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    DragonBox Algebra 5+

    DragonBox Algebra 5+

    Education and Games

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    DragonBox Algebra 5+ - The game that secretly teaches algebra DragonBox Algebra 5+ Is perfect for...

Horrified: Universal Monsters Strategy Board Game
Horrified: Universal Monsters Strategy Board Game
2019 | Horror, Murder & Mystery
I was a child a long time ago. Okay, not THAT long ago, but I remember being frightened of a great many thing on TV: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, the TV show “V,” and so many others. I still to this day have not watched an entire old school Universal Studios Monster movie. However, I used to live in California for part of my childhood and my family had season passes to Universal Studios and we would go quite a lot, so I have always been familiar with the monsters. So when I saw a game was being crafted featuring these lovable, but in a nostalgic way, creatures I knew I just had to have it.


Horrified is a pickup and deliver, action points, cooperative game with dice and miniatures utilizing a variable setup. In it players take on the role of a hero in a monster movie – but not just A monster movie, but SEVERAL monsters will be haunting the town! It is the heroes’ goal to defeat the monsters before the Terror Marker reaches maximum or the heroes run out of time and the monsters take over the town.
To setup, place the board on the table and draw 12 Item tokens from the bag. Place these Items on the board in the specified location printed on the Item. Depending on how many players (for this review I will be using the Solo rules in the rule book) place the Terror Marker appropriately on the board – the photo above was taken before I realized that it starts on three in the Solo game. Choose the monsters to be faced and place their mats near the board. The rulebook states where the monster minis will start the game. Place the Frenzy token on the lowest Frenzy-numbered monster. Shuffle the Monster and Perk decks of cards separately and deal each player one Perk card. Each player chooses or is randomly dealt a character badge and places the standee in the appropriate location on the board. The game may now begin!

Players will be taking turns traveling the town, picking up Items, attempting to defeat the monsters per their defeat instructions on their mats, delivering villagers that randomly appear to their safe locations, and keeping the Terror Marker in the acceptable range. Each character has a certain number of actions that can be taken on their turns, but any Perk cards used are spent as a bonus action on the hero’s turn. The hero actions are: Move (one space along the lit pathways, even with a villager in tow), Guide (a villager one space away from the hero), Pick Up (Items from locations), Share (Items from player to player – not needed in a Solo game), Special Action (if the character being played has one on their badge), Advance (complete a task on the Monster mat to move one step closer to defeat), and Defeat (once all the tasks are complete and the player has enough Items to defeat the Monster at the same location). Once a hero has used up all their Action Points per their badge, it will be the Monster phase.


Monster phases begin with a draw from the Monster deck. Upon the card will be a number printed on the top which instructs players as to how many Items to draw and place from the bag. Next, players will read the text on the card and complete any instructions. Finally, the Monsters will strike. At the bottom of the card will be printed several icons pertaining to Monsters individually and also the Monster who happens to currently be Frenzied. These icons instruct players to move certain Monsters and if they share a space with a hero or villager, to roll the attack dice. One hit from a Monster defeats either a villager or hero (unless the hero discards any Item to block the attack). If a hero or villager is defeated, the Terror Marker moves up a space toward ultimate doom. Play then is passed to the players again. The game continues in this fashion until one of the game end conditions is met and the heroe(s) win or the Monsters succeed in their hostile haunted takeover.
Components. I’d like to start with the art. I love it. The art has a very 1930s Hollywood style and is simply beautiful. The colors are vibrant, where color is used, and the board is stunning. All of the cardboard components are top notch quality, and the Monster minis are fab. Obviously it would be great for all the heroes and villagers to have minis as well, but there is text printed on those standees that just can’t translate to a miniature. All in all, the components here are wonderful and high quality.

The gameplay is also wonderful and high quality. The solo game from which these photos are taken I randomly drew the Mayor character and decided to hit the town with Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Invisible Man. That’s a Standard game in the rules. The Mayor is great because she is able to take five actions on her turn (plus Perks), but she has no special abilities. That is both a blessing and a curse and wonderfully balanced. I would say I finished the game needing just one or two more Monster cards to draw before all three baddies were defeated. But, that’s the difficulty of having three Monsters showing. With just two Monsters I would have won handily, but maybe would not have enjoyed it as much and written it off as too easy. Luckily I always learn games on normal standard difficulty first.

Traipsing around town picking up Items and ushering villagers to their safe spaces sounds relaxing, but when the Monsters are on your trail and ready to Strike it adds a layer of anxiety that is just delicious. I admit I probably spent too much time trying to save every villager and that’s partly why I failed at this one game. Also I miscalculated how many extra Items to have on hand when attempting to Advance the Monster tasks. Couple those with my strategy to concentrate on defeating one Monster at a time and, well, that’s a losing strategy it seems.

The gameplay is so much fun, and the components are so wonderful to play with, it’s really no surprise I enjoy this game as much as I do. I have purposely left out some rules for readers to enjoy discovering themselves, but this is a tight game with pressure from different fronts to complete objectives. It’s the kind of game where even with a loss you find yourself wanting to try again right away. And that’s a sing of an excellent game. Purple Phoenix Games gives this very high ratings, even as a solo experience. If you need more horror-style adventure games in your collection, please check out Horrified. It’s not really that scary to play, but you will certainly be haunted by your choices you make throughout the game.
  
    Osmos

    Osmos

    Games and Entertainment

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    ** Apple Design Award winner and iPad Game of the Year! ** Enter the Darwinian world of a galactic...

    Osmos for iPad

    Osmos for iPad

    Games and Entertainment

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    ** Apple Design Award winner and iPad Game of the Year! ** Enter the Darwinian world of a galactic...

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Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Just Dance 2018 in Video Games

Jun 19, 2019  
Just Dance 2018
Just Dance 2018
2017 | Music & Party
The latest game in the hit series Just Dance has released its 2018 edition and it is filled with slick dance moves and sizzling hits that will get you up and moving.

Playing on the Nintendo Switch Version, we enjoyed new hits from Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, and Ed Sheeran as well as classics from Queen, WHAM, and the Village People.

If you are familiar with the series than you know what to expect, as players have to copy dance moves portrayed by a graphic as the music plays.

The better you do; the higher your score and you can play on your own or with another player for an even greater challenge.

As players advance, they will be able to unlock more songs and options. I really enjoyed the HD Rumble function as the vibration of the JoyCon controller added a new level of feedback to the performance.

The game will give you a solid workout as well as after a few songs you will really feel like you have done a decent workout at your local gym. The fun of the game is evident as not only do you want to do a good job on the routines, but you are eager to unlock new songs and try the various modes the game offers.

For younger gamers, there is a kid’s mode which features songs and routines which are geared towards younger gamers.

Not only is the game great to play, but thanks to the portable nature of the Nintendo Switch version; Just Dance 2018 is a portable party for those on the go. Taking it on the road to various conventions and trips also allows for a fun workout on the go as well as a great entertainment at office and family gatherings.

Some may find the menu navigation takes a bit to get used to in order to find a song/mode that works best for them but in no time players will be up and moving.

The series shows no signs of slowing down and Just Dance 2018 continues the winning formula of the series as well as introduces new and very appealing features.

http://sknr.net/2017/12/22/just-dance-2018/
  
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JT (287 KP) rated Fractured (2019) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Fractured (2019)
Fractured (2019)
2019 | Action, Mystery, Thriller
I went into this without expecting much. More often than not Netflix originals fall flat. I can’t understand why, given the amount of money that the streaming service has behind them? While their original TV series’ are bingewatched, their original films just don’t seem to get the high praise – until now.

Ray Monroe (Sam Worthington) and his wife Joanne (Lily Rabe) are driving back from Thanksgiving with Joanne’s parents, by all accounts it didn’t go well as the pair bicker over cold turkey and the dirty looks Ray receives from Joanne’s mother. Oblivious to their low key argument is daughter Peri (Lucy Capri), sat in the back seat. When the trio makes a pit stop at a local gas station Peri is injured in a fall and Ray takes her to the local hospital to get help. What results is a Hitchkoiam style thriller with several clever twists and turns that will leave you constantly second-guessing yourself.

Worthington is a hit and miss actor, but here actually stands up on his own two feet and delivers a solid performance as a desperate father and husband pushed to the edge

Ray has a troubled past. At the gas station, he purchases miniature bottles of alcohol rather than the batteries needed for Peri’s music player. He’s dealing with a number of issues that invlude trying to save his rocky marraige and escape a past that keeps coming back to haunt him. Worthington is a hit and miss actor, but here actually stands up on his own two feet and delivers a solid performance as a desperate father and husband pushed to the edge.

As the drama and tension unfolds we start to wonder whether or not Ray has actually lost it? We are swayed one way to the next, settling on a likely outcome but then changing our minds mid way through. Is the hospital hiding something? To go into any more detail would give it away but it’s safe to say that in my humble opion this is one the best thrillers I have seen for some time.
  
    Little Briar Rose

    Little Briar Rose

    Games and Stickers

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    A stained glass-styled adventure inspired by Sleeping Beauty. «Little Briar Rose is one of the...