Harvest Dice is from a genre of games that seems to be gaining in popularity recently. These are Roll 'n Write games, where you roll some dice (or draw cards or some other randomizer) and then use the results to mark a sheet of paper depending on different criteria for final scoring.
Harvest Dice has a farming theme. In it, you are drafting dice to fill in a grid with three vegetables. Atternatively, you can feed unusable dice to the pig to build up a bonus track to manipulate dice. At the end of the round, one unused dice that is left increases the points earned from that type of vegetable.
It is a pretty simple game. It is a spatial optimisation puzzle on your paper. However, the market mechanic means there is a good amount of interaction. This also leads to some good decisions because to increase the scoring of a vegetable means (by necissity) having less of that vegetable on your pad.
This is a very simple game. Even the "advanced" variant isn't too hard. In addition to this, the game is fairly inexpensive. My normal complaint here is I would prefer laminated sheets and dry-erase markers over sheets of paper. However, for the price, I am quite happy to simply laminate my own when my supply of game sheets runs low.
Overall, I really enjoyed this game. It had a nice market mechanic that gives indirect interaction and led to hard decisions, even in the solo mode. While not the deepest of games, it is easy to teach and set-up and is allot of game in a small package. It is also a great travel game to take around.
4 out of 5 harvesting waffles.
Thursday 30 August 2018
Sunday 26 August 2018
BOARD GAME REVIEW: GAIA PROJECT
So Terra Mystica is a game I am not too fond of. I think it is okay, but after playing it a handful of times, it just isn't that interesting to me. All the pieces are there, but I think the sum of its parts is greater than the whole. Terra Mystica is a very well regarded game, however, and it has a sequel of sorts in Gaia Project.
Gaia Project is set in space. The goal of the game is to increase your races technology while you terraform and colonise planets on the board. You do this to form federations, get income, and score points. At the end of the game, most points is the winner.
Gaia Project is a very fascinating game. Each of its systems is tied together and feels like it has a good give-and-take. For example, the technology levels don't only give you points and technology, but also make things cheaper and give bonuses. These bonuses can increase your income and make you more efficient, which then let you do other things (such as increase technology) to keep the cycle going.
The changes Gaia Project makes over Terra Mystica makes the game a bit more exciting and gives a bit more freedom. It is still a tight optimisation puzzle, but you can chain up moves allot easier to pull off big plays. The actual board (having blank space between planets) also reinforces this, as it is harder to block people off completely but the focus is still on stealing their planets.
The only downsides are that the rulebook should have a glossary of key terms. The difference between neighbouring, neighbouring area or neighbourhood are huge and take a bit of finding if you need to look them up. The other thing is that the components are plastic. While they are nice, they don't quite have the same timeless wooden feel of Terra Mystica. Analysis Paralysis can also easily set in for players.
This is a very fascinating game. The more I play it the more I enjoy it as I explore the systems. As times is going by, it is slowly climbing its way higher into my favorite games.
5 out of 5 Terraformed Waffles.
Gaia Project is set in space. The goal of the game is to increase your races technology while you terraform and colonise planets on the board. You do this to form federations, get income, and score points. At the end of the game, most points is the winner.
Gaia Project is a very fascinating game. Each of its systems is tied together and feels like it has a good give-and-take. For example, the technology levels don't only give you points and technology, but also make things cheaper and give bonuses. These bonuses can increase your income and make you more efficient, which then let you do other things (such as increase technology) to keep the cycle going.
The changes Gaia Project makes over Terra Mystica makes the game a bit more exciting and gives a bit more freedom. It is still a tight optimisation puzzle, but you can chain up moves allot easier to pull off big plays. The actual board (having blank space between planets) also reinforces this, as it is harder to block people off completely but the focus is still on stealing their planets.
The only downsides are that the rulebook should have a glossary of key terms. The difference between neighbouring, neighbouring area or neighbourhood are huge and take a bit of finding if you need to look them up. The other thing is that the components are plastic. While they are nice, they don't quite have the same timeless wooden feel of Terra Mystica. Analysis Paralysis can also easily set in for players.
This is a very fascinating game. The more I play it the more I enjoy it as I explore the systems. As times is going by, it is slowly climbing its way higher into my favorite games.
5 out of 5 Terraformed Waffles.
Monday 20 August 2018
MOVIE REVIEW: RIDICULOUS 6
Ridiculous 6 is a spoof title, playing on Magnificent 7. In the story, a father of 6 different children (all to different mothers) is kidnapped. In order to rescue him, the sons band together (after finding out about eachother), with each bringing their unique skills and talents to the table.
And it is also an Adam Sandler movie. So you know what that means. It is a bunch of cameos, low brow humour, and no real consistent character motivations or story. I know that is what I should expect, but I also know that it should be funny. I expect better than the occasional chuckle.
So that is what you get. Adam Sandler is a white man raised as an Indian. One of his brothers can't talk but can mime things. One of the brothers is really dumb. Etc. Just think of all the stereotypes and think of how to make their interactions nearly devoid of humour or entertainment.
And that is it at the end of the day. The Ridiculous 6 travel through America, meeting characters from history and trying to be funny for the lowest common demoninator. The story makes nearly no sense. The plot twists and reveals are pretty obvious. And the best it ever gets is the occasional chuckle.
For a comedy, that isn't good enough. And should never accept these type of movies as being "good for what they are" or with a "what did you expect" without calling them out for it.
1 out of 5 ridiculous waffles.
And it is also an Adam Sandler movie. So you know what that means. It is a bunch of cameos, low brow humour, and no real consistent character motivations or story. I know that is what I should expect, but I also know that it should be funny. I expect better than the occasional chuckle.
So that is what you get. Adam Sandler is a white man raised as an Indian. One of his brothers can't talk but can mime things. One of the brothers is really dumb. Etc. Just think of all the stereotypes and think of how to make their interactions nearly devoid of humour or entertainment.
And that is it at the end of the day. The Ridiculous 6 travel through America, meeting characters from history and trying to be funny for the lowest common demoninator. The story makes nearly no sense. The plot twists and reveals are pretty obvious. And the best it ever gets is the occasional chuckle.
For a comedy, that isn't good enough. And should never accept these type of movies as being "good for what they are" or with a "what did you expect" without calling them out for it.
1 out of 5 ridiculous waffles.
Thursday 16 August 2018
MOVIE REVIEW: GANTZ 0
Gantz 0 is a stand-alone movie based on an anime/manga series. The premise of the show is very interesting, but as a stand-alone movie it has allot of shortcomings.
In Gantz 0, the premise is people that recently died are put back into an MMO type game. While in it, they have a certain goal (specifically, kill all the monsters in an area during the time limit). If they die, they die forever. To aid them in this, they are given super-suits to help protect them and enhance their combat abilities.
The twist is that the world they are playing on is actually earth. Rather than a fantasy world, they are tasked with stopping an incursion of monsters into an earth city. This makes the series immediately more interesting as it feels like there are some stakes. However, it does squander allot of them.
The main negative here is that it leaves too many questions. For example, what happens if they fail? We know the team dies, but do the monsters just rampage? Similarly, what are the monsters and why are they constantly attacking? Normally, some mystery is good. But failing to answer any questions is not so good.
Unfortunately, this isn't saved by the action or animation scenes. Action scenes are very static, with often no background movement. Often you will have characters not shoot their guns because it isn't part of the main fight. The animation is also subpar, particularly the lip-syncing. This is particularly bad for the "final boss", which suffers a Man of Steel problem by having the fight go on way too long.
This is a shame, because the monsters look cool and the premise is interesting. However, this really needed a bit more effort to made into a good stand-alone movie.
2 out of 5 virtual waffles.
The twist is that the world they are playing on is actually earth. Rather than a fantasy world, they are tasked with stopping an incursion of monsters into an earth city. This makes the series immediately more interesting as it feels like there are some stakes. However, it does squander allot of them.
The main negative here is that it leaves too many questions. For example, what happens if they fail? We know the team dies, but do the monsters just rampage? Similarly, what are the monsters and why are they constantly attacking? Normally, some mystery is good. But failing to answer any questions is not so good.
Unfortunately, this isn't saved by the action or animation scenes. Action scenes are very static, with often no background movement. Often you will have characters not shoot their guns because it isn't part of the main fight. The animation is also subpar, particularly the lip-syncing. This is particularly bad for the "final boss", which suffers a Man of Steel problem by having the fight go on way too long.
This is a shame, because the monsters look cool and the premise is interesting. However, this really needed a bit more effort to made into a good stand-alone movie.
2 out of 5 virtual waffles.
Wednesday 8 August 2018
TV SERIES REVIEW: VOLTRON (SEASON 1)
The new season of Voltron is a reboot of the old Voltron series. In this series, Voltron is a giant powerful robot that is formed by 5 robotic lions. It is also the last hope of the universe in the war to keep the universe from beig enslaved by the all-powerful big bad.
The basic story is that a group of 5 earthlings are chosen by Voltron to be its pilot. Voltron is the last hope of a universe that is nearly enslaved. They are the new paladins, each one piloting a lion that is a part of Voltron. Each lion brings its own unique weapons and each pilot has their own personality.
The show is good. Suprisingly good. Each pilot is a character that has some depth. It also helps that Voltron isn't all powerful, instead being regularly challenged and even outmatched by a variety of foes. It also avoids the Power Rangers trap of having every episode end in Voltron forming and winning. Instead, Voltron is only brought out on special occasions.
The only downside is that some of the interesting characteristics of characters tend to erode over time. For example, the yellow lion was a mechanical genius and the green lion a computer genius. However, soon the yellow lion does less mechanical engineering and the green lion
All up, this is a good series. It is a good reboot of a series and has so far avoided most the traps of these types of series. It is definitely something I would recommend checking out.
4 out of 5 lionic waffles.
The basic story is that a group of 5 earthlings are chosen by Voltron to be its pilot. Voltron is the last hope of a universe that is nearly enslaved. They are the new paladins, each one piloting a lion that is a part of Voltron. Each lion brings its own unique weapons and each pilot has their own personality.
The show is good. Suprisingly good. Each pilot is a character that has some depth. It also helps that Voltron isn't all powerful, instead being regularly challenged and even outmatched by a variety of foes. It also avoids the Power Rangers trap of having every episode end in Voltron forming and winning. Instead, Voltron is only brought out on special occasions.
The only downside is that some of the interesting characteristics of characters tend to erode over time. For example, the yellow lion was a mechanical genius and the green lion a computer genius. However, soon the yellow lion does less mechanical engineering and the green lion
All up, this is a good series. It is a good reboot of a series and has so far avoided most the traps of these types of series. It is definitely something I would recommend checking out.
4 out of 5 lionic waffles.
Saturday 4 August 2018
MOVIE REVIEW: YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN
Don't Mess With The Zohan came out a few years ago. This is an Adam Sandler movie where he stars as an anti-terrorist who has dreams of leaving the wars in the middle east behind. It is also a comedy movie.
Adam Sandler is Zohan. Zohan is the best of the best, an Israeli super soldier. However, he has gotten sick of the fighting and has a dream involving becoming a hairdresser. Moving to the United States, he has to learn to fit in and become a hairdresser while making sure his past doesn't catch up with him.
This is a suprisingly funny movie. It never takes its premise too seriously, even if it eventually tries to get a message across. Zohan is a superhuman beast who is never in danger. The only downside is that his love interest plays the straight lady, and eventually becomes his sort-of prize.
Make no mistake, this isn't an upper class movie (although some of the jokes are suprisingly deep). It still relies of gross-out humour and repeating the same joke a few times. It is just that it has a much better sense of tone and doesn't overdo it like allot of the more recent Adam Sandler vehicles.
It also helps that he is a super-soldier as opposed to, say, Pixels, where he is a gamer who is somehow better than everyone. It makes it much more believeable (somehow) and feels less self-indulgent (somehow).
3 out of 5 military waffles.
Adam Sandler is Zohan. Zohan is the best of the best, an Israeli super soldier. However, he has gotten sick of the fighting and has a dream involving becoming a hairdresser. Moving to the United States, he has to learn to fit in and become a hairdresser while making sure his past doesn't catch up with him.
This is a suprisingly funny movie. It never takes its premise too seriously, even if it eventually tries to get a message across. Zohan is a superhuman beast who is never in danger. The only downside is that his love interest plays the straight lady, and eventually becomes his sort-of prize.
Make no mistake, this isn't an upper class movie (although some of the jokes are suprisingly deep). It still relies of gross-out humour and repeating the same joke a few times. It is just that it has a much better sense of tone and doesn't overdo it like allot of the more recent Adam Sandler vehicles.
It also helps that he is a super-soldier as opposed to, say, Pixels, where he is a gamer who is somehow better than everyone. It makes it much more believeable (somehow) and feels less self-indulgent (somehow).
3 out of 5 military waffles.
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