Century: Spice Road was a game that was a big hit. Although I wasn't the biggest fan of it, it still saw allot of play as it was quick, simple, and could easily be introduced to groups. My main complaint is that one mechanism doesn't make a game, and it was really hurt by the lack of any non-obvious victory point pathway (such as end game goals or achievements).
So when I heard Eastern Wonders was meant to be a gamer's version of Spice Road, I was excited. And it does indeed add some additional mechanisms such as a tech-tree of sorts and end game scoring. While Spice Road is a card and hand-management game, Eastern Wonders is much closer to a pick-up-and-deliver game. It also has the benefit of being able to be combined with Spice Road.
Eastern Wonders, however, felt like a two-steps-forwards/three-steps-backwards situation. The game adds a bunch of extra steps to set-up (including putting the board together, which should've really have had an included play-mat) and to each turn. In addition to this, the graphic design to see all the information is lacking, with the structures you build always obscuring important information you are missing.
But, for me, I guess this also suffers from a fatal flaw like Spice Road. In Spice Road, the lack of end-game or alternate scoring pathways left it feeling much less exciting than things like Splendor (with the noble tiles). Here, it is that the map remains pretty static for most the game. If you can spot a route that you can turn over resources quicker by travelling in circles, there is very little outside sources that can stop you.
This is alleviated by combining Spice Road and Eastern Wonders to form a larger game, now requiring hand management and board management. The problem with this is that it turns into the same price as an expensive big box game, and you still have the graphic design issue. At this price, the game needs to be stellar rather than just good for what you are physically receiving. Unfortunately, it just isn't.
So in the end, Eastern Wonders wasn't for me. I prefer Spice Road because it plays quicker and is easier to set-up and teach to new players. However, for me, the Century series feels like a series of games that isn't for me as they miss essential ingredients of what makes the style of games fun. Maybe if they release a reasonably-priced box for the combined games than it may be more worthwhile.
2 out of 5 wondrous waffles.
Saturday, 4 May 2019
Saturday, 27 April 2019
MOVIE REVIEW: AVENGERS END GAME (2019)
Avengers: End Game had big shoes to fill. Following up from Infinity War (which I regarded as the best Marvel Cinematic Universe movie at the time), End Game had the task of wrapping up Phase 3 of the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, rather than continuing Infinity War and taking any risks, End Game feels like a corporate paint-by-numbers movie.
End Game starts a little after the end of Infinity War. The trailers built up several mysteries (such as how Tony Stark is saved), but these are quickly resolved. The Avengers than go about the task of trying to undo the damage caused by Thanos and his snap. What follows next is an underwhelming, self-indulgent movie that the 'nothing matters' superhero movie criticisms can be applied to.
The main problems I have with it isn't that it is mediocre (which it definitely is). It is (like Captain Marvel before it) how it retroactively makes some of the best lines and scenes of the previous movies worse. Thor getting Stormbreaker and his nobility are thrown away into making him the comic relief. Hulk becomes Hulk again with just a quick handwave. The Soul Stone no longer requires sacrificing that which you love the most. They give an out for Loki to reappear. And the list goes on as they want to have their cake and eat it for future merchandising.
It all ends in a largely inconsequential fight at the end. You know the ending. The ending has been rumored since before Infinity War. It is very predictable. All you need to do is look at the upcoming movie releases and the most popular movies to know how it is going to resolve itself. No risks were taken and some of the big risks of previous movies were undone. However, the worst is done to Thanos and his fearsome and formidable Black Order, who are reduced to a generic villain and cannon fodder.
Infinity War took allot of risks for a superhero movie and is one of my favorite movies of all time. It also ended perfectly and would've have been a suitably epic end for the Marvel movies. Unfortunately, End Game fails and instead gets stuck in corporate mediocrity. I wonder when the dust settles on the hype if this movie will be fondly remembered. For me, I always prefer the twisted father-figure that was Infinity War Thanos and suspect that, like Transformers, it won't be remembered too fondly in the future.
2 out of 5 ending stars.
End Game starts a little after the end of Infinity War. The trailers built up several mysteries (such as how Tony Stark is saved), but these are quickly resolved. The Avengers than go about the task of trying to undo the damage caused by Thanos and his snap. What follows next is an underwhelming, self-indulgent movie that the 'nothing matters' superhero movie criticisms can be applied to.
The main problems I have with it isn't that it is mediocre (which it definitely is). It is (like Captain Marvel before it) how it retroactively makes some of the best lines and scenes of the previous movies worse. Thor getting Stormbreaker and his nobility are thrown away into making him the comic relief. Hulk becomes Hulk again with just a quick handwave. The Soul Stone no longer requires sacrificing that which you love the most. They give an out for Loki to reappear. And the list goes on as they want to have their cake and eat it for future merchandising.
It all ends in a largely inconsequential fight at the end. You know the ending. The ending has been rumored since before Infinity War. It is very predictable. All you need to do is look at the upcoming movie releases and the most popular movies to know how it is going to resolve itself. No risks were taken and some of the big risks of previous movies were undone. However, the worst is done to Thanos and his fearsome and formidable Black Order, who are reduced to a generic villain and cannon fodder.
Infinity War took allot of risks for a superhero movie and is one of my favorite movies of all time. It also ended perfectly and would've have been a suitably epic end for the Marvel movies. Unfortunately, End Game fails and instead gets stuck in corporate mediocrity. I wonder when the dust settles on the hype if this movie will be fondly remembered. For me, I always prefer the twisted father-figure that was Infinity War Thanos and suspect that, like Transformers, it won't be remembered too fondly in the future.
2 out of 5 ending stars.
Monday, 22 April 2019
/MOVIE REVIEW: POWER RANGERS (2017)
Power Rangers is a 2017 American super-hero film that is based in a series of shows. The shows main premise is a bunch of heroes can transform into costumed warriors, pilot mecha-lions, and combine into a mega robot.
If that premise sounds silly and light-hearted, that is because it is. And that is something the previous series shows understood (for the most part). Maybe due to budgetary constraints or the quality of the acting that was available to them, they never took the premise overly seriously. And if you think that this new movie is anything but light-hearted based on the trailer, well, you are half-right.
That is ultimately where the Power Rangers movie falls down. It doesn't know if it wants to be light-hearted or grim and dark. I wouldn't be surprised to learn (if I cared enough to research) that it had large amounts of reshoots or rewrites of the script. What you are left with is a weird movie that randomly alternates between trying to be a dark-and-gritty take on the Power Rangers that grates against other parts of the movie that try to make everything a joke.
This is a shame as the movie had potential either way. Instead, the movie can best be summed up in one scene. In this scene, you see the giant monster incinerating the town and murdering the townsfolk. All the sudden, the old Power Ranger theme hits as the Power Rangers arrive on the scene, jarring you out of the dark section. And then one of the characters makes the mind-baffling decision to drive towards the giant monsters just to try and up the tension again.
1.5 out of 5 mighty-morphin' power waffles.
If that premise sounds silly and light-hearted, that is because it is. And that is something the previous series shows understood (for the most part). Maybe due to budgetary constraints or the quality of the acting that was available to them, they never took the premise overly seriously. And if you think that this new movie is anything but light-hearted based on the trailer, well, you are half-right.
That is ultimately where the Power Rangers movie falls down. It doesn't know if it wants to be light-hearted or grim and dark. I wouldn't be surprised to learn (if I cared enough to research) that it had large amounts of reshoots or rewrites of the script. What you are left with is a weird movie that randomly alternates between trying to be a dark-and-gritty take on the Power Rangers that grates against other parts of the movie that try to make everything a joke.
This is a shame as the movie had potential either way. Instead, the movie can best be summed up in one scene. In this scene, you see the giant monster incinerating the town and murdering the townsfolk. All the sudden, the old Power Ranger theme hits as the Power Rangers arrive on the scene, jarring you out of the dark section. And then one of the characters makes the mind-baffling decision to drive towards the giant monsters just to try and up the tension again.
1.5 out of 5 mighty-morphin' power waffles.
Sunday, 14 April 2019
MOVIE REVIEW: BAYWATCH (2017)
Baywatch is a 2017 movie that is based on the famous earlier television show (called Baywatch). The original Baywatch was known for its eye candy (with David Hasslehoff and Pamela Anderson). This movie is a comedy that casts Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the lead lifeguard and Zac Effron as a troubled gold-medallist.
The main plot revolves around the lifeguards getting involved in a criminal enterprise occuring on their beach. As part of this, Zac Effron also goes through his redemption arc as he proves himself to his mentor, chases the girl, and rises to the occasion. However, this movie isn't here for its originality but for its comedy.
For the most part, the comedy is okay. It definitely suffers in that the funniest parts have been shown in the trailers. The remains of the comedy isn't really anything that gets more than the occasional chuckle. The actors are charismatic enough, but the script and interactions really let them down.
But who is let down the most in this movie are the female characters. Every female character that has more than a passing mention only really exists to be a goal for the male characters. They don't really have any other moments of awesome, character development, or any resistance to the main characters charisma once they have saved the day.
So all up middling comedy and grating representations of characters means that this is more a miss than a hit. If you really want the best funny parts, just go and watch the trailers.
2 out of 5 watching waffles.
The main plot revolves around the lifeguards getting involved in a criminal enterprise occuring on their beach. As part of this, Zac Effron also goes through his redemption arc as he proves himself to his mentor, chases the girl, and rises to the occasion. However, this movie isn't here for its originality but for its comedy.
For the most part, the comedy is okay. It definitely suffers in that the funniest parts have been shown in the trailers. The remains of the comedy isn't really anything that gets more than the occasional chuckle. The actors are charismatic enough, but the script and interactions really let them down.
But who is let down the most in this movie are the female characters. Every female character that has more than a passing mention only really exists to be a goal for the male characters. They don't really have any other moments of awesome, character development, or any resistance to the main characters charisma once they have saved the day.
So all up middling comedy and grating representations of characters means that this is more a miss than a hit. If you really want the best funny parts, just go and watch the trailers.
2 out of 5 watching waffles.
Monday, 8 April 2019
Book Review: Gone Girl
Having recently finished the Gone Girl book, I did really enjoy it. The book plays around with the unreliable narrator by making both the husband and wife that the book is set around unreliable. Just when you thought that you were getting a handle on what was happening, it then proceeds to pull the rug out from underneath the reader with a major twist.
Gone Girl had no set hero or villain. In some ways, it was just 2 bad people and one just happened to be much worse when provoked. With no reliable narration happening from either viewpoint, it is always difficult to know what is going on.
It is also quite well paced. The story keeps moving along and, just when you think a lull might start or you might start spinning wheels, it throws another spanner into the works. Switching perspectives and throwing away established points with unreliable narrators tends to do that.
The only downside is that, every so often, you swear that the characters took the stupid pill. Some of the twists and turns seem to only exist there to be a twist rather than what a sensible person would do. However, despite this, I would definitely recommend this as a good read to pass a couple of days and a book that you want to talk about.
4 out of 5 Waffles Gone.
Gone Girl had no set hero or villain. In some ways, it was just 2 bad people and one just happened to be much worse when provoked. With no reliable narration happening from either viewpoint, it is always difficult to know what is going on.
It is also quite well paced. The story keeps moving along and, just when you think a lull might start or you might start spinning wheels, it throws another spanner into the works. Switching perspectives and throwing away established points with unreliable narrators tends to do that.
The only downside is that, every so often, you swear that the characters took the stupid pill. Some of the twists and turns seem to only exist there to be a twist rather than what a sensible person would do. However, despite this, I would definitely recommend this as a good read to pass a couple of days and a book that you want to talk about.
4 out of 5 Waffles Gone.
Monday, 1 April 2019
COMIC BOOK REVIEW: TWELVE (MARVEL)
Twelve is a comic where twelve World War 2 heroes get frozen to sleep and wake up in the modern day. Here, they have to adjust to modern life while the government hopes they act as heroes and show the world what heroes are meant to be. This is following events such as Civil War where heroes fight each other.
So it pretty much ends up being about a bunch of Captain America's but the issue is are they all as "good" as Captain America just because they come from the same era? Spoilers follow.
Tonally, I am not sure what this book is trying to say. The heroes come out, some come out and try to be heroes quite successfully. But then they just end up arguing amongst themselves. This isn't helped by the bad guy being one of them (in fact the best of them, the Superman stand-in). And in order to drag out this mystery, a pretty weak deus-ex machine plot device is used.
Even the scenes of them trying to fit into the modern world, despite filling a big slot of the book, are not well handled. It is effective, however, in showing that there were things not always black-and-white even with the heroes of old. The rest is just the usual of change in police procedures, life on the wrong side of the road vs idealism, etc.
This book would have been better if there was a villain, perhaps a similar frozen villain. After criticising (in-story) all the hero vs hero stuff at the beginning, it is just another story that devolves into a hero vs hero finale at the end.
1.5 out of 5 Frozen Waffles.
So it pretty much ends up being about a bunch of Captain America's but the issue is are they all as "good" as Captain America just because they come from the same era? Spoilers follow.
Tonally, I am not sure what this book is trying to say. The heroes come out, some come out and try to be heroes quite successfully. But then they just end up arguing amongst themselves. This isn't helped by the bad guy being one of them (in fact the best of them, the Superman stand-in). And in order to drag out this mystery, a pretty weak deus-ex machine plot device is used.
Even the scenes of them trying to fit into the modern world, despite filling a big slot of the book, are not well handled. It is effective, however, in showing that there were things not always black-and-white even with the heroes of old. The rest is just the usual of change in police procedures, life on the wrong side of the road vs idealism, etc.
This book would have been better if there was a villain, perhaps a similar frozen villain. After criticising (in-story) all the hero vs hero stuff at the beginning, it is just another story that devolves into a hero vs hero finale at the end.
1.5 out of 5 Frozen Waffles.
Monday, 25 March 2019
BOARD GAME REVIEW: DREAM HOME
Dream Home is a pretty simple game. In effect, you are drafting cards that are a combination of a room and a special card (that gives an ability, points, etc.). You then effectively place the cards in a tableau to make your house.
Dream Home really is a nice little game. The decisions aren't deep but it plays quickly and gives you good decisions throughout the whole game. You are waiting to get the right cards for your house, as you get bonuses for making rooms bigger and having the home be functional. However, collecting a matching roof is also worth allot of points, which may make you choose a sub-optimal room.
The one thing that it may lack is replayability. The cards are pretty straightforward but the variety sometimes feels lacking. While it is an enjoyable gameplay loop, the game mechanisms sometimes feel a bit too straightforward, particularly towards the end. The other thing is that constantly refreshing the display can feel a bit fiddly.
The artwork in the game is great, with each room looking different. In addition, you have decor items which you can place on top of the rooms, which also look great. The artwork and the appeal of making your own house appeals to younger gamers allot.
At the end of the day, this game is a nice game. Despite concerns about it being fiddly and potentially lacking replayabiltiy. the core gameplay loop and choices involved with what combinations of cards you take keep the tension up in the game. It is definitely a game worth checking out.
4 out of 5 architectural waffles.
Dream Home really is a nice little game. The decisions aren't deep but it plays quickly and gives you good decisions throughout the whole game. You are waiting to get the right cards for your house, as you get bonuses for making rooms bigger and having the home be functional. However, collecting a matching roof is also worth allot of points, which may make you choose a sub-optimal room.
The one thing that it may lack is replayability. The cards are pretty straightforward but the variety sometimes feels lacking. While it is an enjoyable gameplay loop, the game mechanisms sometimes feel a bit too straightforward, particularly towards the end. The other thing is that constantly refreshing the display can feel a bit fiddly.
The artwork in the game is great, with each room looking different. In addition, you have decor items which you can place on top of the rooms, which also look great. The artwork and the appeal of making your own house appeals to younger gamers allot.
At the end of the day, this game is a nice game. Despite concerns about it being fiddly and potentially lacking replayabiltiy. the core gameplay loop and choices involved with what combinations of cards you take keep the tension up in the game. It is definitely a game worth checking out.
4 out of 5 architectural waffles.
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