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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Bunny Party at Maple Valley in Tabletop Games
Oct 11, 2021
What kinds of pets did you have growing up? My family was allowed one dog throughout my formative years, and I even tried to keep a turtle once in college. I have not ever had rabbits, but my brother did – Brewster. He was a cool bunny. Kinda freaked out sometimes and made a huge mess, but overall a nice little fella. I am trying to imagine an entire village of Brewsters planning a party and inviting all their friends. I can’t really do it, but now I don’t have to – there’s a game I can play.
Bunny Party at Maple Valley (which I shall refer to as simply Bunny Party from here) is a sweet and cute little card game for three or four players. In it players are the titular bunnies decorating for and competing to win the chance to host the Night Sky Party at their place. However, in this game more often than not the victory is shared between they who amass the requisite five decorations and their neighbor who also co-hosts the event! The bunnies gotta get crackin’ so let’s get going!
PS – I will be reviewing the 3-player version of the game, which has ever-so-slightly different rules.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, character cards are shuffled and two dealt to each player. They choose one to be their avatar and discard the other back to the box. The large deck of cards with the house on the back is shuffled and placed on the table within reach. The villager cards are shuffled and one is drawn and placed outside the play area – it will not be used this round. The other five villagers are arranged as a market of friends. Each player draws three cards on the first round, and the game is ready to begin!
Bunny Party is played over a series of rounds until one player satisfies the win condition. Each round consists of eight phases: Turn Start, Tidy a Card, Villagers Visit, Play Cards, Trade, Play Cards (again), Party Start?, and Villagers Go Home. Turn Start typically involves players setting the table for the round. First, the villager cards are re-shuffled, one set aside to be ignored this round (they are staying home), and the remainders displayed. Then each player draws two cards from the deck and collects one Trade Token.
Next, all players will choose one of their cards they drew during the Tidy a Card step to be placed in a temporary discard pile face-down. Alternatively, a player may forego the Tidy in order to place a card in front of another player by spending one Trade Token. Once all players have tidied a card or placed one in front of another player, the Tidy pile is shuffled, then flipped as a stack to the top of the discard pile, face-up.
The villagers are now becoming impatient, so players will allow them audience during this Villagers Visit phase. Each player chooses a villager from those available to host during their party preparation. These villagers offer special abilities each round and can be very valuable at certain times during the game.
While the villagers are visiting, players may next Play Cards from their hand. These cards are typically of three types: Item, Event, or Decoration. Item cards are placed in the player’s tableau and offer one-time or lingering effects. Event cards are typically one-and-done cards to be completed and then discarded. Decorations are what players are really after, as they are what determine win conditions. With five star or moon cards the player can start the party and end the game. At the bottom of the decoration cards is printed an arrow. This arrow points to the neighbor that will co-host and also win the game. In a three-player game Decoration cards are displayed upside down, so that is why the photo below looks a little strange.
When players have all played their hand of cards, the Trade phase may begin. Players may offer Item cards to other players and a trade may be struck by each player discarding a Trade Token from their stash. This may result in a player receiving a new card to be played. When this happens, the next phase is immediately played (after all trades have been completed). Any player who now holds an unplayed card may Play Cards (again) as before.
If a player (or players) have now collected five or more star or moon Decoration cards, they may claim victory during this Party Start? phase. Again, the Decoration cards have arrows printed to determine the co-host/co-victor in the game, and the winners may then invite the rest of the burrow to their den for the Night Sky Party! However, if no victor emerges during the Party Start? phase, then all the Villagers Go Home, and a new round begins with the Turn Start phase.
Play continues in this fashion until winners have been crowned host and co-host of the Night Sky Party in Maple Valley!
Components. This one is a bunch of cards a few cardboard chits. The cards are all fine quality, as are the chits. What is really great about these components is the art on them. I cannot think of many cuter themes than uber-nice bunnies throwing a party and sharing their victory with a neighbor. So obviously the art has to match the theme, tone, and style of the game. I believe Bunny Party knocks it out of the park here. The art is so playful and cute, and I absolutely have to give a huge shout out to Evan’s Games for the very apparent inclusivity and representation. I see you and I applaud you!
Gameplay for me is where I take just a little issue. Everything works, and once you understand the phases it does flow better, but, I can see myself really only playing this with children or in a gateway/breaking in new gamers situation. It is very light, but there are eight phases to a round! So while each phase is easy to understand and execute, each round takes a little longer because there are a few too many steps. Once my kids really know how to read well they will be playing this with me and I know right now that we will have a great time with it. I really do appreciate the special efforts that were made with regards to representation (yes, even with anthropomorphic cartoon animals) and with the design being more focused on sharing victory and being nice to neighbors. My children will certain have good habits reinforced while playing this, and that is what makes this game important.
Again, this is not the game for hardcore gamers, nor those who are interested in bigger and more complex medium-weight games. This is a quick filler at best during a game night when newer gamers are gathered. That being said, I still find a great deal of value in this one, and will be keeping it for a long time. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a 4 / 6 on stand-by. I do want to try this with different types of people (once we are able again) to see if my predictions are correct. I have only been able to play it with adult family, and none of them are medium to heavy weight game enthusiasts. If you are needing a nice game that can be played among other games for a themed game night (like Bunny Party + Bob Ross: Art of Chill + Hues and Cues + Escape: The Curse of the Temple) then this certainly fits that niche.
So my official stance, for now, is that Bunny Party has a great theme, excellent art, a wonderful message of harmony, but is both too light and too complex for what it is. I realize that sounds ridiculous. Please try it and let me know your thoughts. For now, I am keeping this close and I will be trying it with various groups with whom I game.
Bunny Party at Maple Valley (which I shall refer to as simply Bunny Party from here) is a sweet and cute little card game for three or four players. In it players are the titular bunnies decorating for and competing to win the chance to host the Night Sky Party at their place. However, in this game more often than not the victory is shared between they who amass the requisite five decorations and their neighbor who also co-hosts the event! The bunnies gotta get crackin’ so let’s get going!
PS – I will be reviewing the 3-player version of the game, which has ever-so-slightly different rules.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, character cards are shuffled and two dealt to each player. They choose one to be their avatar and discard the other back to the box. The large deck of cards with the house on the back is shuffled and placed on the table within reach. The villager cards are shuffled and one is drawn and placed outside the play area – it will not be used this round. The other five villagers are arranged as a market of friends. Each player draws three cards on the first round, and the game is ready to begin!
Bunny Party is played over a series of rounds until one player satisfies the win condition. Each round consists of eight phases: Turn Start, Tidy a Card, Villagers Visit, Play Cards, Trade, Play Cards (again), Party Start?, and Villagers Go Home. Turn Start typically involves players setting the table for the round. First, the villager cards are re-shuffled, one set aside to be ignored this round (they are staying home), and the remainders displayed. Then each player draws two cards from the deck and collects one Trade Token.
Next, all players will choose one of their cards they drew during the Tidy a Card step to be placed in a temporary discard pile face-down. Alternatively, a player may forego the Tidy in order to place a card in front of another player by spending one Trade Token. Once all players have tidied a card or placed one in front of another player, the Tidy pile is shuffled, then flipped as a stack to the top of the discard pile, face-up.
The villagers are now becoming impatient, so players will allow them audience during this Villagers Visit phase. Each player chooses a villager from those available to host during their party preparation. These villagers offer special abilities each round and can be very valuable at certain times during the game.
While the villagers are visiting, players may next Play Cards from their hand. These cards are typically of three types: Item, Event, or Decoration. Item cards are placed in the player’s tableau and offer one-time or lingering effects. Event cards are typically one-and-done cards to be completed and then discarded. Decorations are what players are really after, as they are what determine win conditions. With five star or moon cards the player can start the party and end the game. At the bottom of the decoration cards is printed an arrow. This arrow points to the neighbor that will co-host and also win the game. In a three-player game Decoration cards are displayed upside down, so that is why the photo below looks a little strange.
When players have all played their hand of cards, the Trade phase may begin. Players may offer Item cards to other players and a trade may be struck by each player discarding a Trade Token from their stash. This may result in a player receiving a new card to be played. When this happens, the next phase is immediately played (after all trades have been completed). Any player who now holds an unplayed card may Play Cards (again) as before.
If a player (or players) have now collected five or more star or moon Decoration cards, they may claim victory during this Party Start? phase. Again, the Decoration cards have arrows printed to determine the co-host/co-victor in the game, and the winners may then invite the rest of the burrow to their den for the Night Sky Party! However, if no victor emerges during the Party Start? phase, then all the Villagers Go Home, and a new round begins with the Turn Start phase.
Play continues in this fashion until winners have been crowned host and co-host of the Night Sky Party in Maple Valley!
Components. This one is a bunch of cards a few cardboard chits. The cards are all fine quality, as are the chits. What is really great about these components is the art on them. I cannot think of many cuter themes than uber-nice bunnies throwing a party and sharing their victory with a neighbor. So obviously the art has to match the theme, tone, and style of the game. I believe Bunny Party knocks it out of the park here. The art is so playful and cute, and I absolutely have to give a huge shout out to Evan’s Games for the very apparent inclusivity and representation. I see you and I applaud you!
Gameplay for me is where I take just a little issue. Everything works, and once you understand the phases it does flow better, but, I can see myself really only playing this with children or in a gateway/breaking in new gamers situation. It is very light, but there are eight phases to a round! So while each phase is easy to understand and execute, each round takes a little longer because there are a few too many steps. Once my kids really know how to read well they will be playing this with me and I know right now that we will have a great time with it. I really do appreciate the special efforts that were made with regards to representation (yes, even with anthropomorphic cartoon animals) and with the design being more focused on sharing victory and being nice to neighbors. My children will certain have good habits reinforced while playing this, and that is what makes this game important.
Again, this is not the game for hardcore gamers, nor those who are interested in bigger and more complex medium-weight games. This is a quick filler at best during a game night when newer gamers are gathered. That being said, I still find a great deal of value in this one, and will be keeping it for a long time. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a 4 / 6 on stand-by. I do want to try this with different types of people (once we are able again) to see if my predictions are correct. I have only been able to play it with adult family, and none of them are medium to heavy weight game enthusiasts. If you are needing a nice game that can be played among other games for a themed game night (like Bunny Party + Bob Ross: Art of Chill + Hues and Cues + Escape: The Curse of the Temple) then this certainly fits that niche.
So my official stance, for now, is that Bunny Party has a great theme, excellent art, a wonderful message of harmony, but is both too light and too complex for what it is. I realize that sounds ridiculous. Please try it and let me know your thoughts. For now, I am keeping this close and I will be trying it with various groups with whom I game.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated 7 Wonders in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
So rarely does a game present itself that is both very difficult for highly educated people to learn the first play through, and is simultaneously easy enough to play in under 15 minutes whilst carrying on a conversation about something entirely different. Such is my love. Such is 7 Wonders.
The time has come for you to build your perfect civilization! You have plans for a glorious Wonder laid in front of you to truly emphasize your majesty. Will you be able to use your resources (and your neighbors’) wisely to construct your Wonder? Will you be able to build enough production facilities, guilds, trading facilities, temples, science, and military might to best your opponents? These are your goals as you play through 7 Wonders using a beautiful combination of card drafting, hand management, civilization building, and set collection mechanics.
DISCLAIMER: We are discussing 7 Wonders using the vanilla base game without any expansions. We have access to all expansions except the new Armada, and we will be reviewing those as well in the future, so stay tuned. -T
Okay, so like I mentioned in the intro: this game can be a bit of a bear to teach, especially if you use it as a gateway game to card drafting to newer gamers. The card drafting itself is not difficult – choose a card from the cards in your hand and then pass the rest to your neighbor. Grab the cards you received from your other neighbor and repeat the process. Drafting is easy. The hard part is deciding which of your cards will benefit you the most, and paying for the cost to build said card. I find that most players grasp the evaluating benefits and drafting, but then forget that they have to pay for the cards in order to place them on their civ. Once the payment is understood, and the combos of cards that fuel and pay for future cards, the game becomes a wonderful (eh? eh??) game of figuring out the best puzzle pieces to place in front of you.
I don’t want to explain the entire game here, so I will just tell you that 7 Wonders has been an evergreen game for me. I love it every single time it comes out, even if others in my group are less affectionate. When playing with players who get it and love it, the game can be an easy 13-15 minute exercise in VP optimization. When playing with newbies, though, there are lots of concepts to internalize and remember, and lots of nuances that may be missed when trying to remember aforementioned concepts. So, my recommendation is this: if you do not already own this game, buy it now. I feel it is a must to have in any collection, and it is a great starting point to other games.
Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a 21 / 24 because Bryan hates it.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/01/07/7-wonders-review/
The time has come for you to build your perfect civilization! You have plans for a glorious Wonder laid in front of you to truly emphasize your majesty. Will you be able to use your resources (and your neighbors’) wisely to construct your Wonder? Will you be able to build enough production facilities, guilds, trading facilities, temples, science, and military might to best your opponents? These are your goals as you play through 7 Wonders using a beautiful combination of card drafting, hand management, civilization building, and set collection mechanics.
DISCLAIMER: We are discussing 7 Wonders using the vanilla base game without any expansions. We have access to all expansions except the new Armada, and we will be reviewing those as well in the future, so stay tuned. -T
Okay, so like I mentioned in the intro: this game can be a bit of a bear to teach, especially if you use it as a gateway game to card drafting to newer gamers. The card drafting itself is not difficult – choose a card from the cards in your hand and then pass the rest to your neighbor. Grab the cards you received from your other neighbor and repeat the process. Drafting is easy. The hard part is deciding which of your cards will benefit you the most, and paying for the cost to build said card. I find that most players grasp the evaluating benefits and drafting, but then forget that they have to pay for the cards in order to place them on their civ. Once the payment is understood, and the combos of cards that fuel and pay for future cards, the game becomes a wonderful (eh? eh??) game of figuring out the best puzzle pieces to place in front of you.
I don’t want to explain the entire game here, so I will just tell you that 7 Wonders has been an evergreen game for me. I love it every single time it comes out, even if others in my group are less affectionate. When playing with players who get it and love it, the game can be an easy 13-15 minute exercise in VP optimization. When playing with newbies, though, there are lots of concepts to internalize and remember, and lots of nuances that may be missed when trying to remember aforementioned concepts. So, my recommendation is this: if you do not already own this game, buy it now. I feel it is a must to have in any collection, and it is a great starting point to other games.
Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a 21 / 24 because Bryan hates it.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/01/07/7-wonders-review/
Brumpolarbears (22 KP) rated The Hobbit in Tabletop Games
Jun 18, 2019
Delving into Middle-Earth
As Middle Earth fever prepares to take hold once again with talk of a Lord of the Rings inspired TV show, I thought it might be time to take the adventures of Bilbo into the living room in the form of The Hobbit Board Game.
Gathering four of my best companions to join me on the adventure, we settled down for an evening of troll slaying and dragon fighting.
Based on the J.R.R Tolkien book as opposed to the film releases, The Hobbit is a game for 2-5 players which utilises a scorecard system rather than individual player pieces. The aim of the game, kill Smaug and find the treasure – simple enough surely?
When opening the box we were pleasantly surprised by the level of detail of the board as well as some rather beautifully illustrated dwarf cards. A lot of work had gone into these which is why we were a bit surprised by the Bilbo and Smaug figures which were plastic and painted red
Having laid out all of the pieces we then tackled the game instructions, which actually took as long as Bilbo’s journey to the Lonely Mountain. Having passed the instructions around we decided to just play the game and when we came to a segment we weren’t sure about, we would refer back. Despite the initial hiatus, The Hobbit is a rather enjoyable game, however not for unseasoned gamers.
The game is split into four adventures. Players must level up their initiative, cunning, and strength in order to battle goblins, fight wolves and escape elves before confronting Smaug himself. On the way, players will also collect gems which is ultimately the aim of the game as the player with the most is declared the winner at the end.
Each adventure comes with a series of adventure cards which break down into Gifts, Abilities and Travelcards. Gift cards present players with attribute benefits; Abilities assist players with battles; and Travelcards move Bilbo along his adventure. When encountering a battle, players must roll five dice in order to match certain conditions before moving on. Should the conditions not be met, players must draw a Dragon card, which incurs penalties and may result in Smaug moving across the board. Should Smaug reach Laketown, the game is over and the player with the most gems is declared the winner.
Having played the game with four other players we did actually have fun once we got into it and overcame the rather confusing rules. My best advice would be to have someone read the instructions before you and your friends sit down together as it can eat into the evening.
Gathering four of my best companions to join me on the adventure, we settled down for an evening of troll slaying and dragon fighting.
Based on the J.R.R Tolkien book as opposed to the film releases, The Hobbit is a game for 2-5 players which utilises a scorecard system rather than individual player pieces. The aim of the game, kill Smaug and find the treasure – simple enough surely?
When opening the box we were pleasantly surprised by the level of detail of the board as well as some rather beautifully illustrated dwarf cards. A lot of work had gone into these which is why we were a bit surprised by the Bilbo and Smaug figures which were plastic and painted red
Having laid out all of the pieces we then tackled the game instructions, which actually took as long as Bilbo’s journey to the Lonely Mountain. Having passed the instructions around we decided to just play the game and when we came to a segment we weren’t sure about, we would refer back. Despite the initial hiatus, The Hobbit is a rather enjoyable game, however not for unseasoned gamers.
The game is split into four adventures. Players must level up their initiative, cunning, and strength in order to battle goblins, fight wolves and escape elves before confronting Smaug himself. On the way, players will also collect gems which is ultimately the aim of the game as the player with the most is declared the winner at the end.
Each adventure comes with a series of adventure cards which break down into Gifts, Abilities and Travelcards. Gift cards present players with attribute benefits; Abilities assist players with battles; and Travelcards move Bilbo along his adventure. When encountering a battle, players must roll five dice in order to match certain conditions before moving on. Should the conditions not be met, players must draw a Dragon card, which incurs penalties and may result in Smaug moving across the board. Should Smaug reach Laketown, the game is over and the player with the most gems is declared the winner.
Having played the game with four other players we did actually have fun once we got into it and overcame the rather confusing rules. My best advice would be to have someone read the instructions before you and your friends sit down together as it can eat into the evening.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Mortal Kombat 11 in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
The latest entry in the long-running Mortal Kombat series has arrived and Mortal Kombat 11 brings all the bone crushing gore and actions that fans have come to expect from the series.
With an impressive roster of characters for fans to select to play, there are of course the brutal multiplayer options where gamers can play each other for bragging rights and there is also a great mode of Konquer Klassic Towers.
The towers are a throwback to the earlier games where players would fight a tower of enemies where each level represented a greater challenge and intensity. In Mortal Kombat 11 this mode serves as a great tutorial and way for players to hone their skills before taking on more deadly and challenging enemies.
The game has a solid core story which again pits the forces of good and evil in a series of battles for the fate of the Earth. The cut scenes are cinematic in scale and give a nice intro to the characters and their story. Some may say that they run a bit long and take away from the action at times but they do frame the story very well and give players a context to all of the carnage.
The action is fast and intense and there are a dazzling number of moves players can do aside from the special moves complete with slow-motion looks at the impact of the hits and the blood that is shed from the furious exchanges.
Of course it would not be Mortal Kombat without Fatalities and they are as graphic and extreme as ever which is sure to delight fans of the series.
The game does have a great share of customization options so players looking for new looks for their characters will be able to indulge this wish but for those who are content to take what the game offers; there is a very impressive roster of characters and more will become available via DLC at a later date.
The campaign has players play as different characters which is good as it forces players to move out of their comfort zone and learn how to play different characters. This will cause players to adapt their style as they differ in speed and style as naturally a bigger character will move slower than one of the more agile characters. Naturally they both have differing attacks as one may rely more on power while another uses speed to evade attacks and release combo attacks.
The sound and graphics of the game are first-rate and it is amazing to see how much the game has evolved from the original title. The movement and variety of options for players is amazing and Mortal Kombat 11 once again shows why they are the top fighting game franchise on the market.
http://sknr.net/2019/05/14/mortal-kombat-11/
With an impressive roster of characters for fans to select to play, there are of course the brutal multiplayer options where gamers can play each other for bragging rights and there is also a great mode of Konquer Klassic Towers.
The towers are a throwback to the earlier games where players would fight a tower of enemies where each level represented a greater challenge and intensity. In Mortal Kombat 11 this mode serves as a great tutorial and way for players to hone their skills before taking on more deadly and challenging enemies.
The game has a solid core story which again pits the forces of good and evil in a series of battles for the fate of the Earth. The cut scenes are cinematic in scale and give a nice intro to the characters and their story. Some may say that they run a bit long and take away from the action at times but they do frame the story very well and give players a context to all of the carnage.
The action is fast and intense and there are a dazzling number of moves players can do aside from the special moves complete with slow-motion looks at the impact of the hits and the blood that is shed from the furious exchanges.
Of course it would not be Mortal Kombat without Fatalities and they are as graphic and extreme as ever which is sure to delight fans of the series.
The game does have a great share of customization options so players looking for new looks for their characters will be able to indulge this wish but for those who are content to take what the game offers; there is a very impressive roster of characters and more will become available via DLC at a later date.
The campaign has players play as different characters which is good as it forces players to move out of their comfort zone and learn how to play different characters. This will cause players to adapt their style as they differ in speed and style as naturally a bigger character will move slower than one of the more agile characters. Naturally they both have differing attacks as one may rely more on power while another uses speed to evade attacks and release combo attacks.
The sound and graphics of the game are first-rate and it is amazing to see how much the game has evolved from the original title. The movement and variety of options for players is amazing and Mortal Kombat 11 once again shows why they are the top fighting game franchise on the market.
http://sknr.net/2019/05/14/mortal-kombat-11/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Star Trek Bridge Crew VR in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Star Trek fans finally get the chance to take command in the new Star Trek: Bridge Crew by Ubisoft. The Virtual Reality game is cross-platform so Playstation VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive owners can all play with one another which greatly enhance the play experience and options.
Matchmaking was easy as once I completed the training sessions, I was ready to go. I had played the game last summer at PAX West on the Oculus and playing on our Playstation VR was very easy to setup and go. I opted to use the Move controllers vs the Gamepad and in no time I was on the bridge of the USS Ageis.
The game is set in the JJ Abrams Universe and tasks players with finding a new home for the Vulcans in a previously unexplored area of space known as “The Trench”
Players can play as Captain, Helm, Tactical, or Engineering and each has their own tasks essential to mission success and survival. Helm has to pilot the ship, Tactical handles the weapons, Engineering keeps things running and distributes power and repairs, as well as the Transporters, and the Captain calls the shots. Naturally there are navigation maps and other flourishes which help with the immersion as well as being part of the fun.
Players who expect run and gun action will be disappointed as this is a game that works more on tactics than twitch as combat and exploration move at a slower and more deliberate pace than action gamers may be expecting. Encountering hostiles is often a delicate dance of exchanging fire, maneuvering, and damage control, while balancing the decision to fight or flee. Players also have to keep an eye on the energy levels as should a retreat be needed, then power has to be moved from one system to the engines to warp to safety unless you want to try to last on Impulse Power.
The game is challenging and graphics are very solid for a VR game. Players looking for even more nostalgic immersion can play on the Enterprise from the Classic Series but this is suggested for experience crews so it helps to play with others that you know or who have completed multiple missions.
The game does allow players more opened ended options than I expected and it is great fun to have a total stranger who you have just been matched with call you “Captain” and await your orders. The game did have a few glitches at launch but they have been quickly fixed via updates, and I have had mostly smooth sailing aside from an occasional dropped connection or a controller going out of range of the camera.
For pure immersive fun and solid co-op play, Star Trek Bridge Crew offers one of the best Star Trek experiences to date and is a must own for anyone who owns a VR system.
http://sknr.net/2017/06/12/star-trek-bridge-crew/
Matchmaking was easy as once I completed the training sessions, I was ready to go. I had played the game last summer at PAX West on the Oculus and playing on our Playstation VR was very easy to setup and go. I opted to use the Move controllers vs the Gamepad and in no time I was on the bridge of the USS Ageis.
The game is set in the JJ Abrams Universe and tasks players with finding a new home for the Vulcans in a previously unexplored area of space known as “The Trench”
Players can play as Captain, Helm, Tactical, or Engineering and each has their own tasks essential to mission success and survival. Helm has to pilot the ship, Tactical handles the weapons, Engineering keeps things running and distributes power and repairs, as well as the Transporters, and the Captain calls the shots. Naturally there are navigation maps and other flourishes which help with the immersion as well as being part of the fun.
Players who expect run and gun action will be disappointed as this is a game that works more on tactics than twitch as combat and exploration move at a slower and more deliberate pace than action gamers may be expecting. Encountering hostiles is often a delicate dance of exchanging fire, maneuvering, and damage control, while balancing the decision to fight or flee. Players also have to keep an eye on the energy levels as should a retreat be needed, then power has to be moved from one system to the engines to warp to safety unless you want to try to last on Impulse Power.
The game is challenging and graphics are very solid for a VR game. Players looking for even more nostalgic immersion can play on the Enterprise from the Classic Series but this is suggested for experience crews so it helps to play with others that you know or who have completed multiple missions.
The game does allow players more opened ended options than I expected and it is great fun to have a total stranger who you have just been matched with call you “Captain” and await your orders. The game did have a few glitches at launch but they have been quickly fixed via updates, and I have had mostly smooth sailing aside from an occasional dropped connection or a controller going out of range of the camera.
For pure immersive fun and solid co-op play, Star Trek Bridge Crew offers one of the best Star Trek experiences to date and is a must own for anyone who owns a VR system.
http://sknr.net/2017/06/12/star-trek-bridge-crew/
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