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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Call of Duty: Ghosts - Onslaught in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Call of Duty: Ghosts gets a much needed update with the release of Onslaught, the first of four planned DLC packs for the game.
The new content requires the full version of Ghosts to play and offers up a plethora of content including four new maps, a dual mode weapon, and a new episode of the alien invasion game, Extinction.
For me Ghosts was filled with frustration on the multiplay side as I found many maps were too large and encouraged camping, which as anyone who has been spawn killed numerous times in a row will tell you, leads quickly to frustration.
First off the new Maverick Assault rifle offers power and a high rate of fire for up close and personal combat. For those wanting to do their dirty work from afar, there is also a sniper rifle customization that will give fans of sniper action plenty of options.
The new maps are some of the most fun I have had in Ghosts and for me, were more enjoyable than many of the maps that shipped with the game as they allow for multiple styles of gameplay.
Bayview
Is a whimsical and fun map set in a California Coastal town. It is great for close quarters and run and gun gamers like myself, but has plenty of tactical spots for those that like ranged attacks. The great thing about the map is that it is lots of fun to play.
Running through gift shops, restaurants, the aquarium, and other tourists locales made this a very fun and engaging map. The action is intense and you can even take a ride on the trolley car that roams the boardwalk. One inspired gamer but his Sentry Gun on the car and watched as it road up and down the map picking off enemies that dared get near the tram.
I loved seeing the naval units off on the horizon in a pitched battle which made me think of the action in Modern Warfare 3.
Containment
This is a battle in an abandoned Mexican village after a truck has crashed and spilled nuclear material. The combat is on two levels on two sides of the town with a No Man’s Land in the middle in the guise of a partially destroyed bridge.
From a bar, a church, and the streets, the action is intense in both ranged and close-quarter combat and the map offers plenty of charm and diversity.
Some like to snipe from the windows while others like myself like to sneak their way across and battle in the blasted out bars and shops of the town.
Ignition
Set in an abandoned launch facility I had to dodge firing rockets, sniper fire, and all manner of nooks and hiding spaces for enemy units to attack me from. This is a large map that is spread out but there are some great areas for players to get results with a little planning.
The map has long corridors that provide plenty of options to snipers but also numerous options in which to flank and attack. There is even a plane fuselage for players to travel through as well as plenty of multilevel and cover laden office buildings and labs.
The rockets will randomly fire and setting off either of the two engines will result in some great things happening to the enemy units and with careful planning, players can blast away while they run for cover.
Fog
This is a creepy and quirky map that is set in a swamp like area complete with caves, fog, shacks, and uneven terrain. At first I did not like it as although nice to look at, it seemed to encourage camping and sniping. My thoughts on the map changed the next time through thanks to the run and gun style of play that was going on. Suddenly I heard the familiar music from “Halloween”, and Michael Myers himself appeared and dispatched me and several of my team with an axe.
Several shots and grenades did not slow Myers down at all so I learned it is best to stay away from him or simply accept multiple deaths while he is on the map, unless you can get several shots off while he is busy dispatching others.
If a player completes a certain Field Order, they become Myers and the music will let everyone know to prepare.
For fans of Extinction, there is a new episode called Nightfall which introduces two new alien threats as well as a new weapon and challenges for players to survive as it is a highly enjoyable adventure. This content actually builds on the whole experience and to me seemed like a vital and necessary part rather than a simple bonus map.
I can honestly say that this is the most fun I have had with any of the DLC for Call of Duty as while I have enjoyed maps in the past, I have not had a collection where I enjoyed playing all the maps as much as I have this one and what is a bigger surprise to me is how much it has restored the fun and enjoyment that was missing in Ghosts for me as for the first time since Black Ops 2, I am eager to get back to the fight and level up my character.
While hit counts, play balance, and hackers still hamper the game, the review is for the new content and not the game as a whole and as such, Onslaught delivers in a big way.
Activision recently announced that the second DLC pack named Devastation will appear on the Xbox Consoles in April with the PS 3 and PC versions to follow.
http://sknr.net/2014/03/09/call-of-duty-onslaught/
The new content requires the full version of Ghosts to play and offers up a plethora of content including four new maps, a dual mode weapon, and a new episode of the alien invasion game, Extinction.
For me Ghosts was filled with frustration on the multiplay side as I found many maps were too large and encouraged camping, which as anyone who has been spawn killed numerous times in a row will tell you, leads quickly to frustration.
First off the new Maverick Assault rifle offers power and a high rate of fire for up close and personal combat. For those wanting to do their dirty work from afar, there is also a sniper rifle customization that will give fans of sniper action plenty of options.
The new maps are some of the most fun I have had in Ghosts and for me, were more enjoyable than many of the maps that shipped with the game as they allow for multiple styles of gameplay.
Bayview
Is a whimsical and fun map set in a California Coastal town. It is great for close quarters and run and gun gamers like myself, but has plenty of tactical spots for those that like ranged attacks. The great thing about the map is that it is lots of fun to play.
Running through gift shops, restaurants, the aquarium, and other tourists locales made this a very fun and engaging map. The action is intense and you can even take a ride on the trolley car that roams the boardwalk. One inspired gamer but his Sentry Gun on the car and watched as it road up and down the map picking off enemies that dared get near the tram.
I loved seeing the naval units off on the horizon in a pitched battle which made me think of the action in Modern Warfare 3.
Containment
This is a battle in an abandoned Mexican village after a truck has crashed and spilled nuclear material. The combat is on two levels on two sides of the town with a No Man’s Land in the middle in the guise of a partially destroyed bridge.
From a bar, a church, and the streets, the action is intense in both ranged and close-quarter combat and the map offers plenty of charm and diversity.
Some like to snipe from the windows while others like myself like to sneak their way across and battle in the blasted out bars and shops of the town.
Ignition
Set in an abandoned launch facility I had to dodge firing rockets, sniper fire, and all manner of nooks and hiding spaces for enemy units to attack me from. This is a large map that is spread out but there are some great areas for players to get results with a little planning.
The map has long corridors that provide plenty of options to snipers but also numerous options in which to flank and attack. There is even a plane fuselage for players to travel through as well as plenty of multilevel and cover laden office buildings and labs.
The rockets will randomly fire and setting off either of the two engines will result in some great things happening to the enemy units and with careful planning, players can blast away while they run for cover.
Fog
This is a creepy and quirky map that is set in a swamp like area complete with caves, fog, shacks, and uneven terrain. At first I did not like it as although nice to look at, it seemed to encourage camping and sniping. My thoughts on the map changed the next time through thanks to the run and gun style of play that was going on. Suddenly I heard the familiar music from “Halloween”, and Michael Myers himself appeared and dispatched me and several of my team with an axe.
Several shots and grenades did not slow Myers down at all so I learned it is best to stay away from him or simply accept multiple deaths while he is on the map, unless you can get several shots off while he is busy dispatching others.
If a player completes a certain Field Order, they become Myers and the music will let everyone know to prepare.
For fans of Extinction, there is a new episode called Nightfall which introduces two new alien threats as well as a new weapon and challenges for players to survive as it is a highly enjoyable adventure. This content actually builds on the whole experience and to me seemed like a vital and necessary part rather than a simple bonus map.
I can honestly say that this is the most fun I have had with any of the DLC for Call of Duty as while I have enjoyed maps in the past, I have not had a collection where I enjoyed playing all the maps as much as I have this one and what is a bigger surprise to me is how much it has restored the fun and enjoyment that was missing in Ghosts for me as for the first time since Black Ops 2, I am eager to get back to the fight and level up my character.
While hit counts, play balance, and hackers still hamper the game, the review is for the new content and not the game as a whole and as such, Onslaught delivers in a big way.
Activision recently announced that the second DLC pack named Devastation will appear on the Xbox Consoles in April with the PS 3 and PC versions to follow.
http://sknr.net/2014/03/09/call-of-duty-onslaught/
Simple Control Home Automation + Universal Remote
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Use Wi-Fi to control thousands of devices like TVs, cable and satellite boxes, receivers, Blu-ray...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tiny Epic Defenders in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
The Tiny Epic series. Where do we begin? They’re tiny and they’re epic – need I say more? Oh, I do have to say more? Ok then, here I go. Tiny Epic Defenders was the first of these games that I ever played, so I think it’s appropriate that it is the first one we review!
DISCLAIMER!! This review is for vanilla Tiny Epic Defenders, first edition. We have since added the second edition and The Dark War expansions, so we will revisit this game again including those additions for a nice contrast. -T
A kingdom at peace, finally, after years of war. All is calm across the lands, but the quiet never lasts. Reports start to come in of monsters spotted in the surrounding regions. If they manage to take over the Capital City, all will be lost. But there is still hope! A group of mighty warriors bands together to defend their kingdom at all costs! Only by working together can this group (the only line of defense between peace and destruction) defeat the monsters and save the realm!
In Tiny Epic Defenders, you play as one of the heroes trying to defend the kingdom. You and your comrades must travel between the outer regions of the kingdom and fend off the advancing monsters! Communication and cooperation are key – one small misstep could be the difference between victory and defeat. All of the heroes have unique special abilities, and all of the regions of the kingdom offer either a bonus or penalty for the heroes defending them. On your turn, you get 3 actions to either move, defend, or use a special ability. Once per round, there will be a group turn, where you must collectively decide how to best use the 3 actions between all players. New monsters surface every round, and eventually the Epic Foe will begin its final assault on the realm! If you manage to slay the Epic Foe before the Capital City falls, you win! But if you are overrun with monsters, unfortunately it’s game over for your kingdom.
The thing about Tiny Epic Defenders is that it starts off seemingly super easy, but then suddenly everything is on fire and you lose. I think that disparity comes from the turn order. The turn deck is shuffled anew every round, so the hero turns are not always evenly spaced throughout the deck. Sometimes all of the hero turns occur early in the round, which allow monsters who emerge later to attack undefended regions (players can move only on their turn), and overwhelm the heroes. The same happens if all the hero turns occur too late in the round – the monsters have already done their worst and the heroes must scramble to rectify the situation. And on top of that, a more menacing monster is added to the deck every round as well, so that just creates more of an imbalance between player turns and monster turns.
Even though the game can get a little overwhelming, I do really like the cooperative aspect of it! Everyone is working towards the same goal and all communication is open and free. Need advice for what to do on your turn? Just ask! Have an idea about how to deal with a certain monster? Tell the group! No single player bears all of the pressure because it really is a group effort!
Someday soon we will get the Second Edition to the table. And get that expansion added in too. But for the time being, our thoughts based solely on the original base game, Purple Phoenix Games give Tiny Epic Defenders a 16 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2018/12/05/tiny-epic-defenders-review/
DISCLAIMER!! This review is for vanilla Tiny Epic Defenders, first edition. We have since added the second edition and The Dark War expansions, so we will revisit this game again including those additions for a nice contrast. -T
A kingdom at peace, finally, after years of war. All is calm across the lands, but the quiet never lasts. Reports start to come in of monsters spotted in the surrounding regions. If they manage to take over the Capital City, all will be lost. But there is still hope! A group of mighty warriors bands together to defend their kingdom at all costs! Only by working together can this group (the only line of defense between peace and destruction) defeat the monsters and save the realm!
In Tiny Epic Defenders, you play as one of the heroes trying to defend the kingdom. You and your comrades must travel between the outer regions of the kingdom and fend off the advancing monsters! Communication and cooperation are key – one small misstep could be the difference between victory and defeat. All of the heroes have unique special abilities, and all of the regions of the kingdom offer either a bonus or penalty for the heroes defending them. On your turn, you get 3 actions to either move, defend, or use a special ability. Once per round, there will be a group turn, where you must collectively decide how to best use the 3 actions between all players. New monsters surface every round, and eventually the Epic Foe will begin its final assault on the realm! If you manage to slay the Epic Foe before the Capital City falls, you win! But if you are overrun with monsters, unfortunately it’s game over for your kingdom.
The thing about Tiny Epic Defenders is that it starts off seemingly super easy, but then suddenly everything is on fire and you lose. I think that disparity comes from the turn order. The turn deck is shuffled anew every round, so the hero turns are not always evenly spaced throughout the deck. Sometimes all of the hero turns occur early in the round, which allow monsters who emerge later to attack undefended regions (players can move only on their turn), and overwhelm the heroes. The same happens if all the hero turns occur too late in the round – the monsters have already done their worst and the heroes must scramble to rectify the situation. And on top of that, a more menacing monster is added to the deck every round as well, so that just creates more of an imbalance between player turns and monster turns.
Even though the game can get a little overwhelming, I do really like the cooperative aspect of it! Everyone is working towards the same goal and all communication is open and free. Need advice for what to do on your turn? Just ask! Have an idea about how to deal with a certain monster? Tell the group! No single player bears all of the pressure because it really is a group effort!
Someday soon we will get the Second Edition to the table. And get that expansion added in too. But for the time being, our thoughts based solely on the original base game, Purple Phoenix Games give Tiny Epic Defenders a 16 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2018/12/05/tiny-epic-defenders-review/
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated ICECOOL in Tabletop Games
Jun 25, 2019 (Updated Aug 13, 2020)
Moving components around the board/play area is a staple of most board games. As board games have evolved, that mechanic has maintained an integral role in many games. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Well just because it’s not broken, doesn’t mean it can’t use a little innovation….and that’s where ICECOOL comes into play.
You and your Penguin buddies are so hungry that you decide to skip out on class early to go grab some snacks. But you’ve forgotten about the Hall Monitor! Their mission is to catch any unauthorized hall wanderers and send them back to class. Can you outmaneuver the Hall Monitor, or will you be caught and forced to go hungry until the end of class?
Disclaimer: I do not intend to rehash the rulebook in its entirety in this review, but rather provide a general overview of the rules and gameplay. To read the rules more in-depth, grab a copy of the game from your FLGS! -L
ICECOOL is a dexterity game in which players are trying to amass the most points over a number of rounds. Here’s how a round plays out. Select one player to be the Hall Monitor (called the Catcher) for the first round, and place their Penguin pawn in the kitchen box. All other players, aka the Runners, take their 3 colored fish tokens and attach them to the three corresponding doorways, and begin with their Penguin pawns in the classroom box. As a Runner, your goal is to collect your 3 fish tokens from their doorways. How do you do that? Flick your Penguin through a fish doorway to collect your snack. Yes, you read that right – flick. In this game, all movement is achieved by literally flicking your pieces throughout the boxes. To collect a fish, you must pass through the corresponding doorway completely in one single flick. Each time you collect a fish, draw the top card from the fish deck and keep it hidden from your opponents. Your other goal? Avoid the Catcher. If at any point, your Penguin comes into contact with the Catcher, you must forfeit your Hall Pass to the Catcher.
As the Catcher, your goal is to collect the Hall Pass of every other player. You achieve this goal by flicking your Penguin into any of the Runners. Turn order is as follows: Runners-Catcher, Runners-Catcher, etc., until the end of the round is triggered. The round is over when the Catcher has collected Hall Passes from every other player, or any Runner has collected all 3 of their fish. At the end of the round, each player collects 1 fish card per Hall Pass in their possession. So if you were caught by the Catcher, you’re outta luck! For the next round a new player is selected to be the Catcher, and play continues as above. The game ends once every player has taken a turn as the Catcher. Count up the points from your collected fish cards, and the player with the most points wins!
So a game of flicking Penguins around some boxes – sounds pretty simple, right? Yes and no. ICECOOL admittedly does not really require any serious strategy. Yes, you are trying to collect all 3 of your fish, but you’re mainly playing keep-away from the Catcher. And as the Catcher, you’re “It” in this quasi-game of Tag. So strategic, this is not. On the other hand, mastering the art of flicking your Penguin is a long and arduous process. Ok, it’s not arduous, but it is tricky to master! ICECOOL really puts your dexterity to the test to see if you have the proper form and control to move your Penguin to exactly where you want it to go. Half of the fun of this game is all the whiffed flicks and the comically accidental misdirections. The rulebook offers some flicking techniques to try out before your first game, and they are actually pretty helpful. I’ve not yet been able to achieve the jumping flick, but maybe one day I will rise to that level.
One other super neat thing about ICECOOL is the game setup. You’re playing with boxes of varying sizes. But here’s the kicker: they all nest into each other!!! So for storing, it looks like you just have one box. But in reality, there are 4 other boxes hidden inside. This concept is not one I’ve seen before in any other game, so that just makes ICECOOL a little bit more unique and interesting for me. Since I’m talking about the boxes, let me touch on components. The boxes are all of great quality, and are sturdy enough to hold up to clashing penguins. The Penguins themselves are good solid plastic, and I know they will last forever. Be careful though, flicking too hard might hurt your fingers! The deck of fish cards are a standard card quality. The artwork of the game is cute and thematic, and overall it’s a fun, immersive experience.
ICECOOL is not a game that I pull off the shelf at every game night. But it is one that is light enough, and entertaining enough, that it certainly gets a good amount of gameplay from my collection. Whether you are using it as a nice, short filler game, or you’re playing with some young’uns, it makes for a happy atmosphere full of energy and happiness. And that’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives ICECOOL a brrrrrrrrrilliant 18 / 24.
You and your Penguin buddies are so hungry that you decide to skip out on class early to go grab some snacks. But you’ve forgotten about the Hall Monitor! Their mission is to catch any unauthorized hall wanderers and send them back to class. Can you outmaneuver the Hall Monitor, or will you be caught and forced to go hungry until the end of class?
Disclaimer: I do not intend to rehash the rulebook in its entirety in this review, but rather provide a general overview of the rules and gameplay. To read the rules more in-depth, grab a copy of the game from your FLGS! -L
ICECOOL is a dexterity game in which players are trying to amass the most points over a number of rounds. Here’s how a round plays out. Select one player to be the Hall Monitor (called the Catcher) for the first round, and place their Penguin pawn in the kitchen box. All other players, aka the Runners, take their 3 colored fish tokens and attach them to the three corresponding doorways, and begin with their Penguin pawns in the classroom box. As a Runner, your goal is to collect your 3 fish tokens from their doorways. How do you do that? Flick your Penguin through a fish doorway to collect your snack. Yes, you read that right – flick. In this game, all movement is achieved by literally flicking your pieces throughout the boxes. To collect a fish, you must pass through the corresponding doorway completely in one single flick. Each time you collect a fish, draw the top card from the fish deck and keep it hidden from your opponents. Your other goal? Avoid the Catcher. If at any point, your Penguin comes into contact with the Catcher, you must forfeit your Hall Pass to the Catcher.
As the Catcher, your goal is to collect the Hall Pass of every other player. You achieve this goal by flicking your Penguin into any of the Runners. Turn order is as follows: Runners-Catcher, Runners-Catcher, etc., until the end of the round is triggered. The round is over when the Catcher has collected Hall Passes from every other player, or any Runner has collected all 3 of their fish. At the end of the round, each player collects 1 fish card per Hall Pass in their possession. So if you were caught by the Catcher, you’re outta luck! For the next round a new player is selected to be the Catcher, and play continues as above. The game ends once every player has taken a turn as the Catcher. Count up the points from your collected fish cards, and the player with the most points wins!
So a game of flicking Penguins around some boxes – sounds pretty simple, right? Yes and no. ICECOOL admittedly does not really require any serious strategy. Yes, you are trying to collect all 3 of your fish, but you’re mainly playing keep-away from the Catcher. And as the Catcher, you’re “It” in this quasi-game of Tag. So strategic, this is not. On the other hand, mastering the art of flicking your Penguin is a long and arduous process. Ok, it’s not arduous, but it is tricky to master! ICECOOL really puts your dexterity to the test to see if you have the proper form and control to move your Penguin to exactly where you want it to go. Half of the fun of this game is all the whiffed flicks and the comically accidental misdirections. The rulebook offers some flicking techniques to try out before your first game, and they are actually pretty helpful. I’ve not yet been able to achieve the jumping flick, but maybe one day I will rise to that level.
One other super neat thing about ICECOOL is the game setup. You’re playing with boxes of varying sizes. But here’s the kicker: they all nest into each other!!! So for storing, it looks like you just have one box. But in reality, there are 4 other boxes hidden inside. This concept is not one I’ve seen before in any other game, so that just makes ICECOOL a little bit more unique and interesting for me. Since I’m talking about the boxes, let me touch on components. The boxes are all of great quality, and are sturdy enough to hold up to clashing penguins. The Penguins themselves are good solid plastic, and I know they will last forever. Be careful though, flicking too hard might hurt your fingers! The deck of fish cards are a standard card quality. The artwork of the game is cute and thematic, and overall it’s a fun, immersive experience.
ICECOOL is not a game that I pull off the shelf at every game night. But it is one that is light enough, and entertaining enough, that it certainly gets a good amount of gameplay from my collection. Whether you are using it as a nice, short filler game, or you’re playing with some young’uns, it makes for a happy atmosphere full of energy and happiness. And that’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives ICECOOL a brrrrrrrrrilliant 18 / 24.
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