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Drag Racing Classic
Games
App
Drag Racing is the most addictive, nitro fuelled racing game for your iPhone and iPad! Ranked the #1...
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Plants vs. Zombies™ Heroes
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App
From the makers of Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 comes the next epic...
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Solitaire by MobilityWare
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Solitaire by MobilityWare is the ORIGINAL maker of Solitaire with Daily Challenges. We’ve made...
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Battleborn in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
The game involves an evil force that has been destroying all the stars in the universe. A team of misfits who specialize in all types of combat known as the “Battleborn” take up the call to save the universe. Accompanying them is a ship captain, and unstable scientist, and is even more unstable A.I, unit who pop up during the campaign with all sorts of humorous commentary to help propel the story along.
The campaign missions for the game are not linear in that players opting to take part of the five player co-op campaigns select which mission they will undertake and at times waiting for a mission that you have not already played does require a bit of patience or for players to leave the party and try again in the matchmaking screen.
Gameplay is of a first-person perspective but in the unique style that players are free to select from 25 playable characters, many of whom unlock as the campaign mode unfolds. There are male, female, and alien characters as well as some other more unique individuals for players to select from. As they go on, players will be able to customize power ups and abilities for players as well as various aspects of their appearance. In the game action, players will have the opportunity to reach 10 different skill levels and each opportunity a new skill or ability that can be deployed during the game and will regenerate itself on a timer after being used.
The key aspect of the game is the variety of the characters as you can go from a slow-moving but massive chain gun wielding character to a clone soldier, a cybernetic butler, a fiendish imp, and so many more. The characters have everything from close quarter and distanced combat abilities and many have support functions as well. This is one of the greatest aspects of the game but also for many one of the biggest tricks in that you have to select a player that best suits your style of play but you are not able to fully comprehend what a character is and is not capable of until you try them in action. Unfortunately once a character is selected, you are required to play them through completion of the mission and do not have the opportunity to change in the middle of a match. I found out the hard way that a selected character did not have much in the way of offensive abilities and therefore had to spend the majority of my match hanging in the background mopping up and offering support whenever needed. This is quite a change from my usual approach of going in the thick of the action and cutting down as many of the enemy forces as I could.
The maps are very clever and creative and have all sorts of things ranging from jump ads which control you will cross the locale, to weapon emplacements were using credits earned from collecting energy shards, players can power up traps and defensive weaponry which will help them with the endless waves of enemies they will encounter.
While there only two main species of enemies, there are plenty of variations amongst them but after a few missions you will have felt that you have seen them all. This is where the clever boss battles come into play and really make the game shine. Players can revive one another should they fall in battle, and also take advantage of various power ups located throughout the map. The missions can take a bit of patience because there is nothing more frustrating than enduring wave after wave of enemies 30 min. into a match and failing a mission because a key locale was left unprotected when a player succumbed to a swarm of enemies while the rest of the team was off defending against a multi-pronged attack.
The developers have promised more characters would be included in future updates and there is also DLC coming that will add new options for players to enjoy.
The game also boasts several multiplayer modes where players can take a break from the campaign and enjoy numerous matches that are more in line with what players might come to expect from a multiplayer experience. There certainly will not be any shortage of options for players as some players will up to play through the campaign with as many different characters as possible, and others like myself will stick to a tried-and-true character and occasionally dabble with one of the others.
The game looks and sounds fantastic and the action as I mentioned is fun, intense, and frequent. I hope that we see plenty of additional Battleborn titles and content in the future as I continue to enjoy the game with its quirky and enjoyable characters and enjoyable premise and gameplay. This is definitely been one of the more enjoyable gaming experiences for me this year and I definitely think it is a game not be missed for fans of this genre.
http://sknr.net/2016/05/23/battleborn/
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Macaron in Tabletop Games
Oct 20, 2020
Macaron is a baked goods-themed trick-taking card game for one to five players. In it players are bakers in medieval France trying to become the favored royal baker to the king and his family. The player who can earn the most VP by delivering the tastiest macarons to the royal family will be victorious and will then bake the other players a box of macarons to take home (I added that last part, but Ta-Te Wu should consider adding it to the rules).
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know for sure the final components will be slightly different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
For this preview I am tackling the solo rule-set provided and my AI opponent is named Emma (per the rules). Multiplayer games will be played somewhat similarly, but against normal-intelligenced real people. Duh.
To setup a solo game, place the Score board in the middle of the table on whichever side is decided – one side allows up to 20 points, and the other up to 30. Place the first three Group boards (A with Almond and Pistachio, B with Strawberry and Blueberry, and C with just one Green Tea macaron upon it) somewhere near the Score board to denote the flavors being played. Remove all cards from the deck picturing Earl Grey and Chocolate flavored macarons. Shuffle the remaining macaron cards and deal the solo player 13 of them. Deal Emma one random card from the deck under each flavor on the Group board as shown below. These random cards will take on the flavor of whichever stack to which it now belongs. Continue dealing Emma eight cards to her stacks, but match them to their flavors – the 4 of Pistachio under Pistachio, etc. Emma should now have 13 cards in total, but each flavor stack should be shuffled and arranged as shown below. Choose a color for the player and for Emma, place one of each meeple on the Score board to track final scores, and the other meeples on the Gift Box tracker in the middle. Analyze each of Emma’s stacks to determine which Group contains the most cards. These flavors will be given the Royal token (I used the purple star) and are considered the trump suits this round. Flip over the top card of the deck that remains, and place the Allergen token (I used the tall goldenrod piece) upon the matching flavor. The game may now begin!
The solo player is always the starting player, so they will open the first trick by playing a card from hand. As in most card games, whichever flavor (suit) is led will need to be followed by Emma, if possible. The rulebook gives the player a nice turn-flow summary for Emma based on which player leads and which type of card is played.
As in Euchre, suit must be followed. If a player is unable to follow, they may play a Royal (trump) card to win the trick or any other non-Royal card. The Royal flavors are both flavors that belong to the same Group, or Green Tea, as it is its own Group. For each trick won, the player will advance their meeple on the Gift Box track to denote number of tricks won. Some card rules adjust the scoring. For example, should a value 1 card win the trick the winning player will increase their number of Gift Boxes three spaces instead of one. Should a trick include an Allergen flavor the winning player will still lead the next trick but will not advance their Gift Box meeple, as Allergens make the royal family sick. However, should a trick contain a value 2 card in it, the 2 cancels the Allergen and the winner may advance their Gift Box meeple as normal.
The round ends when a player, or Emma, has finished their hand of 13 cards played or reaches eight or more Gift Boxes (won tricks). Setup for a new round as the game was initially setup with dealing cards to each player and determining Royal and Allergen flavors. Play continues in this fashion until the player or Emma has reached the pre-determined score of 10, 20, or 30. The winner must now get to baking (again, I added that, but it REALLLLLY needs to happen, I think)!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game (though still pretty good) and the final components will certainly be different than the ones shown here. That said, the art style is simply wonderful and incredibly enjoyable. Yes, the Score board is a little busy, but it’s functional and fun. The art on the cards is very good, colorblind-friendly with icons in addition to colors, and the art doesn’t get in the way of playing tricks at all. All the other components used in the game will probably be different upon a successful Kickstarter campaign, and though I haven’t seen the proposed components, I am sure they will match the theme and be great to handle.
So as a lover of Euchre, am I also a lover of Macaron? ABSOLUTELY! It takes everything I enjoy about Euchre and somehow simplifies AND complexifies it. Teaching Euchre to new players can be a chore when they don’t latch onto the fact that the highest cards in the game are the Jacks of the same color of trump, but one is higher than the other. It can be awkward at first. Here, there are one or two flavors that are trump suits. It makes sense to be able to visualize a bit easier, and to be able to relate to flavors. In fact, my 4-year-old son wanted to “play” it earlier this morning, so I took out the Allergen mechanic and just did straight suit-following with trumps and he understood it. So, I guess by house-ruling a little you can also play this with children who are learning games for the first time, learning their numbers, or learning trick-taking games. That’s a fun hidden side quest!
Now, I can see how people will totally dig Macaron as a multiplayer game, but I am previewing this as a solo game. Is it just as good? Yep! I like being able to play the game whenever I want, and using another mechanic I didn’t describe earlier – Betting. Having to bet upon how many Gift Boxes you will score for the round adds another layer of analyzation I particularly enjoy. If you guess correctly you score an additional two Gift Boxes. If you’re wrong Emma scores two Boxes. Couple this with Emma’s unpredictable card play and you have an interesting AI player that you may never be able to “figure out” and beat methodically. I like that randomness from Emma. She has made a few games close, but ultimately has lost every game against me.
Macaron is a cute little Euchre-style card game that can be played well solo and multiplayer, and features wonderful style. I love the theme, and I seem to be attracted to food games; I love Bohnanza, Morels, Happy Salmon (my favorite fish to eat), Sushi Go!, Coconuts, and The Three Little Pigs (ok that one was mean, but hey, I love pork)! If you also enjoy food-related games, or trick-taking games, or just fun little card games you can play solo or with other people, please consider backing Macaron via their Kickstarter campaign launching soon. Tell them Purple Phoenix Games sent you and I will share my Gift Box of Macarons with you**. You will have to let me know your food allergies prior, though.
** I don’t actually have a Gift Box of Macarons. That was a lie, and I apologize for that.
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Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated World War Z in Video Games
Jun 7, 2019
There are only 4 episodes each with 3 chapters, The 4th (Tokyo) did have 2 but a 3rd was added through free dlc but more on that in a moment. Each episode has 4 characters to choose from so 16 overall which i found impressive. They do all have backstories but you only unlock their video once you have played with that character.
There are also a huge amount of guns and they can all be upgrades with currency you earn from completing levels. The harder the difficult, the more you get. There are typically 5 tiers for each gun and you can upgrade once you get to each level through earning xp. This is done just from using them. I quite liked this system. Your aiming for something. There are also quite a few classes that you can choose from which can also be upgraded but for now ive mainly stuck with gunslinger but know there are classes like medic.
All of the missions can be played alone or with friends. They have an offline mode where its yourself with bots or online where you can team up with friends. This is so much fun. But not only this, they also have a multiplayer mode which is PvPvZ where you have to fight other people as well as zombies but being honest ive not spent too much time in this just yet.
As ive mentioned we already got some free dlc with more to come. We also got private lobbies which is a welcome addition since online would always throw you in with randoms if you didnt have a full team of friends. Some randoms could be a bit selfish with stuff they find. The new chapter was great but should have already been there sinces its a 3rd chapter and the other episodes already had 3. A new zombie type was also introduced which is fun if it will be something they will keep doing. It keeps you on your toes often.
Im excited to keep playing and will be even better with future updates when they add a 6th difficulty option after the insane mode and a survival wave based mode. Hopefully we get more episodes too.
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Mortal Kombat 11 in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
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/
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War Dragons
Games and Entertainment
App
War Dragons is a visually stunning 3D real-time strategy game that puts you in control of the...
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Clash of Kings - CoK
Games and Entertainment
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Battle against rival clans, strike down enemies with real time strategy and build an empire in CoK,...
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Real Boxing 2 ROCKY
Games and Entertainment
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"The boxing game we deserve." 8/10 – Gamezebo "A big, brash boxing game that's surprising tactical...