Terrible Analogies

…that you get to sit home and play Plants Vs. Zombies all day long.

Apparently, the goal of this game is to protect your most valuable of possessions (your lawn mowers) from an ever-lovin’ hoard of unstoppable zombies hellbent on destroying all grass trimming devices in existence.  To accomplish this obtuse task you employ the help of various sentient plants, each with their own unique method of fighting off the persistent zombie onslaught; some shoot peas, some devour zombies whole, and others block, blow up, or simply possess the undead and force them to do their bidding.

Ah, but those damned zombies have powers of their own.  Sure, you have your run-of-the-mill zombie, but it appears that some of them have grown smart and have learned to don armor, wield defensive shields, alter their speed of approach, and even complete their daily Sudoku puzzles as they bear down on their intended victims.

Easy to play / hard to put down, Plants Vs. Zombies is the best way to pass the hours holed up at home with the flu.

…that and drinking heavily, but that goes without saying.

The above link will bring you to the free online version, but the small screen and advertisements really detracts from the experience.  As your lawyer, my advice to you is to shell out some coin for the full version.  Go on…you’ll make a zombie very happy if you do.

Game Game

“Ultimate horror often paralyses memory in a merciful way.” – “The Rats in the Walls”

My latest addiction is, without a doubt, Arkham Horror.

Produced by Fantasy Flight Games, Arkham Horror is steeped in the Lovecraft mythos, wherein a group of “investigators” are tasked with uncovering clues and destroying the horrors let loose upon the good city of Arkham, and to seal the gates that allowed them entry.  Utilizing a variety of weapons, skills, uncommon items and spells, our intrepid band of protagonists must seal a given number of gates before the Ancient One awakens and a frantic final battle for the world ensues.

I’ll be the first to admit that Arkham Horror isn’t a game for everyone.  Its complicated ruleset makes learning difficult for those not familiar with the genre, and there’s more than a few things that you’ll have to keep track of during each five phases of play.  If you get confused about specific rules while learning the game, be sure to check out the amazingly helpful video tutorial that Eric Herman put together.  Once you get the hang of it then gameplay becomes quite smooth, and what initially took 4+ hours to play can now be completed in 1.5 – 2 hours.

This cooperative (it’s you against the board) base game comes with 16 investigators and 8 Ancient Ones, which helps to keep the replay value exceptionally high.  When you begin to get the hang of Arkham Horror and the win/loss ratio finally turns to your favor, you can begin to pick up the expansion boards and card sets.

Arkham Horror is one of those rare, engaging games that allows you to play solo or with a group of friends.  Break out the beer, select an Ancient One, and you’re off!  Beware…this sprawling game requires a huge footprint.  A large dining room table is required, especially if incorporating an expansion board.  You have been warned.

And before I forget, let me clue you in to a fact that all players should know; Mandy Thompson is far and away the best investigator of the bunch (she starts out with 4 clue tokens and has the ability to re-roll all dice that did not check successfully, and can pass that ability on to any player, once per turn).

I can not recommend this game highly enough.  If you search online you should be able to find this game selling for under $40.  If you’re a board game addict, and are familiar with pen-and-paper games (or just have an affinity for in-depth rulesets), then I suggest you pick up this game asap.

Oh, and be sure to pick up a 12 pack set of dice to replace to lame 5 dice set included with the game.  Trust me, you’ll thank me later.  If you’re in the San Diego area, Game Empire will be able to hook you up.  I’m not an employee, just a fan.

Game Game

My sister gave me an Amazon gift card recently, and before I could thank her (thanks, sis!) I knew what I wanted to use it for.  That’s right…a new 6×6 Rubik’s Cube.

Or, more precisely, a new V-Cube.  Created by a Greek designer and produced in Greece (think they can sell enough of these to get their economy back on track?), the V-Cube represents the natural evolution of the classic Rubik’s Cube.  The mechanics aren’t as smooth as my Eastsheen cubes, but I’m quickly getting used to it, and have noticed that the movement has become a bit more fluid after a day of playing with it.

On my first night with this V-Cube I managed to solve it in two hours by using known patterns.  A day later and my time is now down to less than 30 minutes.  Many of the same algorithms that apply to the previous cubes can be ported to the 6×6, with one new algorithm required to complete the center cubie section.

The V-Cube is slightly larger than the 5×5, and is noticeably heavier.  This is one hunk of plastic that feels good in the hands.  There’s a solid click with each rotation that you’ll want to keep an ear out for to avoid lockups.

Here are scans of the package insert (click on them to embiggen).  Instructions on how to assemble one of these bad boys can be found here.

Game, toys Game, toys

I have a quick question: What happens if, while playing poker, somebody dies at the table with an open hand?  Does that count as a fold?  Is the hand re-dealt?  Does anyone get to see the dead man’s cards, or do they go back into the deck face down?  What happens to the pot, and the dead man’s bets?

I’m sure Vegas has rules for such things, but I’ve never seem ‘em.

And, on a completely unrelated note, the brother-in-law hooked me up with a copy of Fallout 3 for Christmas, and I’ve been playing it nonstop ever since.  Sure, it’s not quite as expansive as Oblivion (which I loved to death and played through twice), but it’s one of these games that seems to pull you right in and sucks the life from your very marrow.  I find it difficult to put down.  I swear, I’ve only managed eight hours of sleep these past two nights.  I feel like a zombie but I’m dying for another fix of this accursed game.

It’s funny how these addictions seem to catch you when you’re most unprepared.  Heh…

Game, Random Game, Random

Taking the Eye In The Sky from the bookshelf, I study the box and wonder, “just who is their proofreader?”

Game, toys Game, toys