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Witness
Witness
2014 | Comic Book / Strip, Deduction, Memory, Murder & Mystery
A classic ‘game’ from my childhood (seriously, we played it all the time) was Telephone. You know the one – someone whispers something to their neighbor, that person whispers it to their neighbor, and so on until it’s made its way around the group. Hilarity ensues when the final person reveals what they heard – usually a far cry from the original message! So when Travis pulled out Witness, a modern twist on Telephone, I knew that all my years of training would finally amount to something!

Witness is a cooperative game of memory and deduction set in the world of the 1940’s comic “Blake and Mortimer.” You and your compatriots are working together to solve mysteries! But there’s a catch – you each only know certain information, and are limited in how you are allowed to disclose it to each other. If you could just say it outright, there’d be no fun! Each player gets a character book filled with cases and information. Everyone reads their information for the chosen case, and then, like in Telephone, and in a certain order, players whisper their information to the player next to them. Play continues until everyone has heard (through the grapevine, of course) all 4 players’ information. After all information has been relayed, players get a chance to write down any notes from what they remember – but only after everything has been said! Players then open the Questions booklet to their specific case and answer three questions about their specific puzzle. Players receive points for correct answers, and as a team, are attempting to achieve the highest score possible!

I think that Witness is such a neat game. It’s a fun mechanic – you’re trying to remember all of your information to accurately pass it on, only to hear more information to add to what you already need to remember, to then pass it on again! It definitely makes for some funny misheard information! Another aspect of Witness that I like is that it goes beyond a regular game of Telephone in the fact that there’s an end goal – you’re trying to piece together all of the information as you hear it second- or even third-hand to correctly answer some questions. There’s more pressure to communicate accurately because you and your team are striving for a compilation of perfect information to help you score the most endgame points. Witness ups the stakes more than your average game of Telephone, and that’s what makes it interesting and engaging for me.

The major downside of Witness is that it is a game for EXACTLY 4 players. You can’t play with 3. You can’t play with 5. It absolutely 100% must be played with 4 players. And sometimes that’s just not possible. We all know those game nights where maybe only 2 or 3 people are available. Or maybe those times when you invite a large number of people over and they all come. In either scenario, Witness is out, and that is a bummer because it is such a neat game. Since the information is divided between 4 books, there’s unfortunately no way to adapt it for other player counts. So you can either play Witness or you can’t – there’s no ‘maybe.’

Overall, I enjoy playing Witness. I think it’s a unique approach to a simple game. Unfortunately, I believe this game is out of print, but if you can get your hands on a copy, or you see it on a friend’s shelf, give it a play! Whispering to your neighbor and solving little logic puzzles never seemed so fun! Purple Phoenix Games gives Witness a mysterious 11 / 18.

https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/04/02/witness-review/
  
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Red Dead Redemption 2 in Video Games

Jun 19, 2019  
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2
2018 | Action/Adventure
With a canvas as large as the Old West and a reputation for building massive interactive worlds; to say that expectations were high for Red Dead Redemption 2 would be an understatement.

Thankfully Rockstar was more than up to the task and have crafted the ultimate Wild West adventure simulator which gives gamers so many choices along the way.

Playing as a member of the gang forced to take refuge from bitter cold and hostile enemies, players get a tutorial in combat, hunting, riding, and various other skills they will need to survive. In time, players will forge their own path which can involve any number of options from collecting bounties, robbing trains, helping people, and more.

There are countless side quests to go with the main story and each frame of the game is stunning and epic with its sweeping vistas and scenic locales. You truly get a sense of how big the map is by just seeing the time it can take to travel from one locale to another.

Along the way players will upgrade their gear and can find new horses including some rare ones indeed which will take some effort to obtain.

The horses themselves are impressive as they simply are not there to provide transportation, but are vital characters that players need to bond with and develop a solid relationship in order to survive. Bandits and Lawmen are not the only dangers facing players, as there are numerous dangerous animals from Wolves to Bears which players will encounter.

The game does require a solid investment of time as it is not something you can sit down and play an hour at a time. Players will have to pay attention to cut scenes and travel often to get to needed areas and to collect vital resources. While some may find it a bit slow starting out; once you get a couple of chapters in; things really get rolling.

The graphics and sound are highly detailed and very immersive and I remember my wife thinking one segment of gameplay was animation until she saw my weaving style of horsemanship on display.

As I write this, Rockstar has started Beta access for the Online portion of the game which gives players even more options to enjoy. Playing with and against other players is a big draw but naturally some balancing and adjustments will need to be made. I found myself on a mission recently that once I completed the first part, I was unable to locate where to go and what to do next. This was further complicated by restrictions on leaving the mission area. I also attempted to go Lone Wolf and shoot up a town to see what happens as players often do in Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto Series.

Instead of fleeing from the expected mob of Lawmen, I was told that my mission had failed due to the Law being alerted.

It would be nice to be able to customize the controls as I at times found the combat mechanics a bit tricky as I play most of my shooters on a PC and having to be precise or score multiple hits on a moving target with the weapons of the era and a Dual Shock 4 was a bit challenging.

That being said; Red Dead Redemption 2 is a stunning achievement and one that has to be experienced.

http://sknr.net/2018/12/04/red-dead-redemption-2/
  
Gloomhaven
Gloomhaven
2017 | Adventure, Exploration, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures
Endless adventure (1 more)
Team work
The best ever up-to-4-player-Offline-Role-Playing-Game
This is easily one of the best tabletop games out there. Generally, I prefer games that does not heavily rely on the element of luck (Terra Mystica, Puerto Rico, etc), and rather rely on strategy. I find GloomHaven to be a good mix of both, it promotes good team work and understanding of players' strengths and weaknesses. The extensive content allows the game to go on and on and on for as long as you want to explore the world of GloomHaven. The scenario book makes me giddy with joy. The game also allows you to play any combination of 2, 3, or 4 player scenarios, so if you can't get all of your people together, fret not, level a character you want, or try a different one, the possibilities are endless!!