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Reading American Horror Story: Essays on the Television Franchise
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Looming onto the television horror landscape in October 2011, a new drama known simply as American...
City Video
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City Video is your free on-the-go and on demand video app featuring your favourite shows: The...
Neighbours From Hell: Season 2
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The reality TV show of neighbourly nastiness and community commotion moves on to the next round. ...
The Voice India Kids
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&TV presents the biggest platform for kids to showcase their vocal talent to the nation! The channel...
Love Me Sweet
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Delaney Masterson isn’t looking for fame. Yes, she has famous parents and a reality TV show,...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Castle: The Detective Card Game in Tabletop Games
Jul 17, 2021
Let’s talk about TV for a second.What would be your all-time favorite TV show? For me, that answer is Castle. I had never heard of it until college, when it was already in its 5th season, but I instantly loved it. I may or may not have gone out and bought all of the seasons to binge watch, and now own all 8 seasons of the show. If you ask me, the series ended too soon, but that’s a conversation for another forum. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, games. One wonderful Christmas morning, I opened up a present under the tree and found myself face to face with a Castle card game! I didn’t even know that one existed, but I was so eager to play! Does this game based around my favorite TV show actually play well, or does the attempt to turn this show into a game fall flat?
In Castle: The Detective Card Game (referred to as just Castle for the rest of this review) is a murder-mystery card game in which players assume the role of a character from the show, and work to gather evidence and conduct investigations in order to solve the murder at hand! To set up a game, give every player a Character card that represents one of the main characters from the show. Each Character card has a unique Special Ability to be used during play. Shuffle the Suspect cards, and randomly draw five to be placed face-up in the middle of the table. Select one Guilty token and four Not Guilty tokens – shuffle them together face-down and then place one token on each of the Suspect cards. Shuffle the deck of Investigation cards, deal 3 to each player, place the remaining cards into a Draw deck, and the game is ready to begin!
Moving in clockwise order, players will take turns performing one of the following actions: Draw a card, Discard one card to draw two cards, Play a Special Text card, Use your Special Ability, or Confront a Suspect. The first two actions regarding drawing cards are pretty self-explanatory. Throughout the game, you might draw into your hand an Investigation card with Special Text. You may play a Special Text card, and perform the specified action on your turn. Each Character has a Special Ability that can be used once per game, so plan wisely and use it appropriately! The last action, Confront a Suspect, is what the entire game is leading to. In order to Confront a Suspect, you must have the three Investigation cards listed on the bottom of the Suspect card in hand. When performing this action, you will reveal the three requisite Investigation cards, and then you flip the token on that Suspect card. If the token reads Guilty, then you have won the game! If the token reads Not Guilty, perform the action listed on the token, remove that Suspect and token from the game, discard your used Investigation cards, and play continue with a narrowed Suspect pool! The goal is to be the first player to find the Guilty party before the Draw deck runs out of cards.
Pretty straight-forward, right? I think so, and that’s one of the things I really like about this game. The gameplay is fast and simple, and makes for a quick little set collection game. Another neat element of this game is that although it is based around the Castle TV show, you do not need to have watched any of the show to play. Anyone can play and not feel like they are missing any vital information if they haven’t seen the show, and that makes it accessible to all players, not just fans of the show.
Even though I love the show, I have to admit that the gameplay, although fast and simple, is heavily dependent on the luck of the draw. Throughout the game, you are working to collect sets of the necessary Investigation cards for individual suspects, but the only way in which cards are distributed is through drawing them from the deck. There isn’t an offering that you ‘pay’ certain resources for coveted cards, there’s no real way to know in advance what card you are going to draw, etc. It really depends on how the deck was shuffled whether you will be successful or not. There are no real opportunities to strategize, and that keeps the overall gameplay kind of stagnant. Yes, there are Special Text cards and each Character has a unique ability, but deciding when to use them is kind of a shot in the dark due to the dependence on luck.
Let’s talk components for a minute. All of the Investigation and Character cards use photos or stills from the actual TV show. Again, you need not have watched it to play, but the use of the stills makes the game more immersive and nostalgic for those that have seen it. I love looking at the cards and trying to remember from which episode each still is, and if I remember who the killer was in that specific scenario. It’s just a fun little thing. The cards are all of good sturdy quality and will hold up decently in the long run. The Guilty/Not Guilty tokens in this game are some thick and heavy poker chips and they are AWESOME. They are so high quality, I just love to manipulate them, and they add some cool ‘bling’ to the game.
All in all, is Castle a great card game? No, not necessarily. It is a fun little murder mystery game, but not one that requires and real strategy or brain power to successfully play. Do I like it though? Absolutely, because it is based on my favorite show! If you’re looking for a nice filler game, or a game that doesn’t require too much focus, give Castle: The Detective Card Game a shot. That being said, I feel like only fans of the show will be trying this game, but I guess you can prove me wrong! Purple Phoenix Games give this a mischievous 6 / 12.
In Castle: The Detective Card Game (referred to as just Castle for the rest of this review) is a murder-mystery card game in which players assume the role of a character from the show, and work to gather evidence and conduct investigations in order to solve the murder at hand! To set up a game, give every player a Character card that represents one of the main characters from the show. Each Character card has a unique Special Ability to be used during play. Shuffle the Suspect cards, and randomly draw five to be placed face-up in the middle of the table. Select one Guilty token and four Not Guilty tokens – shuffle them together face-down and then place one token on each of the Suspect cards. Shuffle the deck of Investigation cards, deal 3 to each player, place the remaining cards into a Draw deck, and the game is ready to begin!
Moving in clockwise order, players will take turns performing one of the following actions: Draw a card, Discard one card to draw two cards, Play a Special Text card, Use your Special Ability, or Confront a Suspect. The first two actions regarding drawing cards are pretty self-explanatory. Throughout the game, you might draw into your hand an Investigation card with Special Text. You may play a Special Text card, and perform the specified action on your turn. Each Character has a Special Ability that can be used once per game, so plan wisely and use it appropriately! The last action, Confront a Suspect, is what the entire game is leading to. In order to Confront a Suspect, you must have the three Investigation cards listed on the bottom of the Suspect card in hand. When performing this action, you will reveal the three requisite Investigation cards, and then you flip the token on that Suspect card. If the token reads Guilty, then you have won the game! If the token reads Not Guilty, perform the action listed on the token, remove that Suspect and token from the game, discard your used Investigation cards, and play continue with a narrowed Suspect pool! The goal is to be the first player to find the Guilty party before the Draw deck runs out of cards.
Pretty straight-forward, right? I think so, and that’s one of the things I really like about this game. The gameplay is fast and simple, and makes for a quick little set collection game. Another neat element of this game is that although it is based around the Castle TV show, you do not need to have watched any of the show to play. Anyone can play and not feel like they are missing any vital information if they haven’t seen the show, and that makes it accessible to all players, not just fans of the show.
Even though I love the show, I have to admit that the gameplay, although fast and simple, is heavily dependent on the luck of the draw. Throughout the game, you are working to collect sets of the necessary Investigation cards for individual suspects, but the only way in which cards are distributed is through drawing them from the deck. There isn’t an offering that you ‘pay’ certain resources for coveted cards, there’s no real way to know in advance what card you are going to draw, etc. It really depends on how the deck was shuffled whether you will be successful or not. There are no real opportunities to strategize, and that keeps the overall gameplay kind of stagnant. Yes, there are Special Text cards and each Character has a unique ability, but deciding when to use them is kind of a shot in the dark due to the dependence on luck.
Let’s talk components for a minute. All of the Investigation and Character cards use photos or stills from the actual TV show. Again, you need not have watched it to play, but the use of the stills makes the game more immersive and nostalgic for those that have seen it. I love looking at the cards and trying to remember from which episode each still is, and if I remember who the killer was in that specific scenario. It’s just a fun little thing. The cards are all of good sturdy quality and will hold up decently in the long run. The Guilty/Not Guilty tokens in this game are some thick and heavy poker chips and they are AWESOME. They are so high quality, I just love to manipulate them, and they add some cool ‘bling’ to the game.
All in all, is Castle a great card game? No, not necessarily. It is a fun little murder mystery game, but not one that requires and real strategy or brain power to successfully play. Do I like it though? Absolutely, because it is based on my favorite show! If you’re looking for a nice filler game, or a game that doesn’t require too much focus, give Castle: The Detective Card Game a shot. That being said, I feel like only fans of the show will be trying this game, but I guess you can prove me wrong! Purple Phoenix Games give this a mischievous 6 / 12.
John Steve-Dave Williams (31 KP) rated Holliston in TV
Dec 11, 2017
Well written (2 more)
All out fun
Guest stars
Holliston TV Series
A fun sitcom created by and starring Adam Green (Hatchet), with co-star Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2). This fun series based on 2 wannabe film makers desperately trying to get there movie made while dealing with everyday life. Many surreal and interesting moments (many of which involve Oderus Urungus from the band GWAR or Dee Snider from Twisted Sister) and a mass of guest stars from the horror genre, however I must point out that you don’t have to be a horror fan to enjoy this show!!!
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Adam Buxton Podcast in Podcasts
Jan 4, 2018
I have long been a fan of Adam & Joe on TV and podcast and enjoy Buxton's solo podcast. Here he interviews comedian guests about their work, life and general nonsense. The interviews are very laid back and aren't done just to plug a new release/show. Adam's silly style, but experience and musical knowledge allow the comedy to flow regardless of the guest as there will always be some entertainment he will get out of them.
The advertising gets a little bit irritating at times but this is a necessary evil to make the podcast viable for Buxton.
The advertising gets a little bit irritating at times but this is a necessary evil to make the podcast viable for Buxton.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Reality Check in Detroit in Books
Jan 12, 2018
The Screech Owls are back with a new adventure and lesson. I love how [Roy MacGregor] mixes hockey with a life lesson in his books. In [Reality Check in Detriot] the team is asked to be on a reality show but they quickly learn that reality tv isn't that real.
The characters that [MacGregor] creates all blend well and keep a good balance in the story. Although I personally can't stand Nish and his ego but he is typical of boys that age. Travis is a good balance. I will be passing this book off to my niece to read and recommending that my school library get it at well.
The characters that [MacGregor] creates all blend well and keep a good balance in the story. Although I personally can't stand Nish and his ego but he is typical of boys that age. Travis is a good balance. I will be passing this book off to my niece to read and recommending that my school library get it at well.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Set a couple of months after the movie ends, Veronica is hired to find a college student who vanished from a party during spring break. With the tourist industry in town losing money, can Veronica find this girl?
The plot was worth of the franchise with some great twists and turns. The characters were also true to themselves, and I loved spending time with them. My only real complaint was that I missed the snark of Veronica's voiceover narration from the TV show and movie.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-veronica-mars-thousand.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The plot was worth of the franchise with some great twists and turns. The characters were also true to themselves, and I loved spending time with them. My only real complaint was that I missed the snark of Veronica's voiceover narration from the TV show and movie.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-veronica-mars-thousand.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.