it a shot with my family. And I’m so glad I did — because it’s been an absolute hoot!

We have yet to play a game without busting a gut laughing. And we have yet to stop playing after just one game. There’s just too much fun to be had!

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, judging, party, Roxley Games

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Let’s get Trekking the National Parks!

Zion National Park is like a second home to me.

It was my mom’s backyard growing up. So naturally, as a family, we spent a lot of time enjoying its beauty from grandma and grandpa’s farm. My most memorable summer growing up was the summer I spent living with my grandparents and working in the park.

And heading north, Yellowstone National Park is another one of my favorite places to visit.

And when we play Trekking the National Parks the board game, I get the itch to visit a lot more of the US National Parks.

July 30, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, luck, route, strategy, theme, Underdog Games

Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game board game

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

All aboard the Disney Jungle Cruise!

“This secluded elephant pool has never before been seen by civilized man. And looking at everyone on this boat, it still hasn’t.”

“Bamboo can grow to be six stories tall…although this bamboo looks about seven stories tall. But that’s a whole other story.”

These jokes probably sound very familiar if you’ve spent time aboard the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland or Disney World. And playing Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game, you’ll get to tell a whole bunch more!

But telling jokes isn’t the crux of the game, it’s just a by-product. Instead, the game pits players against each other racing along the river, collecting cargo, and keeping their passengers safe.

Ready to captain your boat to victory?

July 23, 2020July 26, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, dice, Disney, luck, Ravensburger, theme

Card Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Time isn’t your friend in Math Rush

How good are you at math?
Will it make a difference if you’re calculating over and over with a timer ticking away?

In Math Rush by Genius Games, you and your fellow players race against time to cooperatively play your cards to accomplish various goals.

It may sound simple, but when the timer’s ticking away, you’ll quickly find there’s more to think about during the game than just addition and subtraction.

We know because the challenge of this simple-sounding game caught us by surprise.

How well will your family do?

July 17, 2020 Trent 1 Comment 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, Genius Games, kids, math, solo

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Let’s get us some Rune Stones!

Do you like deck-building games like Dominion, Clank!, Legendary, and Thudersone Quest?
What about resource-collecting/converting games like Century: Golem?

How would you like a game that mixes those game mechanisms together?

Well, that’s what you get with Rune Stones by Queen Games!

At SaltCon 2020, I was able to get in a demo game of Rune Stones with some friends and we all enjoyed it.

And now that I’ve played it a number of times since then, it’s time to share my thoughts on this family board game.

July 7, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, card, deck-building, Queen Games, strategy

Card Games Game Reviews Party Games

Relative Insanity: See What I Mean?! game review

“There are few certainties in life. One of them is everybody’s relatives are crazy. You can let them make you nuts too, or you can learn to laugh about it. I prefer laughter every time.” — Jeff Foxworthy

And when you get a game with Jeff Foxworthy’s name emblazoned on it, you can expect laughter.

That’s definitely the case with Relative Insanity: See What I Mean?! by PlayMonster.

June 24, 2020 Trent 0 Comments cards, choose, party, photos, PlayMonster

Articles Board Games Card Games Family Games

Are you BOOKSMART?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

“Call me Ishmael.”

“All children, except one, grow up.”

Can you name which famous books these are opening lines for?

Or better yet, if you heard the title of a book, would you be able to come up with the opening line?

That’s the premise of a new game just launched on Kickstarter that sounds really intriguing to us – BOOKSMART.

Do you consider yourself BOOKSMART? Let’s find out…

June 18, 2020 Trent 7 Comments book, Stampede Ventures Games

Back to the Future: Back in Time board game

Board Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews

Back to the Future: Back in Time cooperative game review

I was a teenager when the first Back to the Future movie hit the big screen in 1985. And I remember absolutely loving the movie!

The premise was a lot of fun and I laughed the whole time.

That first movie became a cultural iconic film that’s still fun to revisit to this day. That also explains why a bunch of Back to the Future games have been made since. Unfortunately, the few I’ve played over the years haven’t been very good games.

That is, until now!

Back to the Future: Back in Time, by Funko, breaks that mold. As a cooperative board game, it delivers the right type of gameplay for the theme — making a fun game!

June 16, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, dice, Funko, luck, strategy, theme