Weirdness Of The Day (10/08/09)

A few months ago the Saikyō Senritsu Meikyū (Ultimate Horror Maze), at Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland amusement park, was shut down so the zombie employees could go through some new training exercises. Apparently, they just weren’t scary anymore.

Below is a video of what they had to go through.

Weirdness Of The Day (9/30/09)

In honor of ZOMBIELAND opening this weekend and my friend Matt’s new video review series on the ZOMBIES!!! Board Game (here)…
Here is a disturbing little animated film called:
CHAINSAW MAID!
This is kind of like Gumby Meets Shaun Of The Dead.
(rated CG for Clamation Gore)

Dungeon Twister

The wife and I recently played a new (to us) game and I figured I would pass a little bit about it to all of you.
The game is called:

DUNGEON TWISTER!

(From BGG:)
“Dungeon Twister is a 2-player high level strategy game where 2 teams of adventurers with various powers are trapped in a dungeon. The board is composed of 8 rooms that can be moved and rotated by the players. Each turn, a player is able to spend actions to move around the dungeon, pick up and use items, battle with the opponents team, or turn and move the rooms of the dungeon.

The goal is to reach 5 victory points. Points are collected by moving adventurers out of the dungeon or by killing an opponent’s adventurer. Treasures are disseminated across the whole dungeon and will bring the adventurers well-needed powers.

Each player has the same characters, each with different powers. Some run fast, some fight or disarm traps. The cleric heals, magician burns everything in sight and the goblin is so weak that the simple fact of getting him out will bring you two victory points.

Combat and actions are managed via cards. To move, fight, heal or turn a room, you must manage action points obtained by playing cards. Those cards are not drawn but selected from a set of cards by both players. Both players have access to the same panel of cards at the beginning of the game so the game is really about managing the resources and adapting to the changing environment.”

The following is a quote from Tom Vasel: “I don’t think Dungeon Twister is for everyone – some may be turned off by the dungeon theme, others may not like the dizzying array of choices each turn. Still others may not like the odd merging of fantasy and strategy. But for me it was a tremendous pairing, a dungeon game that I could tout as having a lot of strategy; fun, but full of depth at the same time.”

I feel much the same way… There is a pretty deep strategy game hiding in the theme of Dungeon Twister. This is an extremely fun game that both me and my wife have enjoyed so far.
I even had the fortune of getting all of the expansions that are currently available. Each expansion adds different tiles with surprising layouts and a variety of new characters… Each with different abilities and skills to help you escape the dungeon!

Dungeon Twister is a fun game with a good deal of strategy and endless replay options. Check it out as soon as you get a chance!

MR. JACK – IN NEW YORK

One of the first Board Games that I talked about on this site was MR. JACK… A fantastic 2-player game in whick one player plays Jack The Ripper and attempts to escape into the darkness while the other player tries to figure out who Jack is and capture him (or her).

Well…

“Jack is back, in a new game from designers Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc. Jack, of course, is Jack the Ripper, the central character from Mr. Jack, the 2006 release from Hurrican. In that game, eight characters move around the London gameboard, with one player knowing which character is Jack and trying to help him avoid being captured and the other player trying to figure out who Jack is and, more importantly, capture him. Each character has a different ability, and each round each player moves two of the four characters available, with one player trying to eliminate suspects and the Jack player sowing as much confusion as possible.

During the real investigation of the Whitechapel murders, a quack doctor named Francis J. Tumblety was arrested, not for the murders themselves but for “gross indecency.” Before he could be tried, however, he fled the country, ending up in the United States.

In Mr. Jack in New York, the New York police have been alerted to Tumblety’s presence and are on the lookout for this suspicious character, especially since crimes are being committed that are similar to those in London. Is Tumblety the person behind the crimes? Or is someone else causing havoc in New York?

The game play in Mr. Jack in New York is the same as in Mr. Jack, with four characters moving each round and one player trying to catch Jack while the other aids his quest for freedom. All eight characters have new powers, however, and the gameboard can evolve as well each round. An informant can provide information, and Jack can escape on a transatlantic steamer if he makes it to the waterfront safely.”

I really cannot wait for this!

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

I have been wanting to get this game for quite a while. The main reason for me holding out for as long as I have is simply: My games really need to be playable with 2-people. My wife is my main gaming partner and I try to chose games that I feel she would enjoy the theme of or mechanic involved. Recently, a couple of friends saw me looking at the rules online and the conversations and questions started…
“What is that?”
“Do you have it?”
“We need to play that!”
That’s all I needed… I had a group in place!
So I collected some cash and proceeded to order:

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: The Board Game

The Board In Play:

The Description:
“After the Cylon attack on the Colonies, the battered remnants of the human race are on the run, constantly searching for the next signpost on the road to Earth. They face the threat of Cylon attack from without, and treachery and crisis from within. Humanity must work together if they are to have any hope of survival…but how can they, when any of them may, in fact, be a Cylon agent?

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is an exciting game of mistrust, intrigue, and the struggle for survival. Based on the epic and widely-acclaimed new Sci Fi Channel series, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game puts players in the role of one of ten of their favorite characters from the show. Each playable character has their own abilities and weaknesses, and must all work together in order for humanity to have any hope of survival. However, one or more players in every game secretly side with the Cylons. Players must attempt to expose the traitor while fuel shortages, food contaminations, and political unrest threatens to tear the fleet apart.

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game for 3-6 players ages 10 and up that can be played in 2-3 hours.”

The Video:

Game night is set with a full-load of 6-players ready to play…
It’s going to be a long night when it finally comes around (next weekend)!

A Boy And His Tuba

Heavy Metal BEE GEES

Song Of The Day (6/19/09)

Watch past the opening for a “treat” on this FRIDAY:

(I’m Sorry)

Overlooked Greatness (Voyagers!)

This show is indeed OVERLOOKED GREATNESS. “Voyagers!” is a time travel-based television series broadcast in the 1982-1983 season.

(The Stars)

Phineas Bogg (played by Jon-Erik Hexum) was one of a society of time travelers called Voyagers who, with the help of a young boy named Jeffrey Jones (played by Meeno Peluce) used a hand-held device called an Omni (which looked much like a large pocket watch) to travel in time and ensured that history unfolded as we know it.

(The Omni)

Bogg and Jeffrey first met when Bogg’s Omni malfunctioned and took him to 1982 (the circuitry of Bogg’s Omni was set to allow him only as late as 1970), landing him in the apartment of Jeffrey’s aunt and uncle, who were caring for him after his parents’ death. Jeffrey accidentally fell out of a window, causing Bogg to jump out to rescue him by activating the Omni. Bogg’s Guidebook, which contained a detailed description of how history should unfold, had been grabbed by Jeffrey’s dog Ralph so Bogg had to rely on Jeffrey (whose father was a history professor) to help him.

(The Opening)

The Complete Series of VOYAGERS! recently hit DVD… BUY IT! Hell, buy it for me… I don’t have it yet (sadness)!

Must Buy Video Game (6/17/09)

(Nuff said…)